Before the 1920s Persia was largely untouched by the enormous changes being introduced by the aviation industry. There were however a few visitors. 1877 In his diary, Nasser al-Din Shah records the flight of two balloons in Tehran. <Picture fromWikipedia> 1891 Prince Malkum Khan Nazim al-Dawla brought a balloon from France, which he flew near Tehran. Following protests from religious scholars the flights were halted. <’Atrvash, 1386> 1910 12 November 1910 “Flight” reports that a 50-h.p. Blériot-Gnome flown by M. Prier was the first of its kind to be sold on the ground of the London Aerodrome, and the first in existence to be purchased for a purely commercial reason, since it was purchased in connection with the laying of oil pipes across a desert in Persia. 1913 In 1913, the people of Tehran saw for the first time an aeroplane flying over the city. All across the city, astounded people rushed outside to get a closer look at the strange bird. The aeroplane landed in the city centre at the Cossack Division exercise field known as Meidan-e-Mashgh. On landing, it was slightly damaged by the barrel of a cannon on the ground. This aeroplane, a Bleriot XI, was flown into Tehran from Russia by Kuzminski, a Russian pilot. The aircraft was repaired with the assistance of Iranian army technicians and then flew back to Russia. http://www.iranchamber.com/history/articles/history_iranian_air_transportation_industry. php Other sources state that Kuzminski was Polish and that his flight to Tehran took place on 6th Safar 1332 – 4th January 1914. “Flight” reports that on 12 January 1914, Kuzminski flew his Blériot-Gnome from Kasra-Kadjar to Teheran, where he flew before the Shah and other members of the Imperial family. On the day following Kuzminski’s landing, Ahmad Shah was photographed with the aeroplane.
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