French Civil Aviation University facts for kids

The French Civil Aviation University (French: École nationale de l'aviation civile), also known as ENAC, is a public university in France. It teaches people all about aviation. It was started on August 28, 1949.

ENAC has campuses in many cities across France. These include Biscarosse, Carcassonne, Castelnaudary, Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban, Grenoble, Melun, Montpellier, Muret, Saint-Yan and Toulouse. It is part of the University of Toulouse and Aerospace Valley. ENAC is also one of the five schools that founded France AEROTECH.

This university offers about 25 different courses. These courses help students become aerospace engineers, airline pilots, air traffic controllers, and flight instructors. They also offer Master's degrees and other specialized programs.

How ENAC Started and Grew

Early Days: 1945-1949

Max Hymans helped start ENAC.

After World War II, air travel in France grew very quickly. To make air travel safe, many new staff were needed. These staff had to be specially trained. They also needed to work well together. This is why ENAC was created. Max Hymans, a key civil aviation leader, helped organize its start.

First Campus: 1949-1955

Jules Moch in 1957.

ENAC officially opened on August 28, 1949, in Paris. Its first campus was in Orly, south of Paris. René Lemaire, an important figure, called ENAC "a university of aviation safety."

A report from that time said that the university wanted to help flight crews and ground staff understand each other. This teamwork was very important for air transport. Training courses varied in length depending on the job.

Growing Programs: 1955-1959

In 1959, Air France became a partner with ENAC. This meant they shared training tasks. It also allowed ENAC to train airline pilots who had no flying experience before. By 1958, ENAC was already training its first experimental airline pilot students.

ENAC buildings and aircraft at the Saint-Yan Airport.

ENAC also worked with the National School of Meteorology. This helped teach weather science to air traffic controllers. After World War II, ENAC helped military pilots switch to civilian jobs. From 1949 to 1959, the number of courses grew from 6 to 64. The number of students increased from 49 to 800.

Moving to Toulouse: 1959-1968

The university moved its main campus to Toulouse in 1968. This is still its main location today. In 1970, ENAC also changed from being a small part of the French civil aviation office to a public university.

ENAC was first near Paris-Orly Airport. This was France's biggest airport then. It was easy to use planes for training and trips. Many airlines and aircraft makers were also nearby. Their managers often gave talks at the university.

Students and air traffic controllers in the Nantes Atlantique Airport control tower

But Paris-Orly Airport became very busy. So, plans began in the mid-1950s to find a new location. Many places near Paris were considered. However, René Lemaire suggested moving to Toulouse in 1960. Other aviation schools were also moving there. The French Prime Minister agreed to the move.

New buildings were built in Toulouse starting in 1966. The campus was ready by August 1968. The new school year began on September 16, 1968. About 500 students started, including future engineers, pilots, and air traffic controllers.

Becoming a Public University: 1968-1975

Plaque for the beginning of the Toulouse campus in 1969

Before the new campus opened, leaders realized ENAC needed a better legal status. It was closely watched and often inspected. Some reports even questioned if the university should exist.

Finally, a new law in 1970 made ENAC a public university. This meant it had its own board of directors. René Lemaire became its first president.

Focus on Industry and Research: 1975-1990

From 1975, more and more students at ENAC were "civilians." These were students who would work in private companies. Before, most students became government workers. ENAC started training more people for the aerospace industry. This made ENAC a big player in training for civilian aviation jobs.

Research also became important at ENAC in 1984. This was because a new law said engineering schools should do research. ENAC's research focused on electronics, automation, computers, and air transport economics. The university saw that learning research methods was good for future engineers.

New specialized master's programs also started in the mid-1980s. These programs often came from industry needs. They helped train foreign students and professionals quickly. Continuing education courses also grew in areas like air traffic and computer science.

Global Reach and New Facilities: 1990-Today

In the 1990s, ENAC became more international. It joined European projects like EATCHIP, which aimed to improve air traffic control. It also joined student exchange programs like Erasmus. This brought more foreign students to ENAC. The university built strong ties with schools in Germany and Finland.

Since 1990, ENAC has taken on new tasks. It started new research projects with other countries. In the 2000s, ENAC began offering courses taught entirely in English language. It also focused more on air navigation. In 2009, ENAC held its first aviation book festival in Toulouse. By December 2010, ENAC became an official training center for aviation security for the ICAO.

The university also got new teaching tools. These include the "CAUTRA" air traffic control simulator and the "AERSIM" airport control simulator. They also have an Airbus A320 flight management system simulator.

On January 1, 2011, ENAC merged with another aviation training service called SEFA. This made ENAC the biggest aviation university in Europe. In 2013, ENAC and the DGAC (French Civil Aviation Authority) started a consulting company called France Aviation Civile Services.

Who Leads ENAC?

The current head of ENAC is Olivier Chansou. He became director on November 27, 2017. He is the eighth person to lead the university since it started in 1949.

How ENAC is Run

University Management

Like other similar universities in France, ENAC is led by a President. The President is chosen by a board of directors. This leader is part of three main councils at the university:

• The Training and Research Council.
• The Flight Training Council, which came from the merger with SEFA.
• The International Relations and Development Council.

ENAC also has offices for communication, information systems, and general management. These offices handle legal matters, money, and staff.

ENAC's Money

In 2011, ENAC spent 126 million euros to run its programs. This budget increased a lot because of the merger with SEFA. The money comes from two main sources:

• 24 million euros from its own activities.
• 102 million euros from government support.

