frame, Giuseppe Cei. Giuseppe Cei (January 25, 1889 – March 28, 1911) was an Italian aviation pioneer. He was born in

Càscina Cascina () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about southeast of Pisa. Cascina is located on the left shore of the Arno River, on a markedly plain terrain. T ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, and showed a precocious talent for mechanics from a very early age. He also obtained good results as a fencer, winning the

sabre A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...

prize in the International Contest held at

Milano Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nearly 1.4 million, while i ...

in 1908. In late 1909, he moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. He studied in the Roche School for Aeronautics and Mechanic Constructions, graduating in

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

. In the same period he started to fly planes at the

Issy-les-Moulineaux Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called in French. It is one of Paris's entrances and is located from Notre Dame Cathedral, whic ...

airfield. On January 1, 1911 he received the 35th piloting license in Italy. Later his aerobatic performances in Paris, riding a

Farman Farman Aviation Works () was a French aircraft company founded and run by the brothers Richard, Henri, and Maurice Farman. They designed and constructed aircraft and engines from 1908 until 1936; during the French nationalization and rational ...

biplane, led the French President

Armand Fallières Clément Armand Fallières (; 6 November 1841 – 22 June 1931) was a French statesman who was President of France from 1906 to 1913. Clément Armand Fallières was a symbol of republicanism in the French Third Republic. He was born into ...

to declare him ''Le roi de l'air'' ("The King of the Air"). Cei died on March 28 of that year when his plane crashed on Rotschild Island near

Puteaux Puteaux () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine department, from the centre of Paris. La Défense, Paris's business district hosting the tallest buildings in the metropolitan ...

. His funeral was attended by a large crowd in Paris. Later his body was buried in his native city.

External links

Page at EarlyAviatiors.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cei, Giuseppe 1889 births 1911 deaths People from the Province of Pisa Italian aviation pioneers 20th-century Italian engineers Italian male fencers Italian expatriates in France Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1911 Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in France