Service d'exploitation de la formation aéronautique facts for kids
SEFA Muret
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| Motto | Professionnalisme & excellence |
|---|---|
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Motto in English
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Professionalism & Excellence |
| Type | Flight school |
| Established | 1993 |
| Location |
Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban, Carcassonne, Castelnaudary, Muret, Montpellier, Grenoble, Biscarosse, Saint-Yan and Melun
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43°26′59″N 1°15′46″E / 43.44972°N 1.26278°E |
| Nickname | SEFA |
| Affiliations | IAAPS |
The Service d'exploitation de la formation aéronautique (SEFA) was a special flight school in France. It was run by the French government to train people to fly planes. SEFA had nine locations across France. In 2011, it joined with another big aviation school called École nationale de l'aviation civile (ENAC).
Contents
The History of SEFA
Early Days of Flight Training
SEFA came from a long history of the French government helping with light aviation. In 1936, a group called the Popular Front started "popular aviation sections." These sections helped young people learn to fly. The goal was to make flight training available to more people. It also helped train more pilots for the French military.
In 1946, a new service was created. It was called the "service de l’aviation légère et sportive" (SALS). Its main job was to give flying clubs planes and flight instructors.
Many Names, One Mission
Over the years, the school changed its name many times.
- In 1955, SALS became "service de la formation aéronautique et des sports aériens" (SFASA).
- In 1959, it changed to "service de la formation aéronautique, du travail aérien et des transports" (SFATAT).
- In 1964, it was simply "service de la formation aéronautique" (SFA).
- Finally, in 1976, it became "service de la formation aéronautique et du contrôle technique" (SFACT).
These name changes showed how the government's aviation department was organized. They also showed how much the government was involved in flight training. Special national centers were set up. In 1945, centers for gliding opened in places like Challes-les-Eaux. Later, centers for flying planes with engines opened in Carcassonne (1945) and Saint-Yan (1947). A center for skydiving opened in Biscarosse in 1953.
Training Airline Pilots
Over time, the French government's aviation department focused less on gliding and skydiving. In 1959, the center in Saint-Yan started a new program. It welcomed the first students who wanted to become airline pilots. This was a big new job for SEFA: training pilots for airlines.
All the national training centers were brought together under one management. This led to the creation of SEFA in 1993. SEFA brought together everything needed to do the tasks given by the DGAC (the civil aviation administration). In 1996, SEFA's main office moved to Muret. This brought all the central services together in one place.
Joining Forces with ENAC
On January 1, 2011, SEFA joined with the École nationale de l'aviation civile (ENAC). This merger created the biggest aviation school in Europe. Now, all the training and activities that SEFA used to do are part of ENAC.
See also
In Spanish: Service d'exploitation de la formation aéronautique para niños
