George Valentin Bibescu

Who was George Valentin Bibescu?

George Valentin, Prince Bibescu was a Romanian early aviation pioneer and automobile enthusiast.

Prince George III Valentin Bibescu, grandson of Gheorghe Bibescu, domnitor of Wallachia and son of George Bibescu and Valentine de Riquet de Caraman, was born in Bucharest. In 1902, he married Marthe Lucie Lahovary, who took the name Marthe Bibesco. They had one daughter, Valentina, born 27 August 1903. In 1912, he gave his wife as a present the Mogoşoaia Palace.

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 demonstrative flights in Bucharest on 18 October 1909, Bibescu went to Paris and enrolled in Blériot's school in Pau. On 23 January 1910, he obtained the International Pilot License number 20.

After returning from France, Bibescu organized the Cotroceni Piloting School in Bucharest where Mircea Zorileanu and Nicolae Capşa were licensed. On 5 May 1912, he founded the Romanian National Aeronautic League.