Passion

Book: “Jules Védrines, 250.000 km en aéroplane”

With “Jules Védrines, 250.000 km en aéroplane*”, the author Thierry Matra has written a benchmark biography of one of the most prominent French aviators in the history of aeronautics.

With “Jules Védrines, 250.000 km en aéroplane*”, the author Thierry Matra has written a benchmark biography of one of the most prominent French aviators in the history of aeronautics.

A veritable reference volume, “Jules Védrines, 250.000 km en aéroplane*” faithfully recounts the full life of this man. He came from a modest background, started work in a factory and then became a mechanic, before obtaining his pilot’s license toward the end of 1910.

Over the course of these 574 pages, Thierry Matra examines the rise of this exceptional pilot with thorough detail and infectious enthusiasm. Between 1910 and 1914, Védrines won many races. Then he was called up to serve in the French Army during World War I, specializing in dangerous missions behind the enemy lines.

After the Great War, Jules Védrines wrote a final chapter in his legend. At the controls of a Caudron G III, he executed a successful precision landing on the roof of Galeries Lafayette, before disappearing in an airplane crash on April 21, 1919 at the age of 37.

“Jules Védrines, 250.000 km en aéroplane”, Thierry Matra, éditions Les Établissements, 574 pages, ISBN: 9782491505004