Our history
The
roots
Two Grenoble associations (the Aéroclub des Alpes from 1911, joined in 1912 by the Avio Club Dauphinois) encouraged the development of the young field of aviation (the first powered flight was made by the Wright brothers in 1903…), for example by organising two major air shows at the Grenoble “Polygone d'artillerie” in 1911 and 1912.
Another remarkable figure in Grenoble's aviation history after the First World War was Jean Salis (1896-1967). A former military pilot who wanted to make a living from his passion, this native of the Auvergne settled in Grenoble in 1920, created his own private airfield at Pont-de-Claix, bought a dozen “war surplus” military aircraft for a handful of francs, and started aerial work (aerial photography, for example), together with many “propaganda” activities – today we would call it communication – first flights, air shows and so on, for the authorities and people of Grenoble and the Dauphiné, until the end of 1926.
Under these two influences, the region's aviation “soil” became very fertile. When J. Salis closed his business at the end of 1926, the local notables interested in aviation, still gathered in the ACA (chaired by Mr Piquet-Damesne), set about realising their ambition: to fly. The ACA was dissolved, and at the end of the 1920s the same people founded the Aéro-Club du Dauphiné: industrialists (Messrs Piquet-Damesne, Matussière, Truchetet, etc.) and the director of the newspaper Le Petit Dauphinois, Mr Biessy.
What came next: the ACD at Moirans (1928 – 1936).
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