The 3AF 2024 Awards

At our Annual General Meeting on June 26, we had the honor of awarding the prestigious 3AF Palmes to Blanche Demaret and Louis Fabre.

The "Palmes 3AF" recognize and reward those of our members who, through their presence, actions and personal contributions, have contributed to the development, influence and reputation of our Association .

The Awards Committee insisted on the essential need to highlight and thank those among us who, devoting a great deal of personal time to our Association on a voluntary basis, have, through their zeal and the continuity of their action, enabled 3AF to become known and recognized today.

This distinction honors their dedication and outstanding contributions to our learned society and to the field of aeronautics and astronautics. Congratulations to our laureates on this remarkable achievement!

Blanche Demaret receives the 3AF Palmes award

My dear Blanche

I think it's important for all of us gathered here today to recall a few important aspects of your career and your involvement in 3AF, which led to today's presentation of the 3AF Palmes.

The different stages of your career have highlighted your commitment to helicopters, with all the advances in this field in recent years.

Your career in the field of helicopters and rotary wings is quite exceptional, having worked for the DGA in the DRET department, then the Department for Industrial Affairs and Cooperation, and ONERA in the Helicopter Program Department. Between 1977 and 2017, you supported national R&D activities in this field, and nurtured and promoted international cooperation, notably with DLR through a joint program with ONERA.

Your career has also been marked by your unwavering commitment to associations and learned societies. An active member of the Vertical Flight Society (formerly the American Helicopter Society), the International Committee of the European Rotorcraft Forum and a full member of the Académie de l'Air et de l'Espace, you have above all been a driving force behind 3AF's helicopter activities: a member of 3AF since 1982, Emeritus member in 2013, President of the Helicopter Technical Commission from 2010 to 2013, then from 2015 to 2017, Secretary General of this Technical Commission since May 2023.

You also joined the 3AF Awards Committee in 2024.

You have contributed your expertise and dynamism to the international influence and reputation of the 3AF Association.

Louis Fabre receives 3AF award

My dear Louis,

I think it's important for all of us gathered here today to recall a few important aspects of your career and your involvement in 3AF, which led to today's presentation of the 3AF Palmes.

You took over the Presidency of the Provence regional group in 2014. Since then, your unwavering commitment has helped develop 3AF's influence in your regional group's geographical area.

Thanks to a team of dedicated volunteers, a large number of actions have been undertaken, including :

• Renewal of the partnership agreement with Airbus Helicopters,
• An agreement with the SAFE competitiveness cluster.
• An agreement with the campus des métiers de l'aéronautique de l'académie Aix-Marseille.
• The development of conferences for students at the Air Transport Training and Research Institute of the Aix-en-Provence Faculty of Law.
• The development of a series of lectures for teachers at the Ecole Nationale d'Enseignement.
• Closer ties with the Ecole de l'Air et de l'Espace in Salon de Provence,
• Setting up a historical lecture series with the Saint Victoret aviation museum.
• The co-organization of numerous local and national aeronautical forums (Act in Space Marseille).

And, of course, the next international congress, to be held in Marseille in September.

Finally, it should be noted that these various actions have been the subject of publications in various "Lettres de la 3AF".

Louis Le Portz