), 1st Commandant of the Patrouille de France as of the official Aerial presentation on 14 September 1953, Commander of the 13th Aerial Brigade, World War II Veteran with 165 war missions. , identification_symbol= , identification_symbol_label=Patrouille de France Badge , identification_symbol_2= , identification_symbol_2_label= , identification_symbol_3= , identification_symbol_3_label= , identification_symbol_4= , identification_symbol_4_label= , aircraft_attack= , aircraft_bomber= , aircraft_electronic= , aircraft_fighter= , aircraft_helicopter= , aircraft_helicopter_attack= , aircraft_helicopter_cargo= , aircraft_helicopter_multirole= , aircraft_helicopter_observation= , aircraft_helicopter_transport= , aircraft_helicopter_utility= , aircraft_interceptor= , aircraft_patrol= , aircraft_recon= , aircraft_trainer=1953–1954 Republic F-84
1954–1957 Dassault Ouragan
1957–1964 Dassault Mystère IV
1964–1981

Fouga Magister Fouga (also known as Air Fouga) was a French manufacturing company established by Gaston Fouga at Béziers during 1920. Originally specialising in the repair of railway rolling stock, the firm eventually became most noted for the aircraft it p ...

1981–present

Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet The Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet is a light attack jet and advanced jet trainer co-manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France and Dornier Flugzeugwerke of Germany. It was developed specifically to perform trainer and light attack missions, ...

, aircraft_transport= The (, "French Acrobatic Patrol"), also known as the (PAF), is the precision aerobatics demonstration unit of the

French Air and Space Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Ar ...

, officially commissioned in 1953. Using the French Aerial Aerobatics (french: Voltige aérienne Française) unit of the French Air and Space Force, the mission is to represent it and lead the ambassadorship role of French aeronautics overseas. Stationed at Aerial Base 701 Salon-de-Provence in

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and ...

, it is the oldest (active since 1931) and considered one of the best in the world. Comprising 9 pilots and 35 mechanics, the patrol (''La Patrouille'') splits its time between winter season (''saison hivernale'') training and summer season (''saison estivale'') aerial displays. The unit traditionally opens the Bastille Day military parade in Paris with 9

Alpha Jets The Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet is a light attack jet and advanced jet trainer co-manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France and Dornier Flugzeugwerke of Germany. It was developed specifically to perform trainer and light attack missions, as ...

, presenting a twenty-minute demonstration of formation changes and crossovers narrated by the director of the French Air Force presentation team, also a jet pilot as well as the public relations officer. Each maneuver is filmed by a photo and video specialist, as a pilot is also usually present (often the replacement pilot), supervising the communications between the PAF and the controller for flight safety.

History

Early beginnings

In 1931, the first aerial demonstration (''démonstration aérienne'') in patrol (''En Patrouille'') took place at Étampes-Mondésir Airport. The demonstration was executed by instructors of the Piloting Perfection School, on Morane-Saulnier MS.230. The formation was composed of three aircraft. Between 1932 and 1939, under the command of Captain Pierre Fleurquin, the Patrouille d'Étampes received an encouraging success and entered in posterity. Accordingly, the Patrol was chosen to represent

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

during international meetings. In 1935, the Patrouille d'Étampes was converted on MS.225 and developed capability to pass to five equipment (1936). In 1937, the unit joined

Salon-de-Provence Salon-de-Provence (, ; oc, label= Provençal Occitan, Selon de Provença/Seloun de Provènço, ), commonly known as Salon, is a commune located about northwest of Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d ...

; it was designated Patrouille de l' École de l'Air. The

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

interrupted different activities.

Birth of the Patrouille de France

In 1947, the Minister of Air created an escadrille of representation for the French Air Force. The presentation unit was directed by Capitaine Pierre, former pilot of the Patrouille d'Étampes and accordingly equipped with twelve Stampe SV-4. In front of the ongoing ascending success of presentations, diverse formations were put in place at the corps of the

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Ar ...

