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:

French aerobatic champion Mélanie Astles is set to lead an elite team in the relaunched "Air Race" series (formerly the Red Bull Air Race), which begins in 2022.
The revitalized Air Race emphasizes new technology, including the use of zero-carbon fuels from the outset and future integration of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs).
Beyond competition, Astles plans to create her own aerobatic team to mentor and train young aspiring aviators, aiming to inspire the next generation and give back to the aviation community.

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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.