Page 36 - Delcampe Collections classiques EN-006
P. 36
Postcards
The flying bicycle!
I was about to settle in Contrary to what you might think, had the idea of creating a flying bicy-
to pen a nice article for the bicycle is not very old. It dates cle in 1909. According to the caption
from the beginning of the 19th cen-
on his postcard, 4 tubes are affixed
the summer about cy- tury, from 1817 precisely, and its in- to the bicycle, supporting the body
cling and the Tour de ventor was German baron Karl von of the craft, which is composed of a
France when I came Drais. From its inception, the bicycle long bamboo spindle 5m long. At the
across two postcards or velocipede would be continually front, the propeller has a diameter of
that showed a rather enhanced, allowing it to go faster and 1m10.
original idea: the flying further. Two wings are attached to the body,
bicycle. It’s a most And that’s where the idea of the flying forming the lifting surface. The wings
unusual theme... Why bicycle came from, as if straight out have a total surface area of 3.5m and
don’t I tell you about of a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci! are made of bamboo and continen-
Here we are in Ouistreham, a town in
tal canvas. The entire craft weighs
it? Normandy, France. no less than 33kg. Add to that the
The Count of Puiseux, who lives there, weight of the pilot, and you can see
Postcard of the Count of Puiseux’s flying bicycle.
36 Delcampe Magazine