. In 1952, Commandant Pierre Delachenal, pilot of the 3^e Escadre, stationed at Aerial Base 112 Reims-Champagne, formed an escadrille of four Republic F-84G. During an aerial meeting on 17 May on the field of Maison-Blanche (White House) in

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, the pilot show commentator of the escadrille and journalist Jacques Nœtinger, overwhelmingly shocked with the spectacle which he had just witnessed, baptised France's Patrol officially as Patrouille de France. The general staff headquarters of the French Air Force accordingly confirmed this appellation on 14 September 1953.

Recent developments

During the ten following years, four Escadres of the French Air Force (the 12^e Escadre of Aerial Base 103 Cambray-Épinoy, the 4^e Escadres of Aerial Base 136 Bremgarten; the 2^e Escadre of Aerial Base 102 Dijon-Longvic and the 4^e Escadre of Aerial Base 133 Nancy-Ochey) perpetuated one after the other (''tour à tour'') the traditions of the Patrouille de France and contributed to patrol's international success. Nevertheless, in 1964, following budgetary restrictions, the patrol of Dassault Mystère IV was dissolved. Anxious not to have the designation of Patrouille de France disappear, the Minister of the Armies decided accordingly a couple of months later to adopt the Patrouille de l'École de l'Air. The six

of the Aerial Base of Salon-de-Provence became the torch of French Aerial Aerobatics (french: Voltige Aérienne Française) during sixteen years. The last presentation of Fouga Magister, which the number was nine, was held on 16 September 1980 at Salon-de-Provence. The

became the steel spear of the Patrouille de France in 1981 with 7 aircraft. This number was increased to 8 as of 1982. A historical display took place in 1986 above

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. On 25 November 2009, for the first time in the world, an aerobatic team was commanded by a woman, when Commandant of the French Air Force

Virginie Guyot Commandant Virginie Guyot (born 30 December 1976 in Angers) is a fighter pilot of the Armée de l'Air who achieved an historical first when she was appointed leader of the Patrouille de France, becoming the first woman in the world to command a p ...

became leader of the Patrouille de France. During the France segment of the 2020 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, the Patrouille de France performed a flyby over

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, passing the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed ...

as Tokyo passed the Olympics on to the French capital for the 2024 Games.

Pilots

Three pilots integrate the ''Patrouille'' each year. The new entering patrollers are chosen amongst the hunter pilots (french: Pilote de Chasse) of the French Air Force, which come forth voluntarily. They have to retain the qualification of a patrol chief and totalize at least 1500 hours of flying on a reaction aircraft in order to apply. From the principle of cooperation, the pilots chose the three future pilots of the ''Patrouille''. The 2009–2010 season was marked by the arrival, for a first time, of a female pilot : Commandant

The radio code of the ''Patrouille'' is ''Athos'': *The Leader - Le Leader **''Athos 1'' remains on post for a period of one year, the leader is the only indispensable pilot in the ''Patrouille'' and cannot be replaced. Orchestra Chief of the ''Patrouille'', the leader determines with his team the figures and formations which the patrol will form and paint. *The interiors - Les intérieurs **Respectively ''Athos 2'' and ''Athos 3''. They are in their first year in the Patrouille and evolve a side the leader during the manifestations of flight formations. *The charognard (french: Charognard) ** ''Athos 4'', known for the position : placed behind the leader, ''Athos 4'' literary swallows all the smoke and takes the leader's place the following year. *The exteriors - Les extérieurs ** ''Athos 5'' and ''Athos 6'' are part of the equipment the furthest from the leader. Their respective places at the corps of formations demand from them a great deal of anticipation and concentration in order to hold formation of the aerial fort. * The solos - Les solos ** ''Athos 7'' (solo leader) and ''Athos 8'' (second solo) conduct crossings and percussions during the « synchronisation », second part of the program. *The replacement - Le remplaçant ** ''Athos 9'' is the oldest pilot of the ''Patrouille'', since Athos 9 occupied the post of "interior", second of solo and leader solo the previous years. Athos 9 has to be capable in replacing any of the patrollers. He cannot however replace the "leader".

