Initiated at Châtres, Seine-et-Marne, Peřina flew a Curtiss H-75A. On 1 December 1939 Peřina was assigned to the "1ère Escadrille" of "Groupe de Chasse I", "Escadre de Chasse 5" based at Suippes near Reims. The squadron was made up of French pilots who had attended the Zürich air festival, and commanded by Capitaine Jean Accart. His took on the French alias of François Rinopé, in case he was taken prisoner - the Germans would treat a French prisoner much better than they would an exiled Czech.