Story of a pioneer of military and civil aviation between 1905 and 1953
Born into a modest background, Mathieu Lafaye earned his pilot's license at the Angers Aviation School at the age of 18, before enlisting in the army at Avord. In 1942, he joined the Allied forces during the landings in North Africa. As part of the Royal Air Force's "Tunisia" bomber group, he was one of only two pilots to survive. These aviators, patriotic but not Gaullist, were long perceived as mercenaries. Yet their missions, described here with force and emotion, demonstrate exemplary courage.
After the war, Mathieu Lafaye became an instructor, training young pilots with the rigor and passion of an experienced man. In 1953, during a flight in monsoon rain in Laos, he narrowly avoided a rocky outcrop thanks to instinctive piloting, using only his watch – just as he had in his early days.
Beyond the story of an extraordinary destiny, this book traces a rare story of parentage: that of a father who became his own son's instructor—a first in the history of the French Air Force. Through their wartime correspondence, Lettres au Ciel weaves a strong bond between generations, memory, and a passion for flight.
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