M. Allison

HENRI MIGNET (1893-1965) and his tandem-winged ultralights hold a special, bittersweet place in the annals of amateur aviation. After years of building and crashing, this tireless radio technician and inventor finally came up with a design that worked. The HM-14, or Pou Du Ciel, was the first successful version of a long line of airplanes affectionately dubbed the Flying Fleas. The enthusiastic French press coverage fed the desire of a European middle class already stirred by the idea of flight for an inexpensive, easy-to-build "everyman's airplane."