Gérard Guillaumaud

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The memorial stone on the access road to the plant

Gérard Laurent Guillaumaud (* 1961 in France ; † 29. November 2006 in Mattsies ) was a test pilot , an officer in the French Air Force and graduated from the National Test Pilot School in Mojave in the US state of California .

Services

On August 16, 2004, Gérard Guillaumaud was the first pilot to cross the Atlantic in a diesel-powered aircraft ( Diamond DA42 ). He covered the 3,518-kilometer route in 12 hours and 30 minutes. The flight was scheduled to end 1,100 kilometers further in Toulouse, but Guillaumaud decided to land due to a thunderstorm in Portugal.

Furthermore, he still holds some world records recognized by the international air sports association FAI . He was one of the most important test pilots in Europe and made a major contribution to aviation safety .

Accident and commemoration

On 29 November 2006 Gérard Guillaumaud led the second prototype of the Grob G180 sp n with the air vehicle registration D-CGSP the airfield Mindelheim-Mattsies , the factory airfield of Grob Aerospace , in flight before, when dissolved in overflight parts from the aircraft and the machine briefly then crashed. Gérard Guillaumaud was killed in the process.

Press release by Grob Aerospace on Guillaumaud's fatal accident on November 30, 2006 (excerpt):

“[...] The tragic accident occurred on November 29, 2006 at 1:15 pm shortly after the jet took off from the factory in Tussenhausen-Mattsies in the Bavarian district of Unterallgäu. The second spn test aircraft, with which he carried out the first flight on September 29th this year, has so far completed over 40 flights with 28 flight hours. "
"To date, the first test aircraft has completed 300 hours and 450 flights."
“Gerard Guillaumaud had over 25 years of flight experience, including 18 years in the French Air Force and its test center. He flew a variety of different types of aircraft, from the Mirage F1 fighter to smaller planes and helicopters. With the two spn prototypes he already achieved 260 flight hours. "
“Guillaumaud was a very popular and recognized personality with extensive experience as a test pilot. He tested nine new aircraft - some with the first flight - with manufacturers such as Adam Aircraft, HP Aircraft and Diamond Aircraft and became an expert in the development and certification of aircraft according to JAR / FAR23. [...] "

In 2007, in memory of Guillaumaud, the European Flight Test Safety Award was installed, which is presented as part of the European Flight Test Safety Workshop . A memorial to Gérard Guillaumaud erected by Grob Aerospace was unveiled one year after the crash on the road from the municipality of Mattsies to the Grob Aerospace plant.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ DA42 Twin Star flies non-stop back across the Atlantic! First ever Atlantic crossing of a diesel-powered aircraft. In: press releases. Diamond Aircraft Industries, 2004, archived from the original on July 11, 2007 ; accessed on October 9, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Aircraft accident data and report in the Aviation Safety Network (English)
  3. ↑ Investigation report. (PDF) Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation, April 10, 2010, accessed on May 13, 2013 : “The accident occurred because the horizontal stabilizer was dismantled in flight due to flutter and the aircraft could no longer be steered as a result. The circumstances that led to the flutter case could not be clearly determined due to a lack of flight data and limited investigation options. "
personal data
SURNAME Guillaumaud, Gérard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Guillaumaud, Gérard Laurent (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French test pilot and officer in the French Air Force
DATE OF BIRTH 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH France
DATE OF DEATH November 29, 2006
Place of death Mattsies