Hello,

I am Fabien Turpaud, I live in the Southwest of France, near Bordeaux. I was born on August 4th 1986. I spend most of my free time flying with rc model planes and I especially like practicing aerobatics. You will find quick summary of my school background and my rc experience.

I have been interested in several aeronautical activities for a long time. I built my first model in 1997, but this “thing” ended right into the dustbin. In 1998, my parents rewarded me for a hard work in school: they bought me my first aircraft: a T2M Cessna 160 with an OS engine and a Futaba Skysport radio control. I set it up with two experienced modelers: Serge and Eric Sakton. During this year I learnt and improved the flying technical basis. Of course my second plane was an aerobatics model: a fun-fly which allowed me to try crazy maneuvers. In the meantime, I was building my first giant aerobatic model: a cap 231 ex designed by Didier Beylar and made with wood and foam. Unfortunately, after only 25 flights, it crashed due to an elevator flutter…. So I decided to build a more reliable aircraft: an extra 300S from Lagmann.

In 2002, I started to fly in French contests. I was in the “Novice” category. After two contests and, with the help of two competitors: Pierre Chardonnier and Pascal Delvallet, I won my first French championship in Gréolière (a  very nice airfield).

After this great first season and to get ready to fly in the “national” category, we bought, from a friend, a new extra 330S equipped with a ZDZ 80B2-RV. Produced by ZNLine, this extra was a very good aircraft to learn freestyle.

During my “national” season I won all the contests I attended to, especially I won the French championship with a very small advantage over the second.

Therefore, in 2004 I jumped into the “international” category which is the highest aerobatic level in F3M, this category required a very hard training . To be as competitive as possible, I built a new ZNline 3m extra 330S with the help of some friends.

For my first “international” season I finished 3rd in pattern flight and 3rd in freestyle. I did not know it yet but third would be my rank in the next three seasons…However in 2007, I won the French freestyle championship and, eventually, the international French championship in 2008!

2007 was also my first experience in huge giant contest in Czech Republic, the EXFC, where I took the sixth rank.

Over the year 2000, 2001 and 2002, I also practiced glider in a club located in an airfield neighboured to my house. It was a very great experience but I stopped to focus on aerobatic contests. Luckily, sometimes I have the opportunity to fly with friends in their nice planes.

My career aeronautics :

In 2001 I ended my  Junior High School in the city where my parents live. The next two years I studied in Saintes and, in 2003, I passed a professional studying diploma, including maintenance. This diploma allowed me to join an aeronautical school in the North-West of France: in the beautiful town of Morlaix. There, in 2005, I achieved a professional A Level including again maintenance. Over those two years I have learnt aeronautics and aerodynamics basis.

With the goal of finishing quickly my studies, in 2005 I joined a training to graduate in a mechanical licence specialized in turbine aircraft, it was a great experience with long training periods in a workshop where I worked onto many full scale planes like Beechcraft 90, Piper 31, Pilatus PC6 and much other beautiful aircraft ! In June 2006 I passed the precious Licence Part 66.

Then I changed my way, I wanted to join an engineering school. For that I needed to be graduated in a Superior Technician Diploma. In the South-East of France I moved to an other nice and sunny city, Montpellier.

I also followed a training period in a workshop, it was my first helicopter experience. I passed a BTS in June 2008.

Since September 2008 I have been living in Bordeaux studying in Licence 3 specialized in aeronautics. It is the beginning of a-three-year time which must  lead me to an engineering diploma...I hope so!