The STUNT PILOT
AUDE LEMORDANT, 33, IS AN AIRLINE PILOT FOR AIR FRANCE AND THE REIGNING WORLD AEROBATICS CHAMPION AND OFFICIAL BREITLING PILOT
6:30AM I wake up in a hotel room near the airshow where I’m due to perform a solo aerobatic display later today. It’s a huge event – flying in front of 50,000 spectators – but I’m not nervous. I’ve had important days like this before, and I’m in the air for long hours for my day job as a commercial pilot, so I feel quite calm and simply focus on the task in hand.
8:30AM I arrive at the air show early – I don’t want to be late for my pre-flight routine.
9AM The pilots performing in the display gather for a briefing about the day ahead. This helps me focus on the job at hand.
10AM I’m constantly monitoring the weather and adjusting my planned sequence. As a pilot you work within very strict limits and boundaries. If something is deemed unsafe you don’t do it. Today it’s safe to fly.
12:30PM Time for lunch. I eat a light meal at least two hours before I fly, usually something like a small sandwich or salad.
1:30PM I prepare the aircraft and do safety checks.
2PM Next, I do my pre-flight stretches. I always warm up my body about an hour before flying because there are a lot of G-forces to withstand up there.
3PM I’m flying – I’m actually only up in the air for just over 10 minutes. Because my sequence has been set out in advance, I feel calm about the performance and I never get scared. Pilots are tested on their ability to make decisions under pressure – you don’t make it through training if you can’t.
5:30PM I push the aircraft back into the hangar and make the post-flight checks. I don’t sleep well that night – I never tend to when I’m away from home. For me, travelling for work and in different time zones is what’s stressful. The flying itself is not.
HOW STRESSED IS AUDE?
‘You’d think that the intensity of Aude’s job would cause her acute stress, but actually you can see from her graph that her heart rate is sometimes higher when she’s socialising on the ground than when she’s in the air,’ says Professor Cooper. ‘Her ability to cope is largely down to training and temperament; which, for pilots, go hand in hand. All pilots are tested on their ability to cope under pressure and she’s practised intensely for events like this. Besides, display pilots like Aude, in particular, are doing their dream job – stress doesn’t affect you in the same way when you love what’s actually causing it.’