Several famous pilots have studied at the French Civil Aviation University like Émile Allegret, soldier and member of the French Resistance during the World War II, Xavier Barral (Promotion 1966), former President of the "association des professionnels navigants de l'aviation" (Professional aircrew association), Noël Chevrier (Promotion 1970), antistress center manager at Air France, Gérard Feldzer (Promotion 1971), former President of the "Aéro-Club de France", Bernard Pestel (Promotion 1972), vice president of the "société française de droit aérien" (French Air Law company), Béatrice Vialle (Promotion 1981), one of the two female Concorde pilot and the first French female pilot on a supersonic airliner.
Particularly because of its status of a French civil servant university, some civil servant has been student at ENAC like Jean-Marc de Raffin Dourny (Promotion 1966), President of the "organisme pour la sécurité de l'aviation civile" (organization for the safety of civil aviation), Michel Bernard (Promotion 1967), former head of the "Agence nationale pour l'emploi" and former President of "Air Inter", Paul-Louis Arslanian (Promotion 1968), former head of the French "Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile", Jean-Paul Troadec (Promotion 1970), head of the "Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile", Patrick Ky (Promotion 1989), head of the EASA, Michel Wachenheim (Promotion 1975), French ambassador.
Some alumni of the university became managers like Yves Lambert (Promotion 1959), former head of Eurocontrol, Gérard Mestrallet (Promotion 1971), CEO of GDF Suez., Jean-Michel Vernhes (Promotion 1971), head of the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, Jean-Charles Corbet (Promotion 1974), former head of "Air Lib", Olivier Colaïtis (Promotion 1977), President of Galileo, Lionel Guérin, founding President of Airlinair, Philippe Crébassa, head of Toulouse-Blagnac airport, Franck Goldnadel (Promotion 1990), former head of the Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Régis Lacote (Promotion 1997), head of the Orly Airport, Méziane Idjerouidène (Promotion 2003), general manager of Aigle Azur.
Few intellectuals graduate from the university like Jacques Villiers (Promotion 1948), founder of the "Centre d'études de la navigation aérienne" (French air navigation center), Jean Peyrelevade (Promotion 1961), politician and business leader, Hamza Ben Driss Ottmani (Promotion 1963), Moroccan economist and writer, Alain Lefebvre (Promotion 1970), Journalist, Solenn Colléter (Promotion 1993), novelist., Nicolas Tenoux (Promotion 2007), Philanthropist.
In science, personalities like Gabriel Weishaupt (Promotion 1948), founding member of the "Académie de l'air et de l'espace", Jean Robieux, Physicist, Georges Maignan (Promotion 1955), former director of the experimental center of Eurocontrol, Gérard Desbois (Promotion 1979), younger flight engineer graduate and crew member during the first flight of the Airbus A380, have studied at the university.
Some aerospace personalities teach at the university such as Hervé Hallot, meteorology teacher and co-author of "Météorologie aéronautique", Joel Laitselart (TAE 87), air operations teacher and former operations manager of Aeris airline, Patrick Lepourry, head of the engine department and co-author of "Propulseurs aéronautiques", "Instruments de bord" and "Initiation à l'aéronautique", Félix Mora-Camino, head of the control engineering department and co-author of "Avionique - Tome 2, Système de conduite automatique et gestion du vol", Yves Plays (IENAC S71), head of the specialized master in air transport and co-author of "Initiation à l'aéronautique"., or Frantz Yvelin, founder of two French airlines.
Institut Polytechnique des Sciences Avancées
The Institut polytechnique des sciences avancées, often called IPSA, is a private aeronautical university localized next to Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse in France, in the Île-de-France and Midi-Pyrénées,
The university is part of IONIS Education Group and has been created in 1961.
IPSA was founded in 1961 in Paris by Michel Cazin (private secretary to Louis de Broglie and teacher at the mechanical department of "Conservatoire national des arts et métiers"), Maurice Pradier (aerospace engineer) and Paul Lefort (engineer and professor of helicopter). Twenty students started the training. At that time, the course was in four years and the first promotion is graduated in 1965. The same year, the Alumni association is created in Paris by Maurice Ribonnet. In 1982, the first trip for students is organized in Guyana at the European Space Agency center. The year 1987 saw the university bought by Henri Hertert (IPSA 1976 and pilot at Air France). The institute moved in 1989 into the towers "Les Mercuriales" at Bagnolet, in which it stayed for ten years. Then, beset by financial difficulties, the university is bought by IONIS Education Group in 1999 and moved at Le Kremlin-Bicêtre close to the university EPITA.
In 2005, the Master issued by IPSA is recognized by French State at the higher level, after accreditation by the "Commission nationale de la certification professionnelle". The year 2006 sees the institute hosting the 6th European Congress of the Mars Society to promote the exploration of Mars. In 2007, IPSA opens a second campus in Toulouse, joins the Erasmus programme and concludes double degree agreements with foreign universities. Following its establishment in Toulouse, the university joins the "Institut au service du spatial, de ses applications et technologies" during the year 2008. The next year, IPSA joins Aerospace Valley and moved in Ivry-sur-Seine close to the university ESME-Sudria, before being recognized by the French State in 2010.
In 2011, the university is accredited by the "Commission des titres d'ingénieur". In January 2013, IPSA became member of the "Conférence des directeurs des écoles françaises d'ingénieurs".
The current director is Francis Pollet, who was director of "École de l'Air" university from 2007 to 2009. This is the eighth person to hold that function since 1961. He was appointed director of IPSA in March 2017.
Member of IONIS Education Group, the group President, assisted by a general manager, is the President of the university. He is a member of the four directorates of the university:
IPSA wants to be close to other universities with a strong theoretical training for research and development jobs in order to graduate engineer in aeronautical and space engineering with a good general knowledge in aerospace.
The course is in five years with five possibilities in the fourth year: "energy, spacecraft propulsion and engine", "mechanics and aircraft structure", "telecommunications, radar and radio navigation", "embedded system", "mechatronics". The students choose also one minor from ten: "Entrepreneurship", "business marketing", "association management", "Research Management", "Conduct of an international project", "project personnel development", "Board and consulting", " human resource management", "cultural management", "financial management".
In the fifth year, four options are available independently of the choice made in the fourth year: "Avionics", "Aeronautical Systems Design", " Space Systems Design" and "Management and Industrial Logistics".
The particularity of the university is to offer from the first year lessons relating to aeronautics in addition to basic scientific education and to provide a large part in project-based teaching throughout the curriculum.
Students also have the opportunity to attend a technical and managerial course sanctioned by a Master of Business Administration in "business and international negotiation" of the "Institut supérieur de gestion" in addition to the diploma of the university, or to make the last year of studies in a foreign university in partnership with IPSA. Eleven months of internship are planned in the curriculum.