Catherine Maunoury

Biography

From an early age, Catherine Maunoury was interested in airplanes. She was only eight when her father, a medical pilot, took her flying for the first time. Encouraged by him, she took her first solo flight at the age of fifteen and became the youngest licensed pilot at 17. Her passion took her to the highest level of competition: she accumulated titles in the French, European and World championships, and is still today one of the world’s top female pilots. Today, Catherine Maunoury is President of the Aéro-Club de France and ambassador for the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace.

Conference: Can we control time?

You don’t become world aerobatic champion in eight minutes. Eight minutes is the duration of one of the three podium events, held only once every two years. Becoming world champion is the adventure of a lifetime. First, it’s a long-term adventure, based on a childhood passion for flying, then it’s a medium-term adventure, involving the necessary apprenticeship to acquire know-how, learn to manage risks and train tirelessly with a carefully selected team. Adventure is also part of the short term: that of the final commitment, the countdown, the eight minutes when all the accumulated knowledge has to be there, despite the stress, the “Gs”, the pressure of the dwindling time. As soon as we land, the “after” begins, the time of success or failure, the time when we’re back in the game.