Mechanics

The Patrouille de France is first a team. They are 32 mechanics to put in place, maintain and repair the 12 Alphajet assigned to the unit. Placed under the orders of technical services chief, the mechanics are also chosen by cooptation amongst the mechanics of the French Air and Space Force. They are all volunteers and worker often late at night to assure the mission of the following day. They are mainly two teams. Patrouille de France - RIAT 2015

* The Troubleshooting Team Charged with troubleshooting the necessary immobilization of an aircraft, or the utilization of specific tools, the troubleshooting team guarantees equally the consistency of programmed operations. This team is stationary on an Aerial Base, and ensures the base's back-up support, or when the ''Patrouille'' returns from meeting. * The field/meeting Team Based on the tradition, the field mechanic chooses the pilot. The mechanic accompanies the pilot during the appropriate season on all "meetings", and navigates in the rear for all transit flights. In a particular uniform, the latter ensures the effect placement of each flight departure and return. The confidence between the mechanic and pilot is absolute/total. * The Transall Accompaniment A

Transall C-160 The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. "Transall" is an abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium Transporter Allianz, comprising the companies of MBB, Aerospatiale, and ...

accompanies the ''Patrouille de France'' to each displacement. The accompaniment revolves around ensuring the necessary logistics support, in transporting a dozen tons of materials, in addition to the required personnel in concern for the mission. The accompaniment is capable of conducting rotations to main base from any lieu in case the situation was of a requirement. The Transall and crew which participate to the mission of the ''Patrouille'', hail from the transport squadrons of the French Air and Space Force.

Formations

The program of the ''Patrouille de France'' is renewed each year. Each program, designated a "series", is determined by the leader in accordance with all members of the team. This program is proposed to be validated by security flight commission, before being validated, similarly to all demonstration pilots, by the

Chief of Staff of the French Air Force Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the bo ...

during the spring on an Aerial Base. The series for the year is divided in two parts, the "ruban" (8 Alphajet evolve in a tight quarter formation and change formation) and the "synchro" (the ''Patrouille'' is divided into two formations and conducts alternatively figures of 2, 4, or 6 aircraft). The chains of maneuvers must be perfectly synchronized between the leader and the leader solo in order to avoid dead time for the public, and avoid equally the superposition of two figures. The emblematic figure of the ''Patrouille'' is the heart (balance in Y at 6 cut by an arrow realized by the two solos). The pilots fly at speeds between 300 and 800 km/h, while being only spaced from each other by 2 or 3 meters. The base formation of the ''Patrouille de France'' is the "Diamant" (Diamond); however, the repertoire includes numerous other formations, and can be orchestrated into a series. The repertoire of the ''Patrouille de France'' consists of at least 20 different formations.

Aircraft

* Republic F-84 G Thunderjet (1953–1954) * Dassault Ouragan (1954–1957) * Dassault Mystère IV (1957–1964) *

(1964–1981) * Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet (since 1981) Each aircraft is painted blue-white-red, with the gun placement replaced with a smoke generator. Search lights are installed on the aircraft nose, and the viewfinder has been removed to improve visibility.

Accidents

*1935 - Death of Chief Warrant Officer (french: Adjudant-Chef) Carlier following an accident. *1967 - At the egress of the final usual burst (french: éclatement), the Fouga Magister of Captain Didier Duthoit, commandant in second of the PAF, crashed in the proximity of a grandstand. The pilot was killed. *1980 - Two Fougas collided while executing a synchronized maneuver. The two pilots were killed. *1981 - An Alpha Jet piloted by the commandant crashed in the north of

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille ...

. The pilot did not eject and was killed. * 1982 - An Athos 8 crashed during a rehearsal at Salon-de-Provence Air Base. The pilot was killed. * 1983 - Two aircraft collided in mid-air while conducting a maneuver over

Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in th ...

