The Air Race Is Back—and Mélanie Astles Is Ready

Monday, February 21, 2022 at 06:35 PM ET

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Astles looks forward to competing in the new Air Race with her own team, and guiding young people into aviation. [YouTube Screengrab: Mélanie Astles]

Key Takeaways:

Champion French aerobatic pilot Mélanie Astles will lead an elite team in the rebooted "Air Race" series, launching in May 2022 with a focus on sustainable technologies like zero-carbon fuels.
Beyond competition, Astles is initiating a project to train and mentor young aspiring pilots, aiming to "give back" to aviation and inspire new generations.
Astles employs a mental strategy for competition, emphasizing flying "like you train" by focusing on relaxation and managing expectations to perform at peak ability.

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Mélanie Astles hasn’t taken much time off during her career, since the French aerobatic pilot took savings she had from working at a petrol station and turned it into her initial pilot certificate, starting when she was 21.

So, the pandemic presented a somewhat frustrating hiatus for a champion who’s ready to race. The Unlimited and Advanced classes managed to fly some competitions, but it hasn’t been the same in the past two years.