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Celebrating 100 years of Swiss flight

One hundred years ago, a Swiss teenager made history by becoming the country’s first pilot. On May 10, 1910, 17-year old Ernest Failloubaz flew a plane built by fellow Swiss, René Grandjean. The inventor had been inspired by Louis Blériot’s crossing of the English channel, and modelled his plane on pictures he had seen of that machine. In a series of air shows around the country, Switzerland is now paying tribute to the pioneers of aviation. (Julie Hunt, swissinfo.ch/SRF archive footage)

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Julie worked as a radio reporter for BBC and independent radio all over the UK before joining swissinfo.ch's predecessor, Swiss Radio International, as a producer. After attending film school, Julie worked as an independent filmmaker before coming to swissinfo.ch in 2001. 

Julie Hunt

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR