A street whispering tales of bravery. That is Rue Pegoud. This seemingly ordinary street in the 15th arrondissement of Paris holds a special place in aviation history. It is named after Adolphe Pégoud.
Rue Pegoud begins at Quai d’Issy-les-Moulineaux. It ends at the intersection of Voie AD/15 and Boulevard Gallieni. The street is about 140 meters long and 15.2 meters wide.
Who was Adolphe Pégoud? He was a French aviator. He died for France near Belfort. Pégoud was born on June 13, 1889, and died on August 31, 1915. He was only 26 years old.
Pégoud served in the French Army from 1907 to 1913. After his discharge, he quickly became a pilot. He earned his pilot’s certificate on March 1, 1913. Pégoud was a pioneer. He was the first pilot to make a parachute jump from an airplane using a sacrifice aircraft.
After landing, he told reporters he would try to reproduce the loop he saw the plane make. As a test pilot for Louis Blériot, he pushed the limits of airplane maneuvers. On September 1, 1913, Pégoud flew the first inverted flight. Just a few weeks later, on September 21, he flew a loop. Many believed it to be the world’s first loop. However, Pyotr Nesterov, a Russian pilot, had already done it 12 days earlier.
Pégoud became a popular flight instructor. At the start of World War I, he volunteered for flying duty. He was immediately accepted. On February 5, 1915, he and his gunner shot down two German aircraft. They also forced another to land. In April, flying a single-seat aircraft, he claimed two more victories.
How many enemy aircraft did Pégoud destroy? It is not exactly known. Early air combat was rare. A forced landing was often counted as a victory. Yet, Pégoud was the first pilot to achieve ace status.
Tragically, on August 31, 1915, Pégoud was shot down and killed. The German pilot was Unteroffizier Otto Kandulski. Kandulski had been Pégoud’s student. The same German crew dropped a funeral wreath behind the French lines. Two weeks later, the French pilot Roger Ronserail shot down Kandulski. Ronserail earned the title “Le Vengeur de Pégoud” or “The avenger of Pégoud”.
Rue Pégoud received its name in 1926. It is near the Issy-les-Moulineaux airfield. The street was once part of Boulevard Gallieni. It was located in Issy-les-Moulineaux. The area was annexed to Paris by decree on April 3, 1925. So, as you walk along Rue Pégoud, remember the brave aviator. Remember Adolphe Pégoud. His legacy lives on in this Parisian street.