16 November 2023

17:35 – 18:20

Amphithéâtre Say

Catherine Maunoury

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. In 2010, Catherine Maunoury was appointed Director of the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace at Le Bourget, and in 2017 President of the Aéro-Club de France.

Conference: What energy strategy for our next flights?

Of all the tools available to mankind, the airplane is undoubtedly the one that has most changed the way we perceive the world. The energy used to break away from gravity is at the very heart of the development of the ability to fly, from Clément Ader’s steam engine to rocket engines and the Concorde, contemporary with the first awareness of ecological issues. Today, flying is being questioned in the light of the various environmental challenges and climate change we are facing; it has even become something of a scapegoat, bearing “the sins of technology” beyond its actual impact on the environment. The aviation industry must therefore face up to the challenge of ensuring its long-term survival, and its essential transformation, particularly in terms of decarbonization. The aviation industry has already entered a period of innovation unprecedented since the advent of air transport, and many avenues are being explored. Can humanity reasonably envisage a future that ignores, or even denies, the benefits of aviation and space? Is aviation still useful for mobility, economic development, security, national defense and environmental management? In short, to ensure the “sustainable development” of our societies and our humanity.