In Syria he will have to land several times in the desert and sometimes walk long days in hostile territory and without food to find his base.īut, strong headed, he will develop over time a pronounced dislike for the military thing and will be demobilized in 1924 after a military career finally quite brief. A complicated relationship with the armyīold, Mermoz always volunteered for the most perilous missions. It is only during his 3rd attempt that he will obtain his licence in 1921. On a second attempt, his plane turned over on landing. When he passed his license, his engine stalled on takeoff and he crashed into the trees, leaving him with a broken leg and a fractured jaw. He will wait almost three months before he can fly a plane. Then he was confronted with the low number of aircraft and their deplorable state of maintenance, which meant that many pilots were killed during training.
When he entered the Military School of Istres, he was first bullied by the instructors who did everything they could to discourage young enlisted men from wanting to fly in order to test their will.
If today the name of Mermoz embodies in the collective unconscious the exploits of an exceptional pilot, his first steps as a pilot were anything but simple. He is one of the pioneers who made possible the world of aviation as we know it today. It was on December 7, 1936, that an aviation icon left us: Jean Mermoz.
0 kommentar(er)
