Francois Durafour was born in Switzerland on 11 November 1888. In July, 1910 then 22 he made an unauthorised flight, his first, at Rheims, France whilst working as an aircraft mechanic. On 11 October 1910 he passed his flight and became only the third Swiss national to be qualified as a pilot.
He was the first to fly over the city of Geneva and established the airfield at Collex-Bossy near Geneva. He won several local prizes and took part in several aviation meetings.
Beginning in 1912, during a flying tour of Central America, Durafour was the first to fly in Guatemala and San Salvador, using a Deperdussin. Returning from Central America, Durafour flew over New York. On 14 August 1912, over Times Square the motor of his Borel-Morane stopped, the fuel line having broken. He quickly chose the limited space between two nearby streets and landed.
During 1916-18, Durafour was a test pilot, first for Bleriot (SPAD), then for Hanriot, in France. He was responsible for delivering the aeroplanes to the units in the war. In May 1919, he made the first commercial flight from Paris to Geneva in a Caudron G3. In June, 1920, he made the first commercial flight with a passenger from Paris to Geneva, in a Sopwith. On July 1921, in a Caudron G-3, he made the first landing and take-off on snow. This was on Mont-Blanc, at an altitude of 4,000 meters, a record which stood for some 30 years.
