13 July 1928, Mme Maryse Bastié flew her Caudron C. 109, F-AHFE, from Le Bourget airport, Paris, France, to Trzebiatów, Pomeranina, a distance of 1,058 kilometers (657.4 statute miles). (The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale records database does not show this record.) Mme Bastié is credited with eight FAI world records.
An FAI news article dated 28 July 2019 credits Maryse Bastié with being the first woman to have held a world record in aviation.¹
Mme Bastié’s airplane was a two-place, single-engine, Caudron C. 109 parasol-wing monoplane, F-AHFE, serial number 5804.1.
The C. 109 had a length of 6.440 meters (21 feet, 1.5 inches), wing span of 11.50 meters (37 feet, 8.8 inches) and height of 2.530 meters (8 feet, 3.6 inches). Its empty weight was 330 kilograms (727.525 pounds) and gross weight, 532 kilograms (1,173 pounds).
The standard C. 109 had a fuel capacity of 57 liters (15 U.S. gallons), and carried 15 litres (4 U.S. gallons) of lubricating oil for the engine. Its maximum speed was 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour).
F-AHFE was powered by a naturally aspirated, air-cooled, 2,959.8 cubic centimeter (180.62 cubic inches) Société des Moteurs Salmson 9AD nine cylinder radial engine. The 9AD had a cylinder bore diameter of 69.9 millimeters (2.752 inches), and piston stroke of 85.7 millimeters (3.374 inches). It was rated at 45 ch at 2,000 r.p.m. The engine was 69.1 centimeters (27.20472 inches long and 63 centimeters (24.8031 inches) in diameter. It weighed 69.9 kilograms (154.1 pounds).
F-AHFE had set two FAI world records. On 25 October 1927, Raymond Delmotte flew over a closed circuit from Villacoublay to Saran in France, for a total distance of 1 535,20 kilometers (953.93 statute miles).² Two days later, 27 October 1927, Max Knipping flew from Le Bourget, Paris, France, to Königsberg, Germany, a distance of 1 581,84 kilometers.³
The airplane was first registered to M. Cuadron as F-ESDE, 06.11.25. It was the sold to M. Bastié at Issy. Later, Guy Bart, Chennevieres-sur-Marne; André Lemoine, Reims; and Pierre Gaston Lapanne at Nancy.
¹ The earliest record credited to Mme Bastié in the FAI online records database is Number 10446, 28 July 1929. However, the database shows a number of earlier records credited to women: 12219, 2 January 1929, Evelyn Trout; 12216, 31 January 1929, Elinor Smith; 12220, 11 February 1929, Evelyn Trout; 12223, 17 March 1929, Louise McPhetridge; 12217, 24 April 1929, Elinor Smith; 12206, 28 May 1929, Marvel Crosson; 12214, 20 December 1928, Viola Gentry; 12221, 7 December 1928, Louise McPhetridge; 12212, 2 December 1928, Jane Heath; and 8221, 5 July 1927, The Hon. Bailey.
² FAI Record Number 9185
³ FAI Record 9166
© 2023, Bryan R. Swopes