George Messier was born on April 23, 1896 in Monts (central France). Starting his career as a researcher for the chemical industry, in 1921 he developed a keen interest in pneumatic and oleopneumatic shock-absorbers. An engineer and budding industrialist, George Messier filed his first patents and founded the company Messier Automobiles, which would become Société Anonyme de Construction Mécanique de la Seine in 1923; this company would manufacture the “Messier springless” car.
The springless car
From 1925 to 1931, George Messier sold more than 150 cars made by his company. The first of their kind, these strikingly original cars were nonetheless based on a very simple principle. Suspension adjustment was automatic, based on the distribution of loads and angle of pitch. Conventional metallic springs were replaced by four suspension units providing an elastic link between chassis and axle.
Each unit comprised a cylinder attached to the chassis, with a piston connected to the axle. A compressed air “blanket” in the cylinder provided the system’s elasticity, while small holes in the piston head ensured a controlled airflow for the suspension effect. A central tank pressurized by an engine-driven pump provided compressed air for the system.
George Messier teamed up with René Lucien in 1928, founding the "Société Française de Matériel d’Aviation" (SFMA) to commercialize his inventions. With the relative lack of success of his “springless" cars, George Messier soon turned to the aviation market.
As the pioneering French designer of landing gear using oleopneumatic suspension, he quickly enjoyed both commercial and technical success. By 1929, his company was supplying independent oleopneumatic shock struts, along with Messier brakes, on a number of French production aircraft, such as the Farman 190.
Right from the time the company was created, in 1928, Messier began to design a test aircraft for all of his inventions. This flying testbed made its first flight in 1934, and was most notably used to test the first retractable landing gear, which increased top speed by 50 km/h (31 mph).
George Messier was actually at the head of his company for a relatively short time. He died on January 23, 1933 after a riding accident. Ironically, horse-riding was also one of Ettore Bugatti’s favorite pastimes.
