5 ELA families shared an exceptional day at the 54th Salon International de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace at Le Bourget Airport.
A day full of memories
Accompanied by ELA’s sponor Caroline Bourg, they had the privilege of being welcomed into the new fire station next to the control tower. After an impressive demonstration of how to use the fire hoses on the fire engines, the children were invited to become firefighters for a day by donning firefighters’ helmets!
ELA families had the chance to get up close to a Rafale and watch the pilot, concentrating on the ground, perform the actions he would later reproduce on board his aircraft. Afterwards, everyone was invited to wear earplugs as the Tigre helicopter approached! After all this excitement and a convivial lunch, the families were treated to superb demonstrations of aircraft in flight by various aircraft manufacturers.
The families testify
“Héloïse’s disability prevents us from doing many activities or makes them more difficult. Thanks to ELA, we are able to have extraordinary experiences, such as meeting the President of the Republic at the Élysée Palace for Christmas, or visiting the fire station at Le Bourget with an incredible airplane flight show. We felt really privileged because only ELA families were on the tarmac to see the show! Thank you to ELA for allowing us to have extraordinary experiences for our extra-ordinary children.”
“The Bourget show is great! I was there for the first time for me with my parents. I love firefighters and was very happy to be able to talk with them and see the trucks. The big truck with the water cannon really impressed me! The firemen were very friendly. My parents and I had a lot of fun watching the flying planes – I’ve never been so close to a helicopter! Thanks to ELA for organizing this outing and I hope to be invited next year.”
“Kenny and I were lucky enough to go to the Paris Air Show with other ELA families as well as our godmother, the very kind Caroline Bourg, thanks to an invitation from the Le Bourget airport firefighters and the French Air Force. We were welcomed into the fire station and were able to see different vehicles in action. The children were delighted to try on firefighter helmets. After lunch in the barracks, we made our way to the runways to admire the aircraft on display in the air and on the ground, which brought a sparkle to the eyes of Kenny, who has been an aviation fan ever since his brother set his sights on a career as a pilot in the Armée de l’Air. Thanks to ELA, we were lucky enough to have an enchanted interlude under a radiant sun.”
Many thanks to the management and the entire team at Paris-Le Bourget Airport, including the firefighters led by Éric Valls, for this magnificent day offered to ELA families!