Catherine Maunoury

Catherine Maunoury was drawn to aeroplanes from a very early age. She was only eight when her father, a doctor and pilot, took her flying for the first time. With his encouragement, she flew her first solo at fifteen and became the youngest licensed pilot at 17. Her passion took her to the very top of competition: she won title after title at the French, European and World Championships, and she still ranks among the best women pilots today.

After winning her second World Championship in 2000, twelve years after her first title, through training, motivation and perseverance, she decided to retire from competition to devote herself to coaching pilots, to air show flying and to sharing her experience through talks and other appearances. Aren’t the qualities she has brought to her various fields of skill and excellence exactly those required today in professional life — and, ultimately, in everyday life?

Aerobatics is not whimsical “stunt flying” but a school of excellence that combines pleasure, training and patience, as the pilot constantly seeks technical performance and the finest aesthetic expression. It is also a codified top-level sport. In competition, the figures are catalogued and flown in known, free and unknown programmes, as in figure skating or gymnastics. Creativity, for its part, is expressed in public displays and air shows. Even there, however, improvisation is completely ruled out, because the level of safety required is extreme.