Socata GA pilots rendezvous with French aerobatic team
A spur-of-the-moment idea morphed into a one-of-a-kind get together between general aviation pilots flying Socata TB30 Epsilon piston-engine military trainers and their jet counterparts flying the blue-white-and-red livery of the French Air and Space Force during a stopover at Martin State Airport near Baltimore July 3.
The Patrouille de France military jet precision demonstration team had been touring the United States performing aerobatic ballets for about a month to help celebrate the country's 250th birthday and to serve as a reminder of France's pivotal role in the American Revolution. France, a superpower in the eighteenth century, helped colonists fight off the British. The aviation reunion demonstrated how far both countries had come.
Here's how it unfolded: Epsilon importer Olivier Langeard and fellow Socata owner Jeronimo Chiecchio contacted a retired French fighter pilot who now flies for Southwest Airlines out of Baltimore. He, in turn, knows a handful of active pilots, who contacted Patrouille de France aerobatic team pilots participating in the U.S. tour.
"I started touching every single contact I knew," said Chiecchio, who then called his friend Benjamin Vinot Préfontaine, a retired French fighter pilot. "Benji contacted me a few days before the early-morning meeting and said, 'It's going to be about five minutes before they have to move on to other commitments,' and then we made everything happen."
The stars and the smoke trails aligned during a brief, 15-minute window amid a weekend of aerial demonstrations, flybys, and other activities marking the anniversary.
A handful of the piston-powered, low-wing trainers flown by pilots sporting call signs including "Blade," "Muffin," "Jeronimo," and "Boomer" rallied in the air with smoke on over the SWANN intersection before converging at Martin State Airport for the July 4 holiday weekend get-together. There are about 40 of the sleek Epsilon retractables in the United States, most having been imported here in 2018 after the French air force turned to jets for most of its training.
The group of GA pilots posed for photos with their military counterparts in front of the light attack jet aircraft while a parade of Epsilon trainers provided the backdrop not far from the equally impressive British Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team Red Arrows, who were also part of the semiquincentennial flyovers throughout the country.
Posters, patches, stickers, and handshakes were traded amid greetings of "bonjour" and utterances of "merci" before the French pilots departed to wow millions in New York City and the GA pilots scrambled to their aircraft to beat the summer heat and head back to their respective airports for additional holiday festivities.
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