ESNAULT-PELTERIE, ROBERT

born Nov. 8, 1881, Paris, France died Dec. 6, 1957, Nice in full Robert-albert-charles Esnault-pelterie French aviation pioneer who made important contributions to the beginnings of heavier-than-air flight in Europe. After studying engineering at the Sorbonne, Esnault-Pelterie took up gliding, building a duplicate of the Wright brothers' glider of 1902, without, however, fully understanding their steering technique. This led him to condemn the principle but also to invent the aileron (movable airfoil at the trailing edge of the wing). In 1907 he built one of the first monoplanes, noteworthy for its innovative 7-cylinder radial engine; his longest flight in this aircraft covered 600 m (2,600 feet). He also invented a new type of fuel pump. He became interested in space exploration and produced theoretical studies of high-altitude rocket flight, for which he coined the word astronautics, and helped establish an annual award (the Pel-Hirsch Prize) for work in the field.