ENAC Foundation

The ENAC Foundation was started in September 2011. Its goal is to help guide the university's training and research. It also helps with partnerships with companies. The foundation includes managers from aerospace companies like Air France and Airbus.

Where are ENAC Campuses?

Building Hélène Boucher at ENAC Toulouse

ENAC has eight campuses and offers places for students to live. Each campus has a canteen, cafeteria, library, and computer rooms. They also have sports facilities like fitness rooms, sports fields, and tennis courts. The main campus is in Rangueil, Toulouse.

After merging with SEFA, ENAC now has locations at several airports:

• A gliding center at the Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban Airport.
• A maintenance center at the Castelnaudary - Villeneuve Airport. This is for long-term care of ENAC's planes.
• Campuses for flight training at Carcassonne Airport, Grenoble-Isère Airport, and Saint-Yan Airport.
• Campuses for flight and air navigation training at Biscarrosse - Parentis Airport, Montpellier – Méditerranée Airport, and Muret - Lherm Aerodrome.
• A campus at Melun Villaroche Aerodrome for government staff training.

What Equipment Does ENAC Use?

ENAC has a large fleet of about 130 aircraft. These include different types of planes like CAP-10, Socata TB-10, Socata TB-20, Beechcraft Baron 58, and ATR 42. They are also getting newer Diamond DA40 and DA42 planes.

At its Toulouse campus, ENAC has flight simulators for Robin DR400 and Socata TB-20 planes. They also have static simulators for Airbus A320 and Airbus A340 aircraft.

For air navigation training, ENAC has control tower simulators. These can show a 120 or 360 degree view.

What Does ENAC Teach and Research?

Training Programs

ENAC offers four Bachelor's degree courses. These train future pilots and aerospace technicians. Pilot students do eight months of classroom training in Toulouse. Then, they have 16 months of practical flight training at other campuses like Montpellier or Carcassonne.

The university also has seven Master's degree programs. These prepare students for jobs in the aerospace industry and the French civil aviation authority. ENAC trains air traffic controllers and Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel. The "Ingénieur ENAC" course trains aerospace engineers in areas like electronics, computer systems, and aeronautical engineering.

ENAC also offers nine "Mastères Spécialisés" courses. These are specialized master's degrees in fields like airport management, air transport management, and aviation safety. Many of these are done with other top schools.

The former students of ENAC have an association called ENAC Alumni. This group represents all past students of the university.

Continuing Education

ENAC is the largest organization in Europe for continuing aviation education. Each year, over 7,500 students take part in more than 600 courses. These courses help professionals keep learning in areas like air traffic, electronics, and aeronautical engineering.

International Connections

An ENAC aircraft at Airexpo on Muret - Lherm Aerodrome on May 28, 2011.

Students in the aerospace engineer course can study at other top engineering schools in France. They can also join international programs like Erasmus and Pegasus. In 2011, 8% of aerospace engineer students were from other countries. For all courses, this number was 46% in 2010.

ENAC has agreements with universities in the United States, like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. It also works with aviation schools in Africa.

ENAC helped start the Sino-European Institute of Aviation Engineering in Tianjin, China. At the Civil Aviation University of China, ENAC offers four specialized master's courses just for Chinese students. These include airport management and aviation safety management.

In 2011, ENAC partnered with other schools to offer an Executive MBA in aviation management. This program is for aerospace professionals in Casablanca.

Research at ENAC

Research is a growing part of ENAC. It started in 1984 because a law said engineering schools should do research. At first, research focused on electronics, automation, computers, and air transport economics. By 2009, ENAC had several research labs. These labs studied things like air traffic optimization and telecommunications.

Since 2005, ENAC has had a team working on UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), also known as drones. They develop "Paparazzi", a free system for controlling UAVs. ENAC also has a planetarium and an air traffic control simulator for research.

In 2005, ENAC announced a partnership with the French aerospace research agency (ONERA). They work together on air traffic management, air safety, and satellite navigation. By late 2011, ENAC organized its research into six main programs. These include UAVs, airports, aircraft operations, and human-computer interaction.

Famous People from ENAC

Alumni (Former Students)

Many famous people in aviation have studied at ENAC:

• Pilots: Émile Allegret (a soldier and French Resistance member), Béatrice Vialle (one of the first female Concorde pilots).
• Civil Servants: Paul-Louis Arslanian (former head of the French air accident investigation bureau), Patrick Ky (head of the EASA).
• Managers: Gérard Mestrallet (former CEO of GDF Suez), Lionel Guérin (founder of Airlinair), Franck Goldnadel (former head of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport).
• Intellectuals: Jean Peyrelevade (a politician and business leader), Hamza Ben Driss Ottmani (a Moroccan economist and writer), Solenn Colléter (a novelist).
• Scientists: Jean Robieux (a Physicist), Gérard Desbois (a flight engineer on the first flight of the Airbus A380).

Teachers at ENAC

Some important aviation experts teach at ENAC:

• Hervé Hallot, a meteorology teacher.
• Patrick Lepourry, head of the engine department.
• Félix Mora-Camino, head of the control engineering department.
• Frantz Yvelin, who founded two French airlines.

Related Pages

• Service d'exploitation de la formation aéronautique
• Civil Aviation University of China

Images for kids

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  ENAC's F-HCTA at Le Touquet. The aircraft is based at Muret-Lherm

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  ENAC Toulouse entrance

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  Main entrance, inner court, ENAC Toulouse

See also

In Spanish: École nationale de l'aviation civile para niños