A fine photograph of d’Ecquevilly’s first flying-machine in the summer of 1908, probably in the Parc de Bagatelle in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, the same location at which Santos-Dumont had tested his 14bis in October 1906.

Of much broader span, d’Ecquevilly’s second machine was photographed at Issy-les-Moulineaux in late November 1908. Note the seventh plane attached to the top of the ring structure; the machine was initially fitted with six. Later, in 1921, Flight referred to the machine as “one of those freaks so dear to certain French inventors”.
Pictured here the Marquis d' Equevilly-Monjustin's Multiplane. Described as being 'Very resilient, very light, very solid and cheap,' this contraption appeared in 1908 and was powered by an 8hp 3-cylinder air-cooled engine. Clearly influenced by Horatio Phillips' earlier Multiplanes, the pilot 'flies' the device from a standing position, not just the 'draggiest', but also the chilliest way of doing things. Unsurprisingly, no evidence of this machine ever flying can be found, an undisguised blessing for any would-be pilot, whose life would have been put in jeopardy by the self-evident lack of inherent pitch axis, or fore-and-aft stability.

Another photograph of d’Ecquevilly’s 1908 Multiplan, this time showing the characteristic wheeled chassis which could be rotated for ease of ground handling. Note also the 2-5m (8ft 2 1/2in) paddle-bladed propeller, which was driven by a reduction gear.

This pair of figures, from d’Ecquevilly’s 1908 patent, provide details of his first flying-machine, which incorporated 50 half-planes arranged in a circular frame, wheeled chassis, 8 h.p. Buchet engine and adjustable propeller shaft. It was built in Paris but it certainly never flew - indeed it would not have been capable of doing so.

Illustrations from d’Ecquevilly’s April 1909 patent for a new aircraft with (comparatively) conventional wings, a four-wheel chassis similar to the 1908 Multi plan and an eight-cylinder engine. This was not built, and by 1910 d’Ecquevilly had apparently lost all interest in aviation.