Antoinette (manufacturer)

Antoinette
Company type	Private
Industry	Aerospace, Engine manufacturing
Founded	1903
Founder	Léon Levavasseur, Jules Gastambide
Defunct	1912
Fate	Insolvency and closure
Headquarters	Puteaux, France
Area served	Europe
Key people	Jules Gastambide (President), Léon Levavasseur (Technical Director), Louis Blériot (Vice-President)
Products	Lightweight petrol engines, Aircraft, Flight simulators

Antoinette was a French enterprise specializing in lightweight petrol engine manufacturing and an early innovator in aeroplane construction prior to World War I. The company gained recognition for its record-setting monoplane aircraft piloted by Hubert Latham and René Labouchère. Operating out of Puteaux from 1903 until 1912, Antoinette also established a flight training facility at Chalons, where it developed one of the first flight simulator devices.

Origins as a private engine enterprise

The inception of Antoinette was a privately funded project spearheaded by engineer Léon Levavasseur with financial backing from Jules Gastambide, who owned an electrical power station in Algeria. In 1902, Levavasseur proposed the creation of lightweight yet powerful engines tailored for aviation purposes, naming them after Gastambide’s daughter, Antoinette. That same year, Levavasseur secured a patent for the V8 engine layout. By 1904, Antoinette engines powered the majority of Europe's award-winning speedboats. Levavasseur's designs extended to engines featuring as many as thirty-two cylinders.

Formation of Antoinette company

In 1906, La Société Antoinette was formally established with Gastambide serving as president and Levavasseur as technical director; aviation pioneer Louis Blériot took on the role of vice-president.

During the 1906 Paris Motor Show, Antoinette showcased an automobile equipped with a , V8 engine. However, the company’s primary focus remained on supplying engines to aircraft manufacturers. Their powerplants were installed in pioneering aircraft such as the 1906 Santos-Dumont 14-bis, Paul Cornu's 1907 helicopter, and the Voisin biplane adapted by Henri Farman, who achieved Europe’s inaugural circular flight in January 1908.

The Farman-Voisin biplane was fitted with a water-cooled Antoinette V8 engine delivering at 1,400 rpm and featured early manifold injection technology. Weighing just 190 pounds including its cooling system, the engine incorporated a cast aluminium block with detachable steel cylinders. Levavasseur’s power units were notable for advanced elements such as "direct petrol injection," manifold injection systems, and evaporative cooling mechanisms.

Development of aircraft manufacturing

Antoinette ventured into aircraft production in 1906 when commissioned to build a plane for Captain Ferdinand Ferber. In 1908, Blériot cautioned Antoinette’s board against entering aircraft manufacturing to prevent internal rivalry but resigned after his concerns were disregarded.

Flight training program at Châlons

In 1909, Antoinette partnered with the French Army at Camp Châlons to initiate military aviation trials, establish a flying school, and operate a workshop. The flight school utilized the Antoinette Trainer—a pioneering flight simulator consisting of a half-barrel mounted on a universal joint designed to assist pilots in maintaining equilibrium during training.

Among the school’s prominent early trainees was adventurer Hubert Latham, who became the chief instructor. His students included Marie Marvingt, recognized as the first woman to undertake combat flights and a trailblazer in air ambulance services, along with Infante Alfonso, Duke of Galliera, Spain's inaugural military aviator.

Aircraft advocacy through Latham

During spring 1909, Latham’s impressive flights persuaded Levavasseur that he could claim the Daily Mail prize by crossing the English Channel in an Antoinette aircraft. Latham made two attempts in July 1909 but was unsuccessful due to engine malfunctions. Meanwhile, former Antoinette vice-president Blériot succeeded using a simpler air-cooled Anzani W3 engine combined with an effective Lucien Chauvière Integrale propeller.

Latham’s promotional activities culminated at the Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne held in August 1909 at Reims, France, where he secured the altitude prize, finished second in speed contests, placed third in the Gordon Bennett Cup, and achieved top rankings in distance events piloting Antoinette IV and VII models.

At the 1910 Gordon Bennett Trophy competition at Belmont Park, USA, Latham flew an Antoinette VII powered by a V16 engine.

Aircraft produced by Antoinette

**Overview of aircraft produced by Antoinette**
Model designation	Maiden flight	Remarks
Antoinette I	Never flown
Antoinette II	February 1908	Also known as the Gastambide-Mengin II
Antoinette III	1908	Biplane created by Ferdinand Ferber, alternatively named Ferber IX
Antoinette IV	1908	Single-seat, single-engine monoplane featuring rear-positioned ailerons
Antoinette V	20 December 1908	Modified version of Antoinette IV with wing warping replacing ailerons
Antoinette VI	1909	Variant of V equipped with actual ailerons (later reverted to wing warping)
Antoinette VII	1909	Evolved from IV, fitted with a larger engine and wing warping control
Antoinette VIII	1909	Further refinement of IV featuring an upgraded engine and wing warping
Antoinette military monoplane	1911	Military adaptation of Antoinette IV; ultimately declined by armed forces

Difficult periods and the closure of Antoinette

In November 1909, Levavasseur departed the firm shortly following Gastambide's exit. Both individuals returned in March 1910, with Gastambide assuming the roles of president and managing director, while Levavasseur took on technical director duties. Upon his return, Levavasseur engineered the sleek Antoinette military monoplane featuring cantilever wings; however, this design was rejected by military authorities. The company soon faced insolvency and ceased operations.

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