I was born in 1992 on the periphery of Lausanne (Switzerland) and spent my childhood and teenage years in our family home in Lucens, a small village in the French-speaking part of western Switzerland. I grew up there with my older sister and younger brother, surrounded by our parents, as well as our grandparents who lived downstairs. Suffice it to say that my school years were very busy: we were lucky enough to have plenty of local societies in the village. And our parents knew how to use them to their advantage to have a little time to themselves without the presence of the Monsters… Gymnastics, Athletics, Football, Music, Scouts… There wasn’t much downtime in my life at that point. In addition to my friends, with whom I spent a lot of time outdoors, I have to say that I was really lucky to grow up the way I did.

When I left secondary school, I went to the Gymnasium (in Switzerland, this is the part of post-secondary education that allows you to go on to university). I guess I wasn’t yet mature enough and too lazy for studies, because the adventure came to an end for me after just one year. In retrospect, it was an excellent experience that gave me a good slap in the face and brought me down to earth. It was the year when I realized the importance of self-involvement, as well as one of the most basic realities – when you decide to take advantage of the system to lead an easy existence, life makes you pay for it at one time or another (and it stings).

So it was with a new outlook on the world that, in 2008, I began an apprenticeship as a surveyor, coupled with a Technical Maturity Certificate. I spent the four years training with the Courdesse & Associés surveyors’ office, where I developed my practical skills.

2008 was also an important year for me. As well as getting me back on track professionally, it was the year I decided to try my luck in the military pilot selection trials. Having had a passion for aviation ever since I was a child, flying a jet had always been one of my wildest dreams, and by the time I reached the age of 16, I was finally old enough to sign up for the first selection trials. At the time, the selection program was called SPHAIR and consisted of a Screening, followed by a two-week in-flight training and evaluation. It was with great surprise that I emerged from this second phase with a positive recommendation for the next stages, conducted by the Swiss Air Force Pilot School. The next steps were two sessions of medical and psychological assessments in 2017, which enabled me to take part in a two-week simulator assessment in 2018. I still remember the day I received the acceptance letter from the Schweizer Luftwaffe. I was allowed to sign up for the final stage: 6 weeks of in-flight assessment on Swiss Air Force training aircraft, in this case, the Pilatus PC-7! But first…

Only Swiss Army officers are allowed to take this final step: 18 months of pure fun in the Swiss Army Air Corps! Recruit, Private, Sergeant, Lieutenant… The experience was extremely interesting, especially the payment of officer gallons, during which I had the opportunity to take the lead over 30 recruits and 3 sergeants. During this period, I learned what kind of person I am, but above all what kind of person I don’t want to become. It was also the moment when I realized that not everyone can become an excellent leader. A good proportion of us can become good leaders through training or a course. However, excellent leaders are born leaders.

So it was with anticipation that I entered the last phase of pilot selections in 2014, and if I’m honest with myself, I realized very quickly that it wasn’t going to work out. However, I didn’t admit it to myself right away. I had a lot of trouble getting into the competition right from the start, already with memorizing checklists, aerodrome circuits, procedures. And it was even worse when it came to actually flying. Somehow, I’d lost that fighting spirit that had carried me through all the previous stages, and I couldn’t rekindle the flame. So it came as no great surprise to find that my name was not on the shortlists at the end of this selection.

The news came as something of a shock, I have to say that I’d played all my cards on the realization of this dream and the knowledge that it was never going to become a reality threw me into a solid depression. It took me almost a full year before I realized that other occupations would allow me to thrive. In particular, a 3-month period in Germany to learn the language, during which I was able to discover new cultures and other points of view, and spend time with friends from other social backgrounds. It was there that I rediscovered a passion for studies and the desire to contribute in another way to the world of aeronautics: engineering!

Fast forward to 2015, when I entered the first year of my Bachelor’s program at ZHAW (Zurich University of Applied Sciences) in Winterthur. Three absolutely incredible years during which I met a multitude of fantastic people, a number of whom have become some of my closest friends. Three years during which I discovered a passion for solving practical problems through the application of physics, but also where I learned that a healthy mix of fun and hard work is essential to success (thoughts to the other French-speaking people in Winterthur 😉 ).

Followed by two and a half years as a research assistant in the field of composite fiber materials, and a year as an aeronautical certification engineer, and there you have me!

Oh yes, I almost forgot… If you want to know what makes me tick, there you have it:

• Long-distance trekking – before I met Rixt, my favorite vacation was two weeks backpacking with a tent in the most remote parts of Europe.
• Weekends in tents with our pets and my beloved (our honeymoon in Norway was certainly the most fun I’ve ever had)
• Sports in the great outdoors (especially ski touring, which we did in the Swiss Alps)
• Flying (always will be)
• Brewing my own beer!
• Learning and practicing new disciplines. Especially anything to do with construction.
• Cooking for my wife (but shhh, don’t tell her)