René Grandjean (1884 -1968) is a pioneer in Swiss aviation. Born at Bellerive, he followed his parents to Paris where he spent a part of his childhood. On his return to Vully, he completed his military service and became a chauffeur.
Passionate about mechanics, but also about aviation, he built the first Swiss aeroplane in the Bellerive family grange in 1910. For the first flight of the aeroplane on 10 May 1910, it was another major personage of Swiss aviation, Ernest Failloubaz, son of Vallamand's Syndic, who was at the controls.
The friendship between Grandjean and Failloubaz was short-lived and after that René Grandjean piloted his planes himself. He participated in several meetings and competitions all over Switzerland before becoming one of the twelve pilots mobilised at Berne just before the start of the First World War.
