George Valentin Bibescu

George III Valentin, Prince Bibescu (; 22 March 1880, Bucharest – 2 July 1941, Bucharest) was a Romanian early aviation pioneer and automobile enthusiast. Family His parents were Prince George Bibescu (1834-1902) (son of Gheorghe Bibescu) and Valentine de Riquet de Caraman, In 1902, he married Marthe Lucie Lahovary (1886-1973), who took the name Marthe Bibesco. They had one daughter, Valentina, born 27 August 1903. In 1912, he gave his wife as a present the Mogoșoaia Palace. Automobiles Bibescu, together with the engineer and explorer Bazil Assan and the baron Barbu Bellu, was the first person to bring an automobile to Romania. The first two requested one from the brand FN Herstal. Since Bibescu did not have the time to register it, in 1900, Assan became the first person in the country to receive a Vehicle registration plate, 1B. However, Bibescu did not want to allow this, so the Capital Prefecture made an exception and gave him in 1901 the plate 0B, making him the owner of the first plate in Romania. Aviation Bibescu had an early interest in aviation; he flew a balloon named "Romania" brought from France 1905. Later he tried to teach himself how to fly a Voisin airplane, also brought from France, but without success. After Louis Blériot's demonstration flights in Bucharest on 18 October 1909 (organized at the invitation of , of which he was president), Bibescu went to France and enrolled in Blériot's school in Pau. On 6 January 1910 he was awarded Aéro-Club de France pilot's license number 20. After returning from France, Bibescu organized the Cotroceni Piloting School in Bucharest where and Nicolae Capșa were licensed. On 5 May 1912, he founded the Romanian National Aeronautic League.