At the Reims Air Show in 1909, the American Glenn Curtiss and Frenchman Louis Bleriot vied with each other for the speed record and Henry Farman won the distance prize. The first official air races were held in 1911.

There were a staggering 32 aviation fatalities in 1910; CS Rolls (co-founder of Rolls-Royce) was the first to perform a non-stop return crossing of the English Channel; but his Wright Flyer would break up in mid-air a month later.