Aubert Verschoote, 22, from Avranches, will take part in the Tour Aérien des Jeunes Pilotes from July 18 to August 2. The aircraft event will bring him into a field of 46 selected young pilots from across France.
He qualified after a selection flight that used GPS tracking, theory, group work and communication. Verschoote, who enrolled at the Aéroclub des Grèves du Mont-Saint-Michel in 2019, obtained his private pilot license in 2023 and began a BTS and a professional degree in aeronautical maintenance through alternating study this year.
Aubert Verschoote and the Tour Aérien des Jeunes Pilotes
The Tour Aérien des Jeunes Pilotes is a biennial event that will run for two weeks from Lille to Jonzac. Participants will be evaluated on behavior, piloting precision and navigation during aerial rally events, giving the trip a set of criteria that goes beyond simple flying hours.
Verschoote will fly a Piel CP 305 Émeraude from 1960, a tailwheel aircraft that requires great finesse. Daniel Denis supports him.
Daniel Denis and the Piel CP
Verschoote also handles administration, maintenance and active fundraising for flight-hour expenses. That practical load sits alongside the flying itself and helps explain why the trip is not just a competition entry but a broader test of preparation.
He said, "À la fin, il y a un classement final mais ce n’est pas le but premier. Le but est l’échange avec le public et entre jeunes pilotes". He also said, "C’est une expérience extraordinaire. On est pendant deux semaines avec des gens passionnés, dans une atmosphère incroyable."
The ranking will exist, but Verschoote is treating the public exchanges and the contact with other young pilots as the point of the route. For him, the immediate challenge is to cover the flying hours while carrying the administrative and maintenance work that keeps the aircraft ready to go.
