Passion

Book: “Combat skies, unpublished accounts from fighter pilots in the French Air Force”

Ready to follow along in the daily life of the pilots, as if you were right there? For full immersion, flip through the pages of “Combat skies, unpublished accounts from fighter pilots in the French Air Force”. It’s filled with secrets and anecdotes!

Ready to follow along in the daily life of the pilots, as if you were right there? For full immersion, flip through the pages of “Combat skies, unpublished accounts from fighter pilots in the French Air Force”. It’s filled with secrets and anecdotes!

Whether on board the Jaguar, the Mirage F1 or 2000, the Rafale, or the Super-Étendard, over the past few decades, the French Air Force’s “operational” personnel have been assigned missions that are just as remote as they are dangerous: The Balkans, Central Africa, Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, and more. In a book coordinated by author Frédéric Lert and pilot Benjamin Vinot Préfontaine (who has logged numerous flight hours, especially on the Mirage F1), here, Air Force pilots open up as they rarely do. On the dashboard features, a multitude of anecdotes, ranging from their daily activities at the base, during “basic” training exercises to external operations—the notorious “opex”.

Covering the nature of the profession, changes in piloting, the self-sacrifice necessary to be—and remain—at the top day after day, individual impressions, and much more. Similar to a collection of stories from the break room after a day spent at 25,000 feet, these heroes of the air perform, sometimes with a humor, about an “ordinary” which is that only in name! A daily life where they can face inextricable situations, or even near-death experiences in the most critical cases. In short, authentic and sincere firsthand accounts, delivered directly and in a straightforward manner… One after another!

Book: “Ciels de combat, témoignages inédits de pilotes de chasse de l’Armée de l’air”, Frédéric Lert and Benjamin Vinot Préfontaine. Editions Nimod. ISBN: 2377530095.