Charles Renard

Charles Renard (1847–1905) born in Damblain, Vosges, was a French military engineer.

After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 he started work on the design of airships at the French army aeronautical department.

It helped the French army to reduce the number of different balloon ropes kept on inventory from 425 to 17.

These, each carriage being six-wheeled, are the central pair and are shod with iron, the resulting road-shock being taken by the springs and rubber tyres on the other wheels.

[4] They were powered by a 16.1 litre Daimler engine and the last carriage always cut the corner[5] Depressed by the French government's refusal to fund his experiments and the rejection of his candidacy for membership of the French Académie des Sciences he committed suicide in April 1905.

Charles Renard
La France 1884, the first fully controllable airship or dirigible
Artist's depiction of La France
Bearer share certificate. Société Francaise des Trains Renard SA, issued 29 January 1907