Aéro-Club de France

The Aéro-Club de France (French: [a.e.ʁɔ.klyb də fʁɑ̃s]) was founded as the Aéro-Club on 20 October 1898 as a society 'to encourage aerial locomotion' by Ernest Archdeacon, Léon Serpollet, Henri de la Valette, Jules Verne and his wife, André Michelin, Albert de Dion, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe, and Henry de La Vaulx.

[1] On 20 April 1909, its name was changed to Aéro-Club de France.

From its formation it also set the rules that have marked some of the 'firsts' in aviation, such as the first closed-circuit flight of over 1 km and the first helicopter flight, and has organised competitions including: The club published the journal L'Aérophile from 1898 to 1947,[3] and since 1997 publishes the magazine Aérofrance.

The Aéro-Club de France was a founding member of the International Aeronautical Federation (FAI) in 1905, a joint effort with other national associations.

The Club grants the Great Medal of the Aéro-Club de France to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of aviation.