First name: Lucas
Age: 24 years old
City of origin: Chambéry – Savoie (France)
Education: A.E.C.
Helicopter: R22, R44
Start of training: January 2020
Hello everyone,
My name is Lucas, I’m 24 years old, and I was born in Chambéry, in the beautiful Savoie region.
Professionally, I started out by attending a military academy (Pupilles de l’Air), where I saw helicopters and fighter jets almost every day, and I always found it incredible—but, being so young, it seemed out of reach.
After that, I earned a vocational high school diploma and a BTS in surveying and mapping.
I worked in that field for three years—it was really interesting—but I wanted to aim higher.
With a passion for new technologies and video games, I quickly specialized as a drone pilot. Although flying them with a remote control is fun, I soon wanted to leave the ground and take to the skies for a bigger thrill and more adrenaline!
Since I also wanted to travel, I looked for a flight school in Canada, as it’s a very appealing country. I quickly set up a meeting in Lyon with Benjamin, who was very responsive and answered all my questions perfectly.
Since the visa process is complicated and time-consuming, I started early and managed to get the necessary paperwork in order to leave in January 2020. Arriving in the middle of winter, I immediately got into the spirit of the country (watch out for your nose hairs freezing), and I really appreciated the warmth of the Quebecers.
Since I’m not really the academic type, the financial investment in the training and the lifestyle change gave me a real boost and pushed me to excel. In the end, I enjoyed both the theoretical and practical aspects equally, because one can’t exist without the other. Having classes in the morning and flying in the afternoon lets you put theory into practice, and it’s a lot of fun.
I took the AEC course because I was very interested in the additional training offered as part of the CPL program, and it was a wonderful experience. The survival camp will stay with me forever and taught me a great deal.
Now that I’m proudly employed at Hélicraft through the Career Plus program and working with a great team, I finally have the chance to rack up flight hours—and I’ve gone from paying to fly to getting paid to fly. I call that a success.