Dassault Bids Au Revoir Captain Guy Mitaux-Maurouard

Dassault Aviation said goodbye to Guy Mitaux-Maurouard, one the firm's most famous test pilots, at the Dassault Falcon Jet breakfast early Tuesday morning. Mitaux-Maurouard, who just turned 60 years old, is retiring after a 30-year career with the firm, much of it as chief test pilot of Dassault's Flight Test Center at Istres, France, near Marseilles.

"I am sad today, because I will not have more pleasure to see you," chairman Serge Dassault said, expressing the feelings of his associates at Dassault Aviation. Dassault noted that Mitaux-Maurouard piloted the Rafale A proof-of-concept fighter on its first flight in July 1986.

"It was easy for you to go supersonic on that first flight," he said. "You were one of our best test pilots in fighter aircraft."

Dassault concluded by saying simply, "My cher Guy, thank you."

Mitaux-Maurouard started his aviation career as a pilot in the French Air Force. He is a graduate of the French Test Pilot School at Salon and has test flown virtually every Dassault fighter, starting with the swing wing Mirage G8 in 1968 and culminating with the Rafale C01 single-pilot air force fighter.

In 1991, Mitaux-Maurouard was succeeded by Yves "Bill" Kerhervé as chief test pilot of military aircraft. Mitaux-Maurouard then joined the Falcon Jet test program. He was the chief test pilot on the Falcon 900EX and Falcon 2000 head-up display development and certification programs. He also flew Falcon Jets at air shows. Many pilots had their first flights in Falcon Jets with Mitaux-Maurouard.

"You are my family, my Falcon Jet family," Mitaux-Maurouard told the audience. "I hope in the future that Dassault will design, test, produce and maintain Falcon Jets of the same quality."

By Fred George