Class of '83 goes back to school for its 40th anniversary

Class of '83 gathered to celebrate its 40th anniversary on the weekend of November 18 and 19, 2023 in Toulouse.

We were delighted to be together again, with 65 SUPAERO, ENSICA and Spécialisation members, including accompanying adults, present for dinner and the evening after a busy day. It was sometimes difficult to recognize each other, but shared memories soon came flooding back. This joint SUPAERO/ENSICA/Spécialisation anniversary was a friendly way of bringing our 2 schools closer together within ISAE.

Our day began with a presentation by Olivier Lesbre (S1990) on the evolution of our school over 40 years. He then answered many questions, and we thank him for taking the time to talk with us.

David Mimoun (S1993) continued with a presentation on space education and a lecture on space projects at ISAE, and played back sounds from Mars recorded by the microphone developed at ISAE-SUPAERO.

David Lacheny introduced us to InnovSpace, located on the site of the former CEDOCAR building, and its focus on innovation, which again led to a lively exchange of views. Note that 2 of the ISAE-SUPAERO start-ups are in the Next 40.

With the morning well advanced, after the traditional photo in front of the Mirage III, we had lunch in the cafeteria, where a table had been set for us.

And very quickly, we met students around 3 themes:

• Create your own company and make it a success + large company vs. start-up / SMI to make a career + public / private to make a career ;
• Develop a career in line with personal values;
• Develop your career internationally and share our experience of international cooperation (Europe, China, Korea, India, Brazil, etc.).

The students, though few in number, thoroughly enjoyed our exchanges, as they stayed with us for the visit to the new Aérothèque Marie Marvingt building, which houses the magnificent library!

We took a short tour of the residences and bumped into students in the middle of a BDE campaign. No longer called the Khomiss .... We chatted very quickly. They're very happy at school, and we assured them that our satisfaction with our choice of school is still the same after a full career!

We then headed off to visit the Aeroscopia museum, joined by those who had skipped the École. 3 top guides/lecturers accompanied the groups, and they could see that they were dealing with a public of connoisseurs...

We ended this day rich in emotions and discoveries at the Pinot farm, for a very happy and lively dinner and dance, with musical quizzes from the 80s.

Each alumnus left with his or her own goodie: a bag with the SUPAERO class trombino on one side and the ENSICA class trombino on the other.

The following day, some of us met up at the Estolosa golf course, either to play or for an introduction to golf, before finishing with a brunch.

We had the opportunity to see how much the École has changed, and not just its buildings! Our teaching methods have adapted to keep pace with developments in our field. As a result, we're always on the cutting edge.

At this stage of our lives, it's also time to take stock, and we can say that SUPAERO and ENSICA have trained us very well; and the demand for excellence that we learned here has been invaluable to our careers, in addition to our cutting-edge aeronautical and technical knowledge!

The many messages received by the organizers show just how much those present enjoyed the reunion. We weren't able to contact our entire class, but we did hear from some of our regulars, and some of them were disappointed not to be able to be with us.

So that we don't have to wait 5 years to see each other again, we're planning a dinner in Paris between April and June for those who couldn't make it to Toulouse. A meeting is also planned in Marseille.

We would like to thank Julie Devaux (I2020) and Gil Teissier (S1992) of the Alumni Association for their help, which was also much appreciated.

See you soon,

The organizers: Marc Allongue, Valérie Giudicelli (Denis-Massé), Luc Jean, Didier Mesnier (S1983) and Eric Parelon (E1983)