Wings of Tomorrow: inspiring a young generation of pilots
Last year, two young French pilots – Christophe Lamand and Lenny Marcaud, aged 19 and 20 respectively – set off on a multi-stage European flight which they hope will inspire other youngsters to take to the skies.
Supported by organisations including FAI Member, the Aéro-Club de France, the ambitious pair planned a European trip with stops in five different countries in November 2024. Their adventure was named ‘Ailes de Demain’, or Wings of Tomorrow, and the objective was to help promote aeronautics to other youngsters.
Lamand and Marcaud have already been flying for two years and are working towards becoming commercial pilots.
Their meticulously planned route took them around five countries: crossing their home nation of France, along the East coast of Spain, to Belgium, the Netherlands and into Germany, in a Diamond DA40 with a 180-horsepower engine, under sometimes difficult meteorological conditions.
Roland Pré, President of the FAI Education Commission (EDUC) was impressed by the pair’s accomplishments, saying:
“Flying Visual Flight Rules (VFR), especially in winter, can be sometimes very tricky! What they achieved was very challenging, even for an experienced pilot, and this tour of Europe will certainly have brought them both a very valuable pilot experience. Bravo and welcome to the professional pilots’ profession!”
Admiring coastal views from the cockpit
Inspiring new pilots
Fresh from their experience, Lamand and Marcaud are passionate about helping other young pilots to understand the practicalities of flying in different countries.
They are encouraging others to set off on their own aviation adventure, by offering their support with research stages, and being aware of the cultural differences that pilots can expect when passing through or landing in new airports for the first time.
Adventures such as theirs can seem daunting to a new pilot, explains Lamand: “It can be hard to find the plates and charts, so it is useful to have support to research and plan carefully.”
Whilst making their own flight plans, the pair had support from an instructor to double check their decisions.
“Flying in other countries is a great experience for young pilots, bur each country has a different culture,” continues Lamand, “For example, not every country has the same way of managing military zones.”
The route taken by Christophe Lamand and Lenny Marcaud in 2024
Clocking up flight time
With 100 hours flight time required for a PPL, setting out on a longer trip is a great opportunity to build up some time in the cockpit.
During the Ailes de Demain trip, Lamand and Marcaud aimed to cover around 400km per day. Flying across five European countries in November certainly gave them a good deal of different meteorological conditions to cope with.
The duo flew from Alicante to Perpignan, although due to a tailwind, this took them less time than they anticipated, reaching a speed of 192 kt (355 km/h)!
Looking back at their adventure, Marcaud remembers, “Sometimes the wind was too strong, and we also got stuck on the ground for a couple of days due to fog. We had no heating in the cockpit, so we were pretty cold, it went down to one degree!”
This is the 'Ailes de Demain' route:
- Montendre
- Toulouse Lasbordes
- Sabadell
- Mutxamel (Alicante)
- Perpignan
- Montpellier Candillargues
- Cuers
- Cannes
- Saint-Yan
- Courtrai
- Vreden
- Caen
- Cholet
- Enghien Les Moisselles
Lamand and Marcaud head towards the DA40. Credit: Dominique de Perpignan
Sharing knowledge
Safely returned to France after their voyage, the pair are spending early 2025 in Sweden for IFR multi-engine aircraft training.
Inspired by their success, they are keen to highlight the schemes available to young people who would like to learn to fly. Through their partnership with the Ambassadair Academy and Mermoz Academy, they have planned events and are offering free educational materials in French and English, through My First Wing Aviation. At an event in November, Lamand and Marcaud spoke to youngsters from the Emmanuel D’Alzon high school in Grau-du-Roi, France, to showcase aeronautical professions.
The two young pilots are supported by the Aero Club de France, whose representative commented, "The Aéro-Club de France supports the Ailes de Demain project. Christophe and Lenny, because of their tenacity in carrying out this action, are an inspiration to future pilots."
FAI wishes Lamand and Marcaud good luck in continuing to share the knowledge they acquired on their adventure and inspiring others to take to the skies.
Follow Ailes de Demain
Image credits (unless otherwise stated): Ailes de Demain
