The Académie de l'air et de l'espace (AAE) is the French national Air and Space Academy. Established in 1983 in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. The city is on t ...

on the initiative of

André Turcat Major André Édouard Turcat (23 October 1921 – 4 January 2016) was a French Air Force pilot and test pilot celebrated for flying the first prototype of Concorde for its maiden flight. Turcat was born on 23 October 1921 in Marseille (Bouches ...

, the aims of the academy are the following: "To encourage the development of high quality scientific, technical, cultural and

Human Action ''Human Action: A Treatise on Economics'' is a work by the Austrian economist and philosopher Ludwig von Mises. Widely considered Mises' ''magnum opus'', it presents the case for laissez-faire capitalism based on praxeology, his method to un ...

s in the realms of

Air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

and

Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually con ...

, promote knowledge in these areas and constitute a focal point for activities". Its members, who come from all walks of

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

life : pilots,

astronauts An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

, scientists, engineers, doctors,

manufacturers Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ra ...

, economists, lawyers, artists ... all work together to achieve these essential goals. Its president is

Gerard Brachet Gerard is a masculine forename of Proto-Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this ca ...

History

The vow of Colonel Edmond Petit

The idea of an air academy dates to 1954.

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Edmond Petit, then head of information of the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ar ...

service and literary editor of the French Air Force magazine, published numerous articles campaigning in favor of such an institution since the year 1954. He saw it mainly as an academy for French language texts on aeronautics, where the

French Academy French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

was "completely incompetent" and as the place to be able to develop

History of aviation The history of aviation extends for more than two thousand years, from the earliest forms of aviation such as kites and attempts at tower jumping to supersonic and hypersonic flight by powered, heavier-than-air jets. Kite flying in Chin ...

The establishment of the academy because of the reputation of André Turcat

This project could not be completed until 1983, in a broader form. It is the former chief test pilot of the

Concorde The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France and t ...

, who got the National Academy of Air and Space out of limbo as much through his reputation within French aeronautics as well as with the municipal authorities of

.Académie de l’air et de l’espace
consulté sur site www.desetoilesetdesailes.com le 10 janvier 2012 The material support of La Ville Rose allowed the installation of the academy on the site of the former Jolimont observatory and, for the hundredth anniversary of the first human flight, the thirty five founding members gathered on 21 November 1983, in a plenary assembly. Incorporated under the association law of 1901, declared a public utility in 1987, the academy has declared its objectives to "encourage the development of high quality scientific, technical, cultural and human actions in the realms of Air and Space, promote knowledge in these areas and constitute a focal point for activities."

International influence

The academy organizes international conferences and forums, presents exhibitions, gives out awards or medals to people who have made distinguished contributions. It regularly publishes, every two or three months, "The Letter of the Academy" presenting several pages on a relevant aeronautical subject. Works on a larger scale result in publications by the academy itself (as papers) or by private publishers (as books). By statute, the Air and Space Academy has sixty French members, thirty foreign associates, honorary members (chosen from amongst the pioneers of aeronautics and space), and correspondents who ensure an ongoing connection to the current activities of the aerospace world. Its members become honorary at the age of 75 or upon their request, while continuing, at their convenience, to take part in the work of the academy. Members may join different sections according to their speciality. These five areas are: # scientific knowledge of air and space # applied sciences and technology of air and space # human presence and activities of air and space # ethics, law, sociology, and economics of air and space # history, literature, and arts of air and space At the request of one of the tenured or honorary members, committees may be established to deal with current issues. In 2007 the academy adopted the name "Air and Space Academy".

References

External links

Académie de l'air et de l'espace website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Academie De Lair Et De Lespace Clubs and societies in France Organizations established in 1983 Space program of France 1983 establishments in France