George Valentin Bibescu

George III Valentin, Prince Bibescu (; 22 March 1880 – 2 July 1941) was a Romanian early aviation pioneer and automobile enthusiast.

Family His parents were Prince George Bibescu (1834–1902; son of Gheorghe Bibescu) and Valentine de Riquet de Caraman. On 29 July 1902, he married Marthe Lucie Lahovary (1886–1973), who took the name Marthe Bibesco.

Early Aviation Bibescu had an early interest in aviation; he flew a balloon named "Romania" brought from France 1905. Later he tried to teach himself how to fly a Voisin airplane, also brought from France, but without success. After Louis Blériot's demonstration flights in Bucharest on 18 October 1909 (organized at the invitation of , of which he was president ), Bibescu went to France and enrolled in Blériot's school in Pau. On 6 January 1910 he was awarded Aéro-Club de France pilot's license number 20. After returning from France, Bibescu organized the Cotroceni Piloting School in Bucharest where and Nicolae Capșa were licensed. On 14 September 1910, Bibescu flew his Blériot monoplane from Cioroiu island, near Giurgiu, crossing the Danube at a height of 50m, to Ruse in Bulgaria. For this he was awarded the British Distinguished Service Order in April 1917. Romania was among the first 6 nations in the world to organize car races. In 1904, he won the Bucharest-Giurgiu-Bucharest auto race, with an average hourly speed of 66 km/h. In 1905, motorists George Valentin Bibescu, Leon Leonida, and Mihai Ferekide, accompanied by Marthe Bibesco, Maria Ferekide, and Claude Anet, made the first automobile trip to Persia, leaving from Galați and reaching Ispahan. The trip is described by the French writer Claude Anet in his book, "La Perse en automobile à travers la Russie et le Caucase (Les Roses d'Ispahan)".

In 1920 Bibescu founded the Royal Aeroclub of Romania, recognised as a legal entity on 13 April 1923. He was instrumental in founding the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Between 1927 and 1930, he was vice-president, and between 1930 and 1941 president of the FAI. In 1927, in his position as head of the FAI, he was presented with a Ford Trimotor, registration CV-FAI, which he named "Comte de La Vaulx" after his predecessor as FAI president, Henry de La Vaulx. In spring 1931 he flew in this aeroplane on a promotional rally from Paris to Calcutta. However, on 17 April 1931 the Ford was attacked by giant eagles, resulting in a forced landing with the death of crew member Radu Beller and several injuries, including to Bibescu.

Death In the second half of 1940 George Valentin Bibescu was diagnosed with lung cancer and died 2 July 1941. George Bibescu is buried in the small, white 1688 church on the grounds of Mogoșoaia Palace in Romania.

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