. The aircraft were part of two groups of four aircraft each, practising a 4 vs 4 crossover. Of the two pilots, one, Lieutenant Vuillamy, was killed, while the other survived. * 1987 - The two solos collided during a meeting at

Annemasse Annemasse (; Arpitan: ''Anemâsse'') is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Even though it covers a relatively small territory (4.98 km2 or 1.92 sq mi), it is Haute-Savoie's second ...

. Neither pilot was injured. * 1991 - The two solos collided. One pilot was killed, while the other ejected and sustained injuries. * 1992 - The second solo crashed during a training flight at Salon-de-Provence Air Base. The pilot narrowly avoided a highway, activated the ejection seat too late and was killed. * 1993 - During a training flight, one of the Alpha Jet solos crashed near Cameri Air Base in Italy. The two pilots ejected and sustained injuries. * 2002 - While returning to Salon-de-Provence Air Base after a training mission, an Alpha Jet crashed on a turn before landing. The pilot, Captain Daniel Marchand, attempted to eject too late, and was killed. * 2010 - While conducting a solo maneuver during a training mission, one of the solo Alpha Jets crashed near the Orange Plan de Dieu Airport ( fr) near

Orange, Vaucluse Orange (; Provençal: ''Aurenja'' or ''Aurenjo'' ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is about north of Avignon, on the departmental border with Gard, which follows ...

. The pilot, Captain Sylvain Courtot, ejected 10 meters from the ground and landed meters from the crashed aircraft. He suffered from fractures and retook flights in 2011. The "replacement" 2009 made his come back in the Patrouille to perform the 2010 season. *2019 - On 25 July, an Alpha Jet overran the runway at Perpignan Airport. The pilot ejected.

Patron

The ''Patrouille de France'' (PAF) has many encounters with notable figures, but few have been awarded the official title of "Patron/Godfather or Godmother" (french: parrain - marraine) (Patron can designate a Godfather "parrain" or Godmother "marraine"). For example,

Nicolas Hulot Nicolas Jacques André Hulot (; born 30 April 1955) is a French journalist and environmental activist. He is the founder and honorary president of the Nicolas Hulot Foundation, an environmental group established in 1990. Hulot ran as a candida ...

, victim of a "voile noir"A "voile noire" (french: Voile noir) is a physiological phenomenon which appears in extreme flight conditions. Symptoms include insufficient blood flow to the brain, loss of vision, and loss of consciousness, usually around 5 G. on board of a ''Patrouille de France'' aircraft, was never awarded the title. The first Patron/Godfather of the ''Patrouille de France'' was Alain Delon, in 1988. He came for the first time to Salon-de-Provence Air Base, with Yves Mourousi, then flew on a flight directly to Journal de 13 heures of TF1, a journey which took 30 minutes. His "renommée" (designation) generated much conversation about the French Air Force and reinforced the relation between the French Air Force and France. The pilots at the time were Commandant Velluz (leader), Lieutenant (☨)Bossert, Lieutenant Girbe, Captain Hendel, Captain Weber, Lieutenant Mougel, Captain Bonin, Lieutenant Manzo and Captain Bro. In 1990,

Michel Drucker Michel Drucker, CQ (born 12 September 1942 in Vire) is a popular French journalist and TV host. He has been on screen for so long on various shows and different networks, both public and private, that he once said that some people joked that h ...

accepted to be the Godfather/Patron of the ''Patrouille de France''. A journalist with a passion for aeronautics, he came for the first time to the Salon-de-Provence Air Base on 26 March 1990, and took his first flight on 26 April. Two days later, the display team appeared on the TV program ''Champs-Élysées'' (french: Champs-Élysées (émission de télévision)). The appearance allowed the audience to observe French Air Force personnel behind-the-scenes. In 2010, at the 20th anniversary of the ''Patrouille de France'', the team appeared on the TV program ''Vivement Dimanche'' (french: Vivement dimanche) for a special program. The pilots were Commandant (☨)Festas, Lieutenant Chantereau, Captain (☨)Lenne, Captain Barou, Lieutenant Girbe, Lieutenant Lagrange, Captain (☨)Bossert, Captain Louis and Lieutenant Manzo. In 1991, the ''Patrouille de France'' chose

Jean-Claude Killy Jean-Claude Killy (born 30 August 1943) is a French former World Cup alpine ski racer. He dominated the sport in the late 1960s, and was a triple Olympic champion, winning the three alpine events at the 1968 Winter Olympics, becoming the most su ...

