Edouard de Nieuport
Édouard de Nieuport (born August 24, 1875 in Blida , Algeria ; † September 16, 1911 ) was a French cyclist , aviation pioneer and entrepreneur.
Édouard de Nieuport was born the son of a French officer in what was then the French colony of Algeria. He attended the École supérieure d'électricité and became a successful professional cyclist after graduating from school . After a dispute with the Union Vélocipédique Française , he resigned from cycling in 1902.
Nieuport founded a company for magnetic devices and spark plugs . He also worked on a light engine for air sports and built a monoplane . The aircraft proved to be extremely successful, as the aviator Charles Weymann won the Gordon Bennett Cup in aviation; Nieuport himself came third in the same competition on his own aircraft. He himself set numerous speed records with the monoplane.
On September 15, 1911, Édouard de Nieuport carried out a flight from Châlons-en-Champagne to Charny-sur-Meuse near Verdun as a reservist in the French army during maneuvers . When landing, his aircraft was hit by a gust of wind and the machine was thrown to the ground from a height of 15 meters. The pilot was rushed to hospital with serious injuries, where he died the next day. The then French War Minister Adolphe Messimy infected the dead Nieuport with the Knight's Cross of the Legion of Honor .
Shortly after his death, the Suresnes city council decided to name the street where Nieuport had his workshop after him. Today the Atelier Nieuport restaurant is located there .
His brother Charles de Nieuport (1878–1913) worked with him in the company , who was also killed two years later in a plane crash.
literature
Web links
- The Pioneers: An Anthology: Édouard (1875-1911) and Charles (c.1875-1913) de Nié Port (Nieuport). In: ctie.monash.edu.au. May 12, 1911, accessed December 6, 2015 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nieuport, Edouard de |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French cyclist, aviation pioneer and entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 24, 1875 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Blida |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 16, 1911 |