Arnoux

   Before World War I Rene Arnoux was known as a designer and builder of recording gasometer equipment for automobiles, some of them, like his fuel-flow meter for gas engines, extremely advanced. He was at the same time vice-president of the Technical Committee of the French Automobile Club and member of the Technical Committee of the Ligue Nationale Aerienne, when he designed the first of his tailless aeroplanes in 1909: none was successful. In about 1912 he coined the names Stabloplane and Stablavion for his designs which were to be automatically stable.

   No 1: This tailless biplane with a 4-bladed pusher propeller driven by a chain was built by Astra and was to be tested by Gaudard in 1910. The frame looked heavy; it was supported on 2 wheels with up-curved skids forward and aft.