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The Aero Club was founded
in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon
Charles Rolls (one of the founders of Rolls-Royce), partly inspired
by the Aero Club of France. It was initially concerned more with
ballooning but after the demonstrations of heavier-than air flight
made by the Wright Brothers in France in 1908, it embraced the
aeroplane. The original club constitution declared that it was
dedicated to 'the encouragement of aero auto-mobilism and ballooning
as a sport.' As originally founded, it was primarily a London
gentlemen's club, but gradually moved on to a more regulatory
role. It had a clubhouse at 119 Piccadilly, which it retained
until 1961 |
