| Luis Carrasco, e-mail, 30.08.2011 06:10 Before 1909, Luis Alberto Sánchez Besa –a young Chilean engineer- was in France. Member of a very rich family his life was as the life of many others Southamerican in Paris, easy and well lived. But his pasion was the for the new sporting activity: the aviation. Become friend of many others latins in similar activities. He as an airplane maker and flying teacher in his own academy, was an exceptional individual. He was a brilliant engineer from the fact of the foundamental differences in design creativity and in his construction methods, as can be found comparing his designs with of the othes contructors of the same period, as can be found on many European and American old aviation magazines to-day. He owned a factory with about 600 workers and in it he build about 200 of his famous biplane Sanchez-Besa, of wich, 7 bombardement biplanes, were destined to the new Chilean Air Force. Nevertheless he --as Alberto Santos Dumont-- was a pacifist and when First World War, he transfer all his intallations to the French Government that because of the war had been nationalized all the new aviation industry. During, part of the war, Sánchez Besa was in Chile, a backward country were he was not considered in his real magnificence. For unknown reasons, he come back to France soon and never return to Chile. reply |
| Pedro Vial Ulloa, e-mail, 21.10.2009 17:11 The designer and builder of this airplane is the chilean José Luis Sánchez Besa civilian, who sold many of this aircraf to Chile, coutry that in 1913 had the largest airforce in south america, and one of the most experienced pilots in the world (an non official source puts them in 6th global rank) sorry for my rusty english, it's not my mother tongue reply |