, triple Olympic champion at the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

held in Grenoble. Killy was the co-organizer of the

1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines) , opening = 8 February 1992 , closing = 23 February 1992 , opened_by = President François Mitterrand , cauldron ...

held in

Albertville Albertville (; Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a subprefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In 2018, the commune had ...

, where the PAF performed. The pilots were Commandant Barou, Captain Reyre, Captain Manzo, Captain (☨)Bossert, Captain Girbe, Captain Lagrange, Captain Chantereau, Captain Pittie and Lieutenant Gourhan. In 1993, on the 40th anniversary of the formation of the PAF, Albert II, Prince of Monaco became the Godfather/Patron. The pilots were Commandant Connan, Captain Kurtz, Captain Manzo, Captain Laloix, Captain Gourhan, Captain Chicha, Captain Huillier and Lieutenant Perret. In 2001, the Judo champion

David Douillet David Donald Hubert Roger Douillet (; born 17 February 1969) is a French politician and retired judoka. Douillet was born in the city of Rouen. Standing at and weighing , he won the judo heavyweight gold medals in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olym ...

became Godfather/Patron. Douillet conducted a flight in front of the ''Patrouille de France'' on board the Transall transport aircraft with the door open. The pilots were Commandant Giraud, Commandant Girard, Captain Mateo, Captain Boillot, Captain Boulay, Captain Talichet, Captain Fricker, Captain Lespade and Captain Espinet. In 2010,

Carla Bruni Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

, wife of the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, became the first Patron/Godmother. The pilots were Commandant

Guyot In marine geology, a guyot (pronounced ), also known as a tablemount, is an isolated underwater volcanic mountain (seamount) with a flat top more than below the surface of the sea. The diameters of these flat summits can exceed .Thierry Dusautoir Thierry Dusautoir (; born 18 November 1981) is a French former rugby union player who last played for France at international level and Toulouse in the French Top 14 club competition. Dusautoir was considered a strong ball carrier and possessed i ...

became the Patron/Godfather for the running year. The pilots were Commandant Gauthier Dewas, Captain Vincent Plantier, Captain William Leroy, Commandant Raphaël Nal, Captain Jean-Noël Guy, Captain Guillaume Smets, Captain Antoine Hauser, Captain Philippe Castagnet, Captain Sylvain Pillet. In 2014, the French Air Force celebrated its 80th anniversary and for the first time in history, the ''Patrouille de France'' counted two Patrons: Jean-Loup Chrétien and

Patrick Baudry Patrick Pierre Roger Baudry (born March 6, 1946 in Cameroon) is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the French Air Force and a former CNES astronaut. In 1985, he became the second French citizen in space, after Jean-Loup Chrétien, when he flew ab ...

, who conducted two flights during the year. The 2014 team composed of Commandant Herpin, Commandant Béthoux, Captain Michel, Captain Chanat, Captain Plantier, Captain Blanc-Tailleur, Captain Leroy, Captain Aubert and Captain Castagnet.

References

Bibliography

* Lela Presse, 60 ans de la Patrouille de France en images, Avions Hors-série n°35, Sébastien Guillemin, Jean-Louis Gaynecoetche & Humbert Charve, 2013, pages 10

* EPA, La Patrouille de France, Vincent Perrot, 2009, pages 184,

*

External links

*
Official website

* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYmSGdpA-J0 ''The Patrouille de France crash''
''Patrouille visit to Stewart Airport, Newburgh, NY, as part of their 2017 US Tour''
{{Modern aerobatic teams French aerobatic teams French Air and Space Force