Pic(k) of the week 30: French Aviators: Georges Guynemer and Jacques Rosay

France has played a big role in Aviation since the early days; dating back to the end of the 18th century when the brothers Montgolfierflew their manned balloon for the first time, through Louis Blériot who was first to cross the English Channel in 1909, to large mixed-European projects where France played a significant role such as the Supersonic Concorde and Boeing biggest competitor "Airbus".

In this weeks Pic(k) of the week, I would like the honour two famous French Aviators in one symbolic image; French World War I ace, Georges Guynemer and Airbus test pilot Jacques Rosay.

To the left in the image below, is a small statue of Georges Guynemer; a French beloved fighter pilot who lost his life at age 22 during a dogfight with German pilot over Poelkapelle, Belgium on September 11, 1917. With a total of 54 victories during WW I, Guynemer was one of the top flying aces of the Great War. The statue in the image, was given in the late eighties, to my family by a member of the French "Guynemer Committee", as a thank you for organising the Guynemer remembrance fly-in, at the Moorsele airfield (close to where G. Guynemer was shot down).  

To the right is a model of the Airbus A380, the mega-airliner I fly for a living. This a remembrance for Airbus test pilot Jacques Rosay who performed the first A380 take-off on April 27 2015 and who unfortunately passed away last month.  Although I never met Jacques in person, he was known for being a very humble and down to earth person and a highly skilled pilot. A great story on the morning of the first A380 flight, is how Jacques took his bicycle in his car, in case he became blocked in one of the many expected traffic jams around the Toulouse airport. After all the test pilot can't be late for a first flight!

From Guynemer to the Airbus A380

Image details:
Fujifilm X-T1 with the XF 90mm f2.0 R LM WR Fujinon lens
ISO 200, 1/6sec, f5.6
Lightroom CC for RAW development + Black and White conversion

If all goes as planned, I should be attending a few major Aviation events; starting tomorrow, I hope to make it to Oshkosh, WI (USA) for "Airventure 2015"; often referred to as the Worlds Greatest Aviation celebration! Images of my visit in 2008, can be found here.

Meanwhile more of my Aviation Photography lives here.

Remember: "The engine is the heart of an aeroplane, but the pilot is its soul!"

BJORN

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