Royan-Médis aerodrome, almost a century of history

The Community Tourism Office has included the Royan-Médis airfield on the menu of its guided tours. "Sud Ouest" followed one of them on Friday, October 24, for a dive into its history.

Louis Blériot's first aerial crossing of the English Channel on July 25, 1909, sparked a craze for aviation, and in September 1910, Louis Gibert flew a monoplane between Bordeaux and Royan. He landed on Pontaillac beach after flying over the Notre-Dame du Platin chapel, patron saint of aviators, in Saint-Palais-sur-Mer. Other aviators followed, some landing on the Grande Conche beach in Royan.

The First World War interrupted these flights, and it was not until 1924 that aviation activities resumed in Royan. The first flying club in Royan was created in 1930 on the Médis plateau. In 1935, under the leadership of René Caudron, an aircraft manufacturer, and the then mayor of Royan, Paul Métadier, a school for flight mechanics was created on Boulevard Champlain. Buildings capable of accommodating 600 students were constructed on the site of what would later become the Champlain vocational high school. At the same time, a flight school was established at the Royan-Médis public airport.

With the threat of war, civilian flight schools were requisitioned. Royan-Médis was chosen to urgently train military mechanics and pilots. In 1935, for the first class, the site was equipped with a dormitory, a conference room, offices, workshops, stores, and hangars. War was declared, and after the 1939-1940 class, recruitment stopped.

On June 17, 1940, French aviators Yves Ezanno, Robert Moizan, Henri Gaillet, Albert Preziosi, and Jacques Soufflet, refusing defeat and the armistice, flew from the airfield aboard three Simoun planes to join General de Gaulle in England. The next day, mechanics Marcel Bausardo, Michel Roche, and Pierre Bideau joined them on a fourth plane. A memorial commemorating the event was erected at the entrance to the airfield.

After the war, the Royan municipality decided to revive the site by planning a new development. The first stone of the terminal was laid on May 2, 1954, in the presence of Paul Devinat, Secretary of State for Public Works and Civil Aviation, and Max Brusset, Deputy Mayor of Royan.

The airfield is operated by the City of Royan and is currently primarily used for air tourism. The site houses a flying club (pilot training, discovery flights, and preparation for the aeronautical initiative certificate), a parachuting center, a control tower, the "L'Escale" restaurant, and the Association of Amateur Aircraft Constructors (ASERCAA).