The July 14 military parade is a technical and logistical feat. Parading so many units, formations and women and men on the Champs-Elysées is haute couture. But when it comes to doing the same with fighter jets, transport planes and helicopters, it’s about prowess.
To understand how to move nearly a hundred flying objects to the millimeter above the capital, 20 minutes questioned the choreographer and conductor of this aerial procession, General of the Armies Thierry Gouaichault, No. 2 of the Air Defense and Air Operations Command (CDAOA).
General, you are used to the deployment of French forces on different terrains, a career soldier, how do you organize such a demonstration ballet?
Simply like a field operation. From the moment we plan and conduct the units, it’s an operation like any other. Except that the objectives, the number and the diversity of the units are different. But the organization remains the same.
You talk about the number precisely, do you know how many people are involved in the aerial part of the parade?
It’s complicated to give a precise human number because the Army and space mechanics, who take part in this whole organization, remain on base. We therefore only see the pilots on board, which is not very demonstrative.
But I can talk to you in terms of devices. In all, we have 67 aircraft of all types and 28 helicopters. This represents 95 aircraft in flight, on two different parades since the planes make a first pass and the helicopters pass a little later, with passages of troops on the ground between the two.
Above all, the Army is not alone in parading since the Army has its light aviation with helicopters, a few liaison planes and drones. The navy has its aero-maritime part with a dedicated command. The gendarmerie will also be present with its helicopters, and even Civil Security. But as guarantor of airspace in the military field, it is the Army and Space Force that coordinates all this little world.
We imagine that all these devices do not wait wisely behind a curtain at La Défense, like a parade at Dior…
No, they start from their position. The helicopters come from the Villacoublay air base, the LALAT (the Army’s light aviation) leaves from a civilian site in Chartres, the transport planes are in Évreux and the fighter planes… leave from their homes .
But how do you manage to coordinate so many aircraft in flight in a second, you imagine that they can’t hover while waiting their turn?
It’s just like. The aircraft are between Évreux and Paris. It’s very close and allows for easy access to diversion grounds should the need arise. They have an oil margin that allows them to manage extra time in case of delays. For example, if the president had a problem, a problem of protocol. Or if there is a technical incident.
The aircraft take off from their land and join airspaces on several floors in which they will turn in circles. They are called “racetracks”. They get into it, each has its own defined place. The parade is built by paintings, perfectly planned. The pilots then wait for their “top” to get out.
Who draws these tables and gives the “top”?
It’s my team that does this planning work to “level” all these people. The coordination and command of the operation were planned with my teams in Lyon. At CDAOA: the bridgehead, the leaders, is in Paris. But the nerve center is in Lyon. And on D-Day, the command post is on the Arc de Triomphe, and it is he who dictates the tempo and gives the “tops” from the moment the President of the Republic is seated. He is the trigger for the parade.
What happens once they’ve been given the green light?
They come out of the “racecourse” and know that from this moment on, they have so many seconds to arrive vertically on the tribune of the Concorde. Everyone calculates their position to arrive exactly at the indicated time. It’s easier today with modern aircraft. When I was parading, we did it by hand, with a ruler in the cockpit.
With so many devices in such a small space, how do you avoid collisions?
Squadrons are placed in a “box”. It is an air space delimited on the sides, like a cube, with a floor and a ceiling that they cannot exceed. Once inside, they can’t get out until the end of the parade. It’s up to them to manage the speed and the spacing that must be maintained and from there everything is calculated so that it fits together mechanically.
Each “box” has its leader who must ensure that the squadron passes to the millimeter in the right place to be perfectly above the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysées and the Place de la Concorde. For this, they are in contact with me via a dedicated radio frequency. They also have a frequency with each other to ensure proper formation.
Pilots must be particularly experienced to successfully perform such maneuvers. Are the best chosen?
Apart from the youngest who are not yet qualified, any Air and Space Force or LALAT pilot can have their place in the parade. Not all pilots are “chibanes” (pilots who have extensive operational experience – Editor’s note)
For the Patrouille de France, it’s easy, it’s their daily job. Ditto for fighter planes. The only concern is to be able to go on time in an unusual setting, you have to pass the Defense which is quite high, and then find your line well and synchronize, because you have to ” it has a mouthful”.
Transport planes are less accustomed to flying in this kind of configuration, helicopters, a little more. But they don’t need to train more than that. It is especially necessary to train to pass perfectly in the axis, for the spectators and the televiewers. You have to take cues. This is mainly why we did two training sessions beforehand.
Participating in the National Day, flying above Paris in front of the whole of France… Do the pilots have time to take advantage of it?
Not really, the settings and parameters to monitor require great concentration. They are fixed on their leader to respect their line… They can take a look. But it goes very, very quickly, it’s not very “fun”. On the other hand, they can then tell themselves that they have done it. It is a great pride.
It is also a source of pride for the Army, in particular the Air and Space Force, this parade, it is sometimes decried…
Of course. Beyond what the National Day represents for a republican state. There is a real Army-Nation link. A bond that we must preserve and consolidate. Casually, the Army is a lot of money and investment. Because we are engaged in Africa, in the Levant to fight Daesh, on the Eastern front to police the skies, we take part in NATO operations.
So beyond the iconoclastic aspect “We pay our taxes, it’s in there”, it’s also to say, all those you see passing over you, they protect you, it’s a shield, which allows you to live every day quietly. They are your children, your brothers and sisters, your cousins, your neighbors. But also real professionals who practice a real job, and sometimes to the ultimate sacrifice.