he origins of the Armée de L’Air stretched back to the formation of the Aéronautique Militaire, born in 1909, in the country which had done more than any other to encourage the growth of aviation since its inception in 1903. While the United States may have been the birthplace of crewed, powered flight, France was its cradle. It was to France that designers and pilots looked, and usually went, to train, develop ideas and take part in the greatest aviation meetings in the world, while
