Simon Renauld studied business in Toulouse (School year 2020),

but his real home base is Bornambusc, near Goderville.

Two years ago, he obtained his private pilot's license. Since July 30, Simon Renauld is the pride of the aviation section of the ExxonMobil Sports and Leisure Club (EMSL), in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine. That day, the young “Cauchois” completed the aerial tour of France of young pilots with honors. A journey of 3,000 kilometers, being at the helm of a Cessna 172, a four-seater aircraft of the EMSL. A 15 days adventure, as sporting than human, that led him from Chartres to Aurillac, through Brittany, Saintes, Bourges, Pau and Albi, alongside 44 other drivers, from 18 to 24 years old, from all over the country.

The best consumption forecast

"The aim of this tour de France is to introduce light aviation to the general public," he explains. Every day, we reach two cities. At each stop, there is a small meeting. We open our planes, especially to children. They are shown how the airplane works. If "the competition at all cost" is not the primary goal of this journey, a ranking has been established over the course of the stages. "Everything is taken into account, says Simon. We are noted on our behavior, our motivation at the time of the presentation with the public. We are judged on the precision of the trajectories, the maneuverability, the turns, the stalls ... Rally events are also organized, we must go to certain points at specific times ... "At the end of the two weeks, Simon is ranked 6th out of 45. He was particularly distinguished for his fuel estimates. "I won the consumer price", he says with a smile. I made the best forecast for all the fuel re-supplies, with 7 liters difference of gasoline consumed. A fuel which was provided by ... Exxon Mobil. Back in the country of Caux, Simon was warmly congratulated by Philippe Leroulley, the president of the EMSL, and by Jean-Claude Marquois, president of the Aeroclub of Gravenchon who coached his training sessions for the aerial tour de France. Two presidents who also supported him financially. What will he learn from this experience? The atmosphere during these "15 exceptional days". And beautiful landscapes are seen from the sky. Among them, Mont-Saint-Michel, the city of Nantes, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, the beautiful city of Chartres and its cathedral ...

Do not think you are the strongest in the world

What are the qualities of a good pilot? "Do not think you are the strongest in the world, stay humble in relation to the machine, compared to the weather, and respect the equipment," says Cauchois. Fears? Simon has some, but not often. "Sometimes we ask ourselves questions. Is this happening? Because of a cloud, we sometimes have to go down or ascend the altitude. During the lap of the young pilots, we had to postpone for a few hours the start of a stage, between Albi and Aurillac, because of the weather. "

His wish in life: "To work in the field of aeronautics, in a company or in an airport". For that, he has a plan: follow the Aviation Management course at his business school in Toulouse. A sector that works in partnership with the National School of Civil Aviation. "the King’s highway!"