Mélanie Astles

Mélanie Astles is a competition aerobatic pilot who represents France and has been national champion five times. Born on 30 May 1982 in Rugby, England, to a French mother and a British father, she grew up in the south of France and went to school in Monaco. She took her first flying lessons at about the age of 21 while managing a gas station, and her first instructor, Laurent Gil, encouraged her to turn professional. After working as a flight instructor, she entered competition in 2007, moved up through the national levels, and in 2013 finished ninth among fifty pilots at the European Advanced Championships as the best-ranked woman. She placed seventh of sixty-six at the 2014 World Advanced Championships after flying another pilot's aircraft, then won the French title at the Excellence level and qualified for the Unlimited category, the highest level of the sport.