Romain Béthoux

About Romain Béthoux

Born in Paris in 1978, he joined the École de l’air in 1999 after completing his preparatory classes in Advanced Mathematics.

Once he obtained his aeronautical engineering degree, he continued his officer career as a fighter pilot, earning his pilot’s license in 2003.

His journey led him to Normandie-Niemen in Alsace and then to 2/33 Savoie in Reims, piloting three types of Mirage F1. There, he learned self-surpassing, adapting to change in complex missions, and managing stress in critical situations, notably during overseas operations in Chad, Central Africa, Afghanistan, and Libya.

Then, he served as squadron commander from 2009 to 2011, developing skills in leadership and management.

He later participated in the development of the Rafale armament program at the Air Force headquarters for two years, discovering the defense industry environment and its associated challenges.

Starting in 2013, he joined the prestigious Patrouille de France, becoming its leader in 2015. During this extraordinary experience, he placed people at the heart of his leadership process to develop and strengthen the team spirit essential to performance.

Since then, he has successively been deputy commander and then commander of the fighter aviation school in Tours, where he trains future generations of fighter pilots. There, he learns instruction and the transmission of knowledge and values that define an aviator.

He has accumulated 3,000 flight hours and 98 combat missions.

He is a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor, decorated with the Combatant’s Cross, two Military Valor Crosses, and several commemorative medals for the operations in which he participated.