EBAA chairman Juergen Wiese and secretary general Athar Husain Khan have joined together to honour the life, legacy and dedication of EBAA co-founder and business aviation visionary François Chavatte, who passed away on 24 June.

Chavatte dedicated his life towards advancing the European business aviation industry. Following his decades-long service to the industry, he was elected as the first honorary member of EBAA. Together with Frits Philips, Chavatte co-founded the EBAA in 1977, to later serve as its president and chairman of the board.

Wiese says: “With the passing of François, we have lost one of the two founding fathers of the united European business aviation industry. I am thankful for learning from his experience and his unwavering support of EBAA, and as chairman I remain dedicated to continuing his legacy.”

Khan adds: “The industry would not be where it is today without his drive, amicability and dreams. Mr Chavatte always kept a keen interest in EBAA and its members, and we remember him with profound respect.”

In 1952, Chavatte started his aviation career in the French air force as a reconnaissance and fighter pilot and continued in business aviation with IBM where he headed its corporate flight department. During this time, he paved the way for European business aviation by leading a visionary flight department that performed many first-of-its-kind innovations. Most notably, he was the first business aviation pilot to ever land at Paris Le Bourget airport following a transatlantic flight, sparking the growth of one of Europe's most prominent business aviation airports. EBAA's leadership and staff will honour his memory by dedicating the secretariat to continuing the work he loved.

Business Air News adds its own tribute, remembering and appreciating Francois Chavatte's assistance and enthusiasm when, in 1991, we organised Europe's first business aviation exhibition.