Open Day at the ACRIV

On this day of remembrance, the aero club organized an open house event. The program included helicopters, two Rafale jets, and a Yak 3 aircraft. A tribute was paid to Gaël Taburet, the last pilot from World War II within the Normandie-Niémen squadron. Despite uncertain weather conditions, many people attended.

I arrived at the aero club around 9:00 AM, where approximately twenty members were already present. After a round of greetings, Daniel, the event coordinator, began the briefing, outlining how the day would be organized and our respective roles. For the morning, we were divided into two teams; one team managed access to the site while the other prepared the hangar. We put on our high-visibility vests and went to our assigned posts. Around noon, a low rumble was heard, followed by the piercing sound of two Rafale jets flying overhead. The alarms in all the cars parked in the airport parking lot went off. The Rafales were incredibly loud!

After several passes at low altitude, the Rafale jets landed and were parked slightly apart on the tarmac of the aero club. They were then towed into position side-by-side. Barriers and signage were set up for the public. It was time to open the gate, where a large crowd had gathered. Daniel directed me towards the helicopter exhibition area of the gendarmerie (police force) to manage the flow of visitors. Around 2:30 PM, a gust of wind brought by a cumulonimbus cloud overturned many of the barriers. Fortunately, the heavy rain had driven the public under the hangar. Once the weather cleared up, everything was restored to order.

At 3:00 PM, a commemorative ceremony took place around Gaël Taburet’s plaque, which was placed on the wall of the hangar. One section of the wall had been decorated with blue flowers painted for the occasion. Around 4:00 PM, we were informed that the Rafale jets and the Falcon 10 needed to depart earlier than planned to avoid bad weather on their return journeys. We therefore needed to clear the area for takeoff. The Rafales were towed towards the taxiway because the force of the jet engines was too strong. We didn’t want to turn visitors into roasted chickens! Then it was the Yak 3’s turn to be moved onto the tarmac. Its V12 engine started with a low rumble. We then stowed away the remaining barriers and guided the remaining visitors towards the exit.

After this event-filled day, filled with aircraft and visitors, the entire events team gathered for a well-deserved drink!