Toulouse: at the Francazal air meeting, the leader of the Patrouille de France is in his sky
A brilliant student at the Toulouse conservatory, he could have been a professional musician. He became a fighter pilot at 24. The Toulousain Laurent Pina, 35, is conductor of the prestigious Patrouille de France, star of the air meeting “of stars and wings”. He will be the leader of a formidable show, Saturday and Sunday, at Toulouse Francazal airport.
Since Thursday noon, and until Sunday evening, Laurent Pina, is on familiar ground. The leader of the famous Patrouille de France is from Toulouse, and he returns there often. Maintenance.
You fly over Toulouse for four days. What effect does that have on you?
A lot of special emotion. I measure the path traveled since my early childhood. Thursday, we flew over two emblematic sites such as the CNES, for the establishment of the space command, and the Capitol. And for three days, we are based in Francazal, where I caught the virus seeing the Transalls on the old base 101. I saw a city that is still as pink as ever, which has grown a lot, because its aerospace dynamism attracts .
What is your background ?
As a child, I lived in Labarthe-sur-Lèze, and then we came to Toulouse. I did sax and piano in flexible hours, a kind of “study music” at the Toulouse music conservatory and at the Michelet college. I could have become a professional musician.
But you also like aviation…
Yes, it was a double passion. I loved my first flight at 7 years old. It had been offered by my mother’s company. It was a revelation. And the other flights confirmed it. I continued. I started flying at the Muret Lherm aerodrome when I was 12, with a wonderful instructor, Thierry Tenneguin. I was too small to join the pedals, the controls! I got my aeronautical initiation certificate at 14 years old. I was released, alone, the day of my 15 years, the age limit. I returned to the Aragon high school in Muret in second. And I got my pilot’s license at 17, before I had my high school diploma, and before my driver’s license. I set my course at 16. I turned off the music, because I was working hard to do maths sups, maths specs, and get into the school of pupils of the Air Force. It was a school shock! But I still have a musical ear…
Was becoming a Patrouille de France pilot a dream?
Yes, I remember exactly the moments spent with pilots, after meetings, when I was a child. But the patrol is an enchanted parenthesis in our life, from 2 to 4 years old. Before joining the patrol, we are above all combat pilots. I was, on Mirage F1 then Rafale, I will be again soon. We are a rough sample, we represent our brothers in arms, this elite of airmen who defend the interests of France wherever necessary in the world, in Africa, in the countries of the Levant or to the east of the ‘Europe.
Your best memories?
Every flight is wonderful. We represent aeronautical excellence, this Toulouse area of which I am proud. The Patrouille de France is a national symbol that goes beyond the reach of armies and men. We give a part of dream in our demonstrations in France and abroad. The French are patriots, when you give them the thrill, you strengthen the link between them and the armies.
The Patrouille de France will be 70 years old in 2023. What is its secret?
All the pilots have a lot of experience, have a great cohesion. We have started inserting the three new ones from 2023. They come up with us in the cockpits, for observation, to fully immerse themselves in their future mission. Before the summer season, from May to October, we have six months of preparation, at an almost monastic pace: two sports sessions and two training flights a day. The goal is to be in top form, to have an infallible mental balance to support the tension of the whole season.
Does the program change every year?
One of the keys to success is renewal. We start from a blank sheet, we create new figures, preserving the tradition, the achievements. What does not change is the gaze and the expectation of the public. On each flight, we have a duty of excellence, it’s a job every second.
You live your last flights. A little bitterness?
No, the experience was fabulous. in Toulouse this weekend, or in Issoire next week, it will remain a flight. I will give what I have received, I pass the baton. We are like companions in duty, we pass on our knowledge. The men pass, the Patrouille de France remains.
What will you do after the Patrouille de France?
I’m going to be second in command, then commander within a year or two, of the Normandie-Niemen regiment at Mont-de-Marsan. I will continue to be an instructor, on small planes and on microlights. And of course to be administrator of the flying club of Muret, where I come back as soon as I can on weekends, especially during autumn and winter. I never left the community. I try to share my knowledge there.
What do you say to air critics, who worry about the carbon footprint of a meeting?
A fighter pilot, like a top athlete, must fly every day, whether on Alphajet or Rafale. This preparation is essential if one wants to be effective then in combat. The defense of the interests of France and of the French cannot be called into question. We are the showcase for the Air and Space Force. We recruit a lot. You can become a pilot up to the age of 27. We try to make people want to commit to defending the nation. It is our most beautiful mission. If I manage to transmit my passion, the bet is won. I love meeting the public after the demonstrations, chatting for a minute or two with the children, their parents or grandparents whose eyes also shine. A look, a smile can leave a fragment of eternity and trace a path. It is a daily satisfaction.