book: Des Pays et des Hommes (Countries and people). It's a superb book, which I still have. I was a little disappointed, though, as it wasn't devoted to aeroplanes. Years later, I would have to read Saint-Exupéry, with this plane, like a plough, plou- ghing a furrow between people in the sky to connect them, to have this revelation: this man was trying to make me understand what I didn't yet know, namely that beyond the plane, what we love so much is the journey.
mode S (transponder), which caused quite a stir! The aircraft was covered in ice! I turn to Pascal, to share my thoughts and tell him that I'm applying myself a little. Settled down and relaxed, he replies, "I know exactly where we are.” I reply, "That'll be handy for calling for help!” At one point we had to descend a little to melt the ice. At Toussus-le-Noble all the hangars were closed, so we were the only ones to land straight down. The best memory of a flight for two! Our safety was never threatened, we're both pilots and it's at times like these that you realise the value of training in France. A lot of people do their IFR in Miami, in good weather: this kind of situation must be a bit harder for them to manage! I have another interesting anecdote to tell you. I was less than 15 years old, so I wasn't flying yet. My parents had a small hotel in Brittany. One day a Belgian couple stopped over, the lady had had an accident and they stayed with us for four days. Every evening I talked to the man, about planes of course. On the eve of his departure, he gives me a large book in a box, as a present, to be seen later. I'm delighted at the thought that he's probably just given me a beautiful book about aeroplanes. When the long-awaited moment arrived, I discovered the
Thierry de Bailleul is CEO of Madagascar Airlines.
Thierry de Bailleul: My first memory of a plane is linked to the first memory I have of my father. I was a child, very young. My mother and I were waiting for my father to come back from Algeria. I remem- ber the airport at Le Bourget and my father coming towards us from the tarmac. All this is the common thread running through my life. I love this industry, not just for the technical side - I trained as an engi- neer - but because it links men and women, cul- tures, and is a vehicle for peace. My first flight? It was a flight from Toulon to Paris, when I was a student, without my parents. To fly is to be free.
53
~C L A S S & R E L A X L I F E S T Y L E M A G A Z I N E - 2024 ~
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting