Mr. Gerard Desbois
Perhaps best known for being a member of the crew of the maiden flight of the Airbus A380 in April 2005, Gerard DESBOIS has just completed a long and illustrious career in flight testing.
After graduating from the French civil aviation university "ENAC" in 1979, Gerard started his career as a test data analyst in Aerospatiale in Toulouse. He was nominated by Henri PERRIER, himself famous as a member of the crew of the first flight of Concorde, to undergo training at EPNER, the French flight test school at Istres. Gerard graduated from there at just 29 years old, the youngest Test Flight Engineer ever to be qualified.
With his Test Flight Engineer license in hand, Gerard went on to be involved in many of Airbus's defining projects, and was a member of the first flight crews for the A319 and A340-600 (which he describes as the most beautiful of the Airbus family) before becoming responsible for the A380.
Since the certification of the A380, Gerard was responsible for the small but committed team of Test Flight Engineers at Airbus, before taking the decision to deservedly retire in 2019.
However, Gerard's commitment and passion for aviation has not been limited to his professional activities. He is a talented author and has published two books and numerous reviews, telling stories of his life in aviation and by doing so reaching out to the next generation of pilots and flight test engineers. He is a proficient pilot and has flown on many types, and can be seen at airshows across France in the summer season flying as a member of the Crazy Piper team, where his enthusiasm and generous spirit infiltrates yet more young people. He is involved in restoring historic aircraft and is the patron of several such projects. He is a member or leader of many small organizations defending aerospace and securing the future for passionate aviators. And last but not least, he is involved in several charitable organizations which use aviation as a way of inspiring disabled children.
