The ''Escadron de transport, d'entraînement et de calibration'' 00.065 (ETEC 65, "Transportation, training and calibration squadron") is a unit of the

French Air and Space Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the French Air F ...

, under direct command of the

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

, in charge of the transportation of the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

, the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and other French government officials.

History

In July 1945, the GAEL (groupe aérien d'entraînement et de liaison) was created. It was first based at Le Bourget Airport, then relocated to the Villacoublay Air Base. In 1969, the GAEL was split in two units, then in 1984 in three units. In 1991, the three units were merged again into the l'ETEC 00.065 (escadron de transport, d'entraînement et de calibration), which was still called "GAEL". In July 1995, the French president

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

decided to dissolve the Groupe de Liaisons Aériennes Ministérielles (GLAM). The GLAM's aircraft were transferred to the ETEC.

Aircraft

The ETEC uses * 1 Airbus Airbus A330-200, Registration: F-RARF * 2

Dassault Falcon 7X The Dassault Falcon 7X is a large-cabin, range business jet manufactured by Dassault Aviation. Unveiled at the 2001 Paris Air Show, its first flight took place on 5 May 2005 and it entered service on 15 June 2007. The Falcon 8X, first delivered ...

* 2 Falcon 900 (soon to be replaced), * Falcon 2000LX * 7 Socata TBM 700, * 3 Eurocopter Super Puma helicopters (VIP-configured). In 2003, the ETEC provided 673 flight hours for the President, 516 for the Prime Minister, 602 for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 318 for the Ministry of Defence. A flight hour typically costs: * €4050 for an Airbus, * €5750 for a Falcon 900 and * €4090 for a Falcon 50. Flight are identified as "COTAM 0xy", with the

callsign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assi ...

" COTAM 001" (" COTAM Unité") being reserved for the President and "COTAM 002" for foreign presidents. File:A319CJ.jpg, Airbus A319 File:Falcon50etec.jpg, Dassault Falcon 50 File:Falcon900.jpg, Dassault Falcon 900 File:ABP - Socata TBM 700 - french army (32225711313).jpg, Socata TBM 700 File:Dassault Falcon 7X, France - Air Force JP7004045.jpg, Dassault Falcon 7X File:Visite sarko janv 09 saint lo 15.JPG, Eurocopter AS332

References

Aerospace research institutes Military research of France French Air and Space Force squadrons {{Mil-aviation-stub

History

Aircraft

See also

References