The Most Famous
PILOTS from France
Top 7
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary French Pilots of all time. This list of famous French Pilots is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. René Fonck (1894 - 1953)
With an HPI of 56.23, René Fonck is the most famous French Pilot. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages on wikipedia.
Colonel René Paul Fonck (27 March 1894 – 18 June 1953) was a French aviator who ended the First World War as the top Entente fighter ace and, when all succeeding aerial conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries are also considered, Fonck still holds the title of "all-time Allied Ace of Aces". He received confirmation for 75 victories (72 solo and three shared) out of 142 claims. Taking into account his probable claims, Fonck's final tally could conceivably be nearer 100 or above. He was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1918 and later a Commander of the Legion of Honor after the war, and raised again to the dignity of Grand Officer.
2. Charles Nungesser (1892 - 1927)
With an HPI of 53.65, Charles Nungesser is the 2nd most famous French Pilot. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Charles Eugène Jules Marie Nungesser (15 March 1892 – presumably on or after 8 May 1927) was a French ace pilot and adventurer. Nungesser was a renowned ace in France, ranking third highest in the country with 43 air combat victories during World War I. After the war, Nungesser mysteriously disappeared on an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight from Paris to New York, flying with wartime comrade François Coli in L'Oiseau Blanc (The White Bird). Their aircraft took off from Paris on 8 May 1927, was sighted once more over Ireland, and then was never seen again. The aircraft was either lost over the Atlantic or crashed in Newfoundland or Maine. Two weeks after Nungesser and Coli's attempt, Charles Lindbergh successfully made the journey, flying solo from New York to Paris in Spirit of St. Louis. Monuments and museums honoring Nungesser and Coli's attempt exist at Le Bourget airport in Paris and on the cliffs of Étretat, the location from which their plane was last sighted in France.
3. Jean Mermoz (1901 - 1936)
With an HPI of 50.81, Jean Mermoz is the 3rd most famous French Pilot. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Jean Mermoz (9 December 1901 – 7 December 1936) was a French aviator, viewed as a hero by other pilots such as Saint-Exupéry, and in his native France, where many schools bear his name. In Brazil, he also is recognized as a pioneer aviator.
4. Jacqueline Auriol (1917 - 2000)
With an HPI of 49.74, Jacqueline Auriol is the 4th most famous French Pilot. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Jacqueline Marie-Thérèse Suzanne Auriol (French pronunciation: [ʒaklin oʁjɔl]; née Douet; 5 November 1917 – 11 February 2000) was a French aviator who set several world speed records.
5. Maryse Bastié (1898 - 1952)
With an HPI of 46.61, Maryse Bastié is the 5th most famous French Pilot. Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
Maryse Bastié (French pronunciation: [maʁiz bastje] ; 27 February 1898 – 6 July 1952) was a French aviator who set several international records for female aviators during the 1930s.
6. Adrienne Bolland (1895 - 1975)
With an HPI of 46.10, Adrienne Bolland is the 6th most famous French Pilot. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Adrienne Bolland, born Boland, (25 November 1895 – 18 March 1975) was a French test pilot. She was the first woman to fly over the Andes between Chile and Argentina. She was later described as "France's most accomplished female aviator", setting a woman's record for loops done in an hour. The French government eventually recognized her with the Legion of Honor and other awards. Since her death, she has been commemorated with a postage stamp of Argentina. Born into a large family outside Paris, she became a pilot in her twenties to pay off gambling debts. An early crossing of the English Channel led René Caudron, her employer, to send her to South America to demonstrate his planes, where she made her Andes crossing, assisted, she later said, by a tip relayed to her from a medium. Later in her life she became involved in leftist political causes, and eventually became part of the French Resistance during World War II.
7. Hélène Boucher (1908 - 1934)
With an HPI of 45.48, Hélène Boucher is the 7th most famous French Pilot. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Hélène Boucher (23 May 1908 — 30 November 1934) was a well-known French pilot in the early 1930s, when she set several women's world speed records and the all-comers record for 1,000 km (621 mi) in 1934. She was killed in an accident in the same year.
People
Pantheon has 7 people classified as French pilots born between 1892 and 1917. Of these 7, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased French pilots include René Fonck, Charles Nungesser, and Jean Mermoz. As of April 2024, 1 new French pilots have been added to Pantheon including Adrienne Bolland.
Deceased French Pilots
Go to all Rankings
René Fonck
1894 - 1953
HPI: 56.23
Charles Nungesser
1892 - 1927
HPI: 53.65
Jean Mermoz
1901 - 1936
HPI: 50.81
Jacqueline Auriol
1917 - 2000
HPI: 49.74
Maryse Bastié
1898 - 1952
HPI: 46.61
Adrienne Bolland
1895 - 1975
HPI: 46.10
Hélène Boucher
1908 - 1934
HPI: 45.48
Newly Added French Pilots (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Pilots were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 5 most globally memorable Pilots since 1700.
