Happy Pilots' Day

Today we celebrate World Pilots' Day and for this occasion, we are happy to introduce Louis-Dominique Despretz, Sales Manager at Airbus Secure Communications. But first, let’s introduce the origin of this special day.

What is World Pilots' Day? 

World Pilots’ Day is celebrated every 26^th April. It commemorates the enduring and important contribution pilots make for our safety and security. In 1948, the International Federation of Airline Pilot’s Association (IFALPA) was created which brought with it a conference of pilots’ association. That conference was the initiative of the International Pilots’ Day as it aimed to provide all pilots in the world a formal means to interact with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

It is only in 2013 that a date was set, 26^th of April, to commemorate the day.

Introduction of Louis-Dominique Despretz, an ex-helicopter pilot, now sales manager 

Before joining Airbus Defence and Space, Louis-Dominique Despretz was a helicopter pilot in the French Navy Air Force. Although being a pilot and a sales manager is different, both job have 4 main similarities:

• Teamwork: needed between a pilot and a co-pilot or between a sales person and his management team
• User-machine interface: behind every machine, there is a person managing the system
• Trust: as without it, the pilot cannot fulfill his mission as well as the seller cannot contract with his customers
• Security: a helicopter pilot aims to safely carry his missions while a sales manager at Airbus Secure Communications, provide secure systems and services to his clients

Thanks to his knowledge as a veteran of the French Navy Air Force, Louis Dominique Despretz perfectly understands his customers’ needs in terms of secure connectivity. Therefore, by working on naval connectivity, and more especially on the program RIFAN, he is a strong asset in the achievement of that program.

RIFAN, Secure IP Network of an aero-naval Force

Start a career at Airbus Secure Communications