The École de l'air et de l'espace () is a military academy and grande école of French Air and Space Force to train its officers. It is located at Salon-de-Provence Air Base in Salon-de-Provence, France.
History
In 1922, the (School of Engineering) of Versailles was entrusted with the mission to train all officers and aircrew in aeronautics.
The (Military and Aeronautical School) was set up in 1925. The officer cadets from the non-commissioned officers' corps and young officers from the and attended training at Versailles for two years. For pilots, their training then continues at Avord and then Cazaux, where they train in aerial combat and bombing.
President Albert Lebrun created the by Presidential decree in 1933. The school's first class began training November 4, 1935. The school's motto, ("Overcoming") is a tribute to Capitaine Georges Guynemer, a World War I fighter ace.
In 1937, the school moved into still-unfinished buildings in Salon, Bouches-du-Rhône. The outbreak of World War II forced the school to relocate several times from 1939 to 1945, to sites including Bordeaux, Collioure, and Marrakesh. It was not until 1946 that the school returned to the now-completed campus at Salon. The school received the Legion of Honor and the from President Vincent Auriol in 1947.
Other specialized schools joined the , including the , which trains administrative, legal, and financial officers, in 1953, and the (CSEA), which trains exchange cadets from French-speaking African countries, in 1973.
In 1969, the began an exchange program with the United States Air Force Academy, for eight cadets per school each year.
The school first accepted women in 1976.
Since 2008, the also proposes two courses in aviation safety aircraft airworthiness and aerospace project management in partnership with the and the .Aviation safety aircraft airworthiness (ENAC)MS Aerospace Project Management
In 2015, the launched a MOOC titled (Understanding Air Power) on 's platform.Un cours de l'école de l'Air en ligne
In 2021 the was renamed , following the renaming of the to .
Notable alumni
Stéphane Abrial, French General who is the previous Commander of Allied Command Transformation Caroline Aigle, first woman fighter pilot in the French Air Force Patrick Baudry, retired Lieutenant Colonel in the French Air Force and a former CNES astronaut Jean-Loup Chrétien, former CNES spationaut Olivier Dassault, former French politician and billionaire businessman, who served as a deputy in the National Assembly. Léopold Eyharts, ESA astronaut Jean-Pierre Haigneré, French Air Force officer and a former CNES spationaut Fleury Marius, French aviator Francis Pollet, Director of the Institut Polytechnique des Sciences Avancées Jacques Rosay, Vice President Chief Test Pilot of the aircraft manufacturer Airbus Michel Tognini, French test pilot, brigadier general in the French Air Force, and a former CNES and ESA astronaut
References