Video Clip: Air France shares special film celebrating 90th anniversary
Image credit: © Eric Magnan
To close out a year of celebrations marking Air France’s 90th and the Patrouille de France’s 70th anniversaries, the two names of the French aviation industry are honoured in a special film by Eric Magnan.
At the end of September, the company’s 22nd A350-900 named “Les Sables-d’Olonne” made its ferry flight from the manufacturer’s assembly site in Toulouse to the Air France global hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle. The pilots of the Patrouille de France Alphajet, operating a positioning flight in preparation for an airshow in the Occitanie region, flew alongside the aircraft as part of a choreographed air display choreographed. The operation was filmed at an altitude of more than 2,500 metres above the Camargue.
The special mission dubbed “Athos A350” involved eleven aircraft of various sizes and operating at different speeds flying together to create the exceptional images captured in the footage.
Image credit: © Eric Magnan
“A month of preparation and thorough cooperation was required to plan this 45-minute flight down to the smallest detail, guaranteeing the highest level of safety. This groundwork prepared jointly by the Patrouille de France team, the Air France crew and the pilot of the camera-mounted aircraft was carried out in line with the highest standards,” said Eric Prévot, event manager & ATHOS A350 mission leader
The film was directed by Eric Magnan (Airborne Films), a specialist in aerial footage. It was shot from a French TBM 700 DAHER camera-mounted aircraft incorporating a leading-edge gyro-stabilized camera system. The original music in the film was compared by Augustin Saldjian and performed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
A must-see for aviation enthusiasts, Air France called the film “a tribute to the pioneering spirit of the entire French aviation industry.”
The film was produced with the support of the French Air and Space Force and Airbus.
