Airbus Joins Celebration of Air France and Patrouille de France Anniversaries

The airborne meet-up was part of a yearlong observance marking the 90th anniversary of Air France and the 70th anniversary of the Patrouille de France. The performance also served as a tribute to the French aviation industry. 

The event took place as the Airbus named “Les Sables-d’Olonne” made a ferry flight from the company’s assembly plant in Toulouse to the Air France global hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. Members of the Patrouille de France team were conducting a positioning flight for an airshow in the Occitanie region.

Both organizations took full advantage of the occasion by combining the flights into a painstakingly planned, choreographed, and recorded demonstration mission called Athos A350. The project included eleven aircraft and produced “exceptional images,” the companies said.

“A month of preparation and thorough cooperation was required to plan this 45-minute flight down to the smallest detail, guaranteeing the highest level of safety. This groundwork prepared jointly by the Patrouille de France team, the Air France crew and the pilot of the camera-mounted aircraft was carried out in line with the highest standards,” said Eric Prévot, event manager and Athos A350 mission leader.

The film was directed by Eric Magnan of Airborne Films, a specialist in aerial footage, and shot from a Daher TBM 700 using a gyro-stabilized camera system. The film’s original music by composer Augustin Saldjian was performed by the Prague philharmonic orchestra.

The flight video can be viewed on YouTube.