Daily demonstrations at 11am, free with admission!
Leyat Trainer (replica)-1907
Marcel Leyat, a visionary of early aviation, embarked on a journey of innovation that forever altered the course of flight training. Born from his relentless passion for airplanes, Leyat’s pioneering spirit led him to develop groundbreaking solutions to the challenges of early flight.
In 1907, faced with the daunting task of training pilots for the skies, Leyat unveiled his ingenious creation – the flight trainer. Confronted by the limitations of early aircraft, which lacked the power to accommodate instructors alongside trainees, Leyat devised a solution that defied convention. This remarkable trainer revolutionized pilot education. Mounted on a trolley and towed by an automobile, it simulated the experience of flying without ever leaving the ground. Leyat’s creation provided aspiring aviators with a safe yet realistic environment to hone their skills.
Though the original 1907 trainer has been lost to time, its legacy lives on through the meticulous efforts of Mirko Hrazdira. Utilizing three surviving images (two of which you see here), Hrazdira painstakingly recreated this historic apparatus in 2011, ensuring that Leyat’s pioneering work endures for future generations. In January 2012, Mirko and Milan Hrazdira transported their replica from the Czech Republic to Lane Motor Museum, where it was assembled and tested, paying homage to Marcel Leyat’s groundbreaking contribution to aviation history.