Houdini, the famous... aviator!

March 1910, Melbourne (Australia): the propellers accelerate to lift a Voisin biplane into the air. At the controls was a man usually firmly attached to the ground, and for good reason: it was none other than the famous Harry Houdini!

Harry Houdini aboard his plane (Collection of the Centre de Recherche sur la Prestidigitation)

Not content with being arguably the first magician to become a pilot, Harry Houdini set an Australian record at the controls of his plane, covering a distance of 6 miles (almost 10 km) in just 7 minutes and 37 seconds, all at a height of about 30 meters and under the watchful eye of some thirty witnesses.

Harry Houdini’s plane (Collection of the Centre de Recherche sur la Prestidigitation)

Harry Houdini proudly claimed to be “the first flying magician” in a letter he wrote to Jean Caroly, then director of the newspaper L’illusionniste, which published the two photographs reproduced above.

Houdini’s passion for aviation, however, very nearly cost him his life. While filming a movie titled A Tragic Report, in which he was the hero, Houdini was supposed to engage in an aerial chase to catch another plane: that of the film's murderer. After getting close enough, Houdini was then supposed to descend into his adversary's plane with a rope. However, a sudden, too brutal gust of wind abruptly brought the two planes too close, and they touched to the point of losing control. It was only after much effort that the two planes regained their freedom, moments before hitting the ground… a big scare for the King of Handcuffs!

Harry Houdini on the wing of a plane (Le Petit Journal, October 28, 1921, p.4)

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