A Cinétech evening took place on Wednesday October 9, at the Pôle Technologie Sud Champagne, at 26, rue Lavoisier. This meeting was organized by the company i-Tego in partnership with the CCI Meuse Haute-Marne, the Nogentech Cluster, the UTT branch in Nogent and Accustica.
The theme was “The legend of French helicopters”. Returning to the legendary “Alouette”, “Super Puma”, “Ecureuil”, “Dauphin”, a 52-minute film projected in the UTT amphitheater told the story of these emblematic machines which enabled the France to rise to the top of a global and ultra-competitive industry. Listeners learned that it was on November 13, 1907 that French engineer and inventor Paul Cornu achieved the first vertical takeoff. There was then widespread discussion of a French flagship, the Alouette. It was with the development of the Alouette II helicopter that we saw for the first time in 1955, a rotating wing powered by a turbine. It becomes the world reference, making it possible to increase the power of the device by almost 50%, with a lower mass. The engineer René Mouille has a series of creations and successes: Alouette II in 1955 (the first French helicopter equipped with a turbine), Alouette III in 1958. Sold in 43 countries, the Alouette III forged a reputation as an outstanding rescuer, particularly within civil security. This device allows the beginnings of winching, a French invention, up to three people at a time. France then outclasses its competitors and opens a royal path for the machines that will follow, emblematic of French know-how: Alouette III, Ecureuil, Dauphin, Super Puma, Caracal. Finally, after the H160 in 2017, the first flight of the “Racer”, a new super-fast model from Airbus Helicopters, took place in spring 2024, which can reach 400 km/h.
After the gourmet break, it was possible to soak up the testimony of Jacques Tschofen, head of the research and development department of Lisi Forged Integrated Solutions, on the Bologna and Chaumont site who spoke of the numerous technological advances in the manufacturing of parts intended to French helicopters. He also spoke about the Guimbal company, a French SME founded in 2000 by Bruno Guimbal which develops and markets the Cabri G2 helicopter. The Guimbal company has delivered more than 300 Cabri helicopters to date. Then, the question and answer game kept all its promises.
