With his helmet strapped tight over his ears, Franck Chesneau soars through the skies above the Gard, his eyes fixed on a raging fire. It is June 2019, and a France 2 crew has boarded a Tracker, alongside the pilot who has crushed whilst on duty, on Friday 2 August, near the town of Générac (Gard).
For this 49-year-old father of two, flying was everything: his passion, his profession and his duty. "We're here to protect the public, and that's something I like, he said to the camera that was filming him that day as he flew through the sky. "It’s an exciting, rewarding job." But it’s just as risky, and he knows it.
You always have to prepare for the worst. You have to plan for the loss of an engine, but that doesn’t mean we have much of a margin. Franck Chesneau, bomber pilot.
The son of a fighter pilot, he had clocked up more than 5,000 flying hours. This seasoned military pilot had been at the controls of a French Air Force Mirage 2000 for ten years. He had been flying a bomber for five years. "It’s not not just any aeroplane, he was relishing it at the end of June."It’s a legendary aeroplane. As an aviation fan, it’s a dream come true!"