Our volunteer members
Our association, which has around 500 members, could not function with volunteers alone. That's why we have a team of permanent employees with all the skills and certifications you need to glide in the best possible conditions.
- THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS -
Vincent BRAIBANT
Chairman
Philippe SOUQUET
Vice-Chairman
Jean-Claude MEGRET
Vice-Chairman
Romain BRAIBANT
General Secretary
Jean-François VERRIER
Treasurer
Eric BORGMANN
Board member
Claude BOURASSEAU
Board member
Emile DAVID
Board member
Patrick LASSERRE
Board member
Jean-Marc SAVOIE
Board member
Maximilian SEIS
Board member
Paul TRAGIN
Board member
They are also supported by :
Gérard, a pillar of the club and of gliding in the Southern Alps, needs no introduction. In addition to his work as an instructor (FI(S), FE... and his anthology flights (Vinon - Fès (Morocco), round trip Vinon - Gien, round trip Vinon - Etampes in 2017 and many others...), Gérard is actively involved in implementing Flarms and monitoring the OGN, always with a view to improving flight safety. He is also very active in promoting the use of simulators in the training of new pilots. Finally, Gérard is our GESASSO correspondent, helping club members to get to grips with this new federal tool.
Born in 1956, Philippe has been gliding since 1981 and has been a regular visitor to our platform ever since.
A retired electronics technician, he now spends a lot of his time in Vinon and, under Johnny's aegis, plays an active role in regliding.
An active member of the AAVA for many years - his first trip to Vinon dates back to 1981 with the Sander in-laws -, member of the Board of Directors, Vice-Chairman, Vincent's dual background as an aeronautical engineer and manager enables him to provide invaluable advice on running the club. Often on business trips all over the world, the Alpes de Haute-Provence, AAVA, gliders and the workshop are the means for him to maintain a balance.
An itinerant glider pilot and above all a loyal member of AAVA, Claude divides her free time between the many gliding platforms (Bailleau, La Roche sur Yon...) where she is always welcomed with open arms.
Claude trained as an aeronautical engineer.
A graduate of the EPF (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale), she has pursued a parallel career in industry and gliding.
As AAVA's auditor, Claude is also responsible for overseeing our reception area, where she strives to ensure that the best practices of associative life are respected.
A great and insatiable pilot and flight instructor (glider, airplane, alti-surfaces) practically H24, he constantly watches over the little pilots that we are. Don't hesitate to ask him for advice. He must hold the record for the most hours flown in the Alps.
He's always there to help. You can find him all winter in the workshop with Guillaume and Johnny, maintaining our glider fleet. He's the big Manitou of the flarms and is responsible for the Net Coupe on the club glider side. And if a pilot is missing for an introductory or discovery flight, all you have to do is call “allo Daniel” and he's on his way (if he's not already in a glider on his own or with a friend).
Flight Instructor and more recently Flight Examiner He's often on the platform, and probably the most assiduous of our instructors.
A “young” instructor at Vinon (he's flown at Orléans and Montagne Noire, among other places), he's full of energy and occasionally volunteers as chief pilot. Of course, he can also jump into a tugboat when glider pilots are busy on the runway.
After training as an instructor at the Centre National de Vol à Voile de Saint-Auban, François pursued his career as an airline pilot with Air France. He has now returned to the joys of school as a volunteer instructor in Vinon, with the same passion and pleasure for flying, and he will share his passion with you.
A musician, composer and poet, Johnny has spent thousands of hours training glider pilots, and now devotes part of his time to caring for and reglazing the Association's gliders (one a year). He'd love to form a team and have a bit more free time to go pike and trout fishing with Vega and Saïph. You'll find him on the trail and in the workshop. The call is out!
A great friend of Johnny's (he was his pupil), Francis is a specialist in electronics and electricity. He's been servicing radios, battery racks and other machines for ages. He has a lot of patience, but do him a favor and take care of the equipment.
A weather engineer in civilian life, he has no equal when it comes to deciphering the polls and preparing you for a great day's flying. He's also an instructor, tugboat driver and President of the platform's users, and always has a smile on his face to ensure he's always “there”.
Always available and always smiling, RORO is always there if the club needs him. He's an instructor and tug, organizes and runs glider shows, and nobody at the club has more incredible T-shirts.
You'll find him in the workshop, on the mechanical side. He's not very talkative, but don't hesitate to ask him for information: aircraft construction is his field.
Born in 1993, Max started gliding in 2009 in Bordeaux.
He joined the French Junior Gliding Team in 2013, took part in the championship in Varese, Italy in 2015 and won the world championship title.
He now works for DHL in Leipzig, Germany, and divides his free time between Vinon and Saint-Auban, where he trains and enriches his skills by flying on the air.
Maximilien is in charge of AAVA's “digital” communications, and now manages the Facebook account.
He fell into the gliding cauldron as a child, thanks to his father Jacques, an aerodynamics expert and aircraft builder. Since leaving the city, Philippe has joined the club's team of volunteers, and when he's not flying over the Alps, he's helping out with the mechanics.
He works with Jacques, Michou and Guillaume to maintain the parachutes... He juggles his time (in no particular order: work, technical insurance for his world champion wife Anne, their two toddlers, GS1, ASH25.... and the parachutes!)
A member of the Innsbruck Club, in the heart of the Austrian Alps, Birgit is working this year 2018 as a language assistant in Marseille, teaching German, while perfecting her French. Birgit devotes all her spare time to the AAVA workshop where, under Johnny's careful supervision, she takes a very active part in regelcoating and various other maintenance work.
A native of Lyon, Jean-Marc has been a permanent member of the AAVA for many years, and plays an active role in club life.
He regularly makes data files (turning points, airspaces...) and documentation (flight and aircraft maintenance manuals, equipment operating instructions...) available to club members via the website.
He knows every facet of gliding, from competition to maintenance and club management.
Jean Pierre is discreet but remarkable for his many years of experience.
He'd love nothing more than to share his passion and experience of gliding in tandem flights, in the workshop or on the runway, so don't hesitate to approach him.
Tireless and always ready to help with a smile, she takes care of the secretariat at a moment's notice and ensures the well-being of the community by organizing festive meals, planting flowers and baking delicious cakes.
