Alphonse Pénaud

Alphonse Pénaud ( born May 31, 1850 in Paris, † October 22, 1880 ibid. by suicide ) was a French air technician.

Through his work he gained extensive knowledge of aviation engineering. He invented the rubber powered model today at the port used. In 1871, flew his by a rubber motor-driven flight model " Planophore " with 45 cm wingspan and 16 g in weight 60 m wide. Pénauds Planaphore encouraged not least by the Wright brothers, who owned one of the models prior to 1899 and reported it.

Pénaud published numerous papers in the journal L' aéronaute, including his explanation of the " thermal updraft ." In 1876 he had patented a successful swing plane with retractable landing gear, arched wings and means for compensating the rudder forces.

Probably because of the sluggish implementation of its aircraft project, Pénaud 1880 took his own life.