Virginie Guyot
Encyclopedia
Commandant Virginie Guyot (born 30 December 1976 in Angers
) is a fighter pilot
of the Armée de l'Air who achieved an historical first when she was appointed leader of the Patrouille de France
, becoming the first woman in the world to command a precision aerobatic demonstration team.
.
She received her fighter pilot wings in 2002, just three years after Caroline Aigle
, the first woman to reach that position in the history of the Armée de l'Air. She was assigned to the Mirage F1-CR
in the Escadron de reconnaissance 2/33 Savoie.
She was engaged in operations in Chad
, Tajikistan
and Afghanistan
. Chef d'escadron (squadron leader) since 2007, she was promoted to the rank of Commandant (Major
) in 2009.
At the same time, she was the first woman to join the Patrouille de France
, one of the world's oldest and most skilled demonstration teams, in which she was directly appointed as Charognard (deputy leader). On 25 November 2009, she became the first, and so far only, woman to lead a prestigious aerobatic team.
Following her service in the Patrouille de France (no one can serve as leader for more than a year), she plans to join the Etat-major (Air Force Staff).
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
) is a fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
of the Armée de l'Air who achieved an historical first when she was appointed leader of the Patrouille de France
Patrouille de France
The Patrouille Acrobatique de France , also known as the Patrouille de France or PAF, is the precision aerobatic demonstration team of the French Air Force. Originating in 1931, it is one of the world's oldest and most skilled demonstration teams...
, becoming the first woman in the world to command a precision aerobatic demonstration team.
Career
After following high school and scientific classes prépa in the Prytanée Militaire, an advanced military secondary institution, Virginie Guyot entered the Ecole de l'Air, the French Air Force officers' school, in 1997. After her degree, she joined the fighter pilot training Air Force base in ToursTours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
.
She received her fighter pilot wings in 2002, just three years after Caroline Aigle
Caroline Aigle
Commandant Caroline Aigle was a French aviatrix who achieved a historical first when, at the age of 25, she became the first woman fighter pilot in the French Air Force. Her promising military career was cut short by death from cancer seven years later...
, the first woman to reach that position in the history of the Armée de l'Air. She was assigned to the Mirage F1-CR
Dassault Mirage F1
The Dassault Mirage F1 is a French air-superiority fighter and attack aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation as a successor of the Mirage III family. The Mirage F1 entered service in the French Air Force in the early seventies...
in the Escadron de reconnaissance 2/33 Savoie.
She was engaged in operations in Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Chef d'escadron (squadron leader) since 2007, she was promoted to the rank of Commandant (Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
) in 2009.
At the same time, she was the first woman to join the Patrouille de France
Patrouille de France
The Patrouille Acrobatique de France , also known as the Patrouille de France or PAF, is the precision aerobatic demonstration team of the French Air Force. Originating in 1931, it is one of the world's oldest and most skilled demonstration teams...
, one of the world's oldest and most skilled demonstration teams, in which she was directly appointed as Charognard (deputy leader). On 25 November 2009, she became the first, and so far only, woman to lead a prestigious aerobatic team.
Following her service in the Patrouille de France (no one can serve as leader for more than a year), she plans to join the Etat-major (Air Force Staff).