A new start for CAE and a new dynamic

13 November 2023 Community life

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The Cercle Aéronautique de l'ESTACA (CAE) is back in session, with a successful first conference, a fresh start for technical projects and the resumption of weekly simulator sessions.

This year's mandate is to recapture the dynamic of the pre-Covid association and revive technical projects.

The first conference was a resounding success. Around 100 students turned out on Tuesday October 24 to hear Nicolas LEROUGE, aka "Fish", a recently retired Airbus A400M pilot with the French Air and Space Force (AEE).

During this two-hour conference, divided between presentations and discussions with the students, the commander looked back on his career. First a Transall pilot, then an Airbus A400M pilot, he also told the story of the A400M tactical display, which he co-created and piloted. He then became a member of the air force's ambassadors and an integral part of the teams representing it at airshows and meetings, alongside the Patrouille de France and the Rafale Solo Display.

At the same time, since September, the CAE's two technical projects (Savannah & ACS) have been at the center of communication with students at association days, and have met with great interest.

Some fifteen people are now involved in the three divisions (Structure, Instruments and Electronics) of the Airbus Cockpit System (ACS) project. This project, which involves building a 1:1 scale Airbus A320 cockpit that can be dismantled, was given a major boost last year. The structure is now complete, and the members are about to start painting. In addition, the Instruments and Electronics divisions have been reinforced by two PITAs, each comprising five 3A students. The aim is to finish the cockpit by the end of the year!

As for the Savannah, the number of students has risen from one to fifteen this year! The ULM, built in partnership with the Camille George Jousse flying club and AFMAé (CAF des métiers de l'aérien), at Toussus-le-Noble, is nearing completion. The future engineers are working mainly on testing and registration, while continuing to help the on-site team with final modifications.

Finally, many students asked us to bring back the Thursday afternoon simulator sessions on jacks. A promise made, a promise kept: under the supervision of the Sport & Formations department, the sessions resumed a month ago. Students who are members of the association can sign up for the Thursday sessions.