Didier Daurat
Encyclopedia
Didier Daurat was a pioneer of French aviation
.
, distinguishing himself by spotting the Paris Gun
which was pounding Paris.
After the war, he joined Latécoère
's airline company, (which later became the Compagnie générale aéropostale - Aéropostale
, then Air France
) where he was a pilot and later operations director.
From this time, the legend of the man with the iron will made Didier Daurat a boss admired by many, feared by all and hated by some. He did not hesitate to dismiss those who showed the slightest sign of weakness, questioned his methods or did not adhere to the 'spirit of the mail' (l'esprit du courrier).
Many of his pilots began their careers as grease monkeys, taking apart, cleaning and reassembling engines. According to Daurat, this formed character and taught pilots to respect their machines. But he knew when he saw a talented pilot. When Jean Mermoz
presented himself in Toulouse
and made a dazzling display of piloting skill, Daurat told him "I don't need circus artists but bus drivers." ("Je n'ai pas besoin d'artistes de cirque mais de conducteurs d'autobus"). Nevertheless, he engaged him to clean the engines.
These methods proved their worth because the Latécoère lines, and later Aéropostale, achieved a level of punctuality and reliability unknown for the time on the Toulouse
-Saint-Louis-du-Sénégal
route, and later from Toulouse-Santiago, Chile
, Chile
with a crossing of the south Atlantic and the Andes
.
When Aéropostale was integrated with Air France
in 1933, Daurat, friendless, was dismissed.
In 1935, he founded the Air Bleu
company, which transported mail throughout France, by day as well as by night. Results were remarkable, but the company was militarised with the declaration of war in 1939.
Following the Liberation of France, he relaunched the night postal service before becoming operations chief for Air France at Orly, a post he held until his retirement in 1953.
He died in Toulouse in 1969. At his request, he was granted the honour of being buried on the Toulouse-Montaudran Airport, former base of Aéropostale.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
took inspiration from Didier Daurat for the character of Rivière in Night Flight (Vol de nuit, 1931).
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
.
Biography
Daurat was a fighter pilot during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, distinguishing himself by spotting the Paris Gun
Paris Gun
The Paris Gun was a German long-range siege gun used to bombard Paris during World War I. It was in service from March-August 1918. When it was first employed, Parisians believed they'd been bombed by a new type of high-altitude zeppelin, as neither the sound of an airplane nor a gun could be heard...
which was pounding Paris.
After the war, he joined Latécoère
Pierre-Georges Latécoère
Pierre-Georges Latécoère was a pioneer of aeronautics. Born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, he studied in the École Centrale Paris and, after the First World War, started a business in aeronautics. He directed plants that made planes and opened the first airlines that operated from France to Africa and...
's airline company, (which later became the Compagnie générale aéropostale - Aéropostale
Aéropostale (aviation)
Aéropostale was a pioneering aviation company. It was founded in 1918 in Toulouse, France, as Société des lignes Latécoère, also known as Lignes Aeriennes Latécoère or simply "The Line" .- History :Aéropostale founder Pierre-Georges Latécoère envisioned an air route connecting France to the...
, then Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
) where he was a pilot and later operations director.
From this time, the legend of the man with the iron will made Didier Daurat a boss admired by many, feared by all and hated by some. He did not hesitate to dismiss those who showed the slightest sign of weakness, questioned his methods or did not adhere to the 'spirit of the mail' (l'esprit du courrier).
Many of his pilots began their careers as grease monkeys, taking apart, cleaning and reassembling engines. According to Daurat, this formed character and taught pilots to respect their machines. But he knew when he saw a talented pilot. When Jean Mermoz
Jean Mermoz
Jean Mermoz was a French aviator, viewed as a hero by many in both Argentina and his native France, where many schools bear his name...
presented himself in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
and made a dazzling display of piloting skill, Daurat told him "I don't need circus artists but bus drivers." ("Je n'ai pas besoin d'artistes de cirque mais de conducteurs d'autobus"). Nevertheless, he engaged him to clean the engines.
These methods proved their worth because the Latécoère lines, and later Aéropostale, achieved a level of punctuality and reliability unknown for the time on the Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
-Saint-Louis-du-Sénégal
Saint-Louis, Senegal
Saint-Louis, or Ndar as it is called in Wolof, is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Senegal's capital city Dakar, it has a population officially estimated at 176,000 in 2005. Saint-Louis...
route, and later from Toulouse-Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
with a crossing of the south Atlantic and the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
.
When Aéropostale was integrated with Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
in 1933, Daurat, friendless, was dismissed.
In 1935, he founded the Air Bleu
Air Bleu
Air Bleu was a French airline company between 1935 and 1940 that specialised in the delivery of mail within France.Air Bleu started operations on the 10 July 1935 with Caudron Simoun aircraft operating four different airmail routes across France, the aircraft would leave Le Bourget in the morning...
company, which transported mail throughout France, by day as well as by night. Results were remarkable, but the company was militarised with the declaration of war in 1939.
Following the Liberation of France, he relaunched the night postal service before becoming operations chief for Air France at Orly, a post he held until his retirement in 1953.
He died in Toulouse in 1969. At his request, he was granted the honour of being buried on the Toulouse-Montaudran Airport, former base of Aéropostale.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry , officially Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint Exupéry , was a French writer, poet and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of France's highest literary awards, and in 1939 was the winner of the U.S. National Book Award...
took inspiration from Didier Daurat for the character of Rivière in Night Flight (Vol de nuit, 1931).
Publications
- Saint-Exupéry tel que je l'ai connu (1954)
- Dans le vent des hélices (1956)