<\/p>\n
The history of the Patrouille de France owes as much to a few adventurous men at the dawn of modern aviation as it does to the exploits of the aces of the First World War. Like the Red Arrows of the British Royal Air Force and the Blue Angels of the US Navy, they form the elite of French aviation<\/strong>. To be eligible, they must demonstrate a high level of skill in flying jet aircraft<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In September 1913<\/b>, Adolphe P\u00e9goud<\/b>, the son of farmers from Montferrat (Is\u00e8re), performed the first loop in aviation history<\/b> in Buc (Yvelines) aboard his Bl\u00e9riot XI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stunned by the high number of pilot deaths, he had the idea of testing the first Bonnet parachute<\/b> in real life, sacrificing his own aircraft. During this test, he noticed that the plane continued to perform arabesques in the sky despite the pilot abandoning the cockpit.<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n At the request of Louis Bl\u00e9riot, he became the first person to fly upside down<\/b> on September 1, 1913<\/b>, and two weeks later, he managed to perform a complete aerial loop. By managing to \u201cclose the loop,\u201d he became famous throughout Europe<\/b> and gave numerous demonstrations as far afield as Russia<\/b>. On October 12<\/b>, he gave the first aerial demonstration<\/b> in front of a crowd of 200,000 people<\/b>. The tour began in Vienna, Berlin, Hanover, Ghent, and Brussels.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 1914<\/b>, when war broke out, Adolphe P\u00e9goud turned down a major contract with the United States to train future pilots for the new French Air Force<\/b>, created on March 29, 1912. At the age of 26<\/b>, he became the first ace of the Great War<\/b>. But after six victories<\/b>, Second Lieutenant P\u00e9goud was unfortunately shot down by a German pilot in August 1915.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Although he died for his country, his exploits inspired many pilots<\/b> who, once peace returned, resumed the demonstrations, including Albert Fronval, Marcel Doret, and Michel Detroyat.<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\nAdolphe P\u00e9goud, pioneer of aerobatics<\/h3>\n
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