The first prototype of the Integral R, a 100% French two-seater aircraft. - AURA AERO

  • When aeronautics is going through its darkest hours, a very small Toulouse manufacturer sees his dream come true.
  • AURA AERO successfully completed the first public flight of its two-seater aerobatic plane on Wednesday.
  • The company will install its assembly line in an old hangar at the Francazal base and hopes to deliver its first device in the fall of 2021.

At a time when the sector is starting to spin, can we really dream of being the new Toulouse aeronautical manufacturer? The answer is yes. As proof, the first successful public flight this Wednesday from the runways of the former Francazal military base, of Integral R. A plane much smaller than those which are built and usually sold in the Pink City. Streamlined, a beautiful metallic gray, it measures just over 7 m long and 8.78 m wide and has a range of a thousand km.

The two-seater is actually intended for aerobatics. "The goal is to meet the training needs of civil or military pilots, aerobatics and owner pilots" (for example wealthy Americans looking for thrills), explains Jérémy Caussade, president and co-founder of AURA AERO, the new little thumb for the sector. The company was only created in 2018 by three aeronautical engineers. "We met in the Réplic'Air association which renovates old aircraft," recalls Jérémy Caussade. And we really wanted to see an aircraft manufacturer on the Francazal site, which was the first French air base in 1934 ”.

"Character" and ambitions

The desire became very concrete this Wednesday with the flight of the first prototype to the applause - online, health crisis requires - friends and connoisseurs. "The plane is both stable and safe, it shows character when you push it a little," says Eric Delesalle, one of the two test pilots.

#SaveTheDate
Meet tomorrow at 3.30pm to follow on our Facebook account the first public flight of the Integral R in LIVE! To attend this LIVE event, simply:
> subscribe to Facebook page @aero_aura
> connect tomorrow at 3:30 pm on our page
> enjoy the show & send us your question pic.twitter.com/LU0Ptw3cqC

- Aura Aero (@aero_aura) June 30, 2020

After this "first real milestone", it will take "a little year" and many other flights to Integral R to obtain its certification. A time which will be used by AURA AERO to build the assembly line in its Francazal hangar, to refine its design office. The company, discreet on its figures, already has several firm orders. The objective is to deliver the first device in October 2021. Then to initially produce around thirty a year, sold "300,000 euros excluding tax for the basic version". In the meantime, Jérémy Caussade and his associates plan to show up at Le Bourget, where in 2019 they had presented their first model, and to do an American tour, in the Eldorado of aerobatic enthusiasts.

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  • Start-up
  • Aeronautics
  • Toulouse
  • Plane