François-Xavier Bagnoud

François-Xavier, son of Albina du Boisrouvray and Bruno Bagnoud, was born in Geneva on September 11, 1961. He grew up in Paris, where he obtained his baccalaureate and diploma from the American School. By the end of high school, he was already a licensed and experienced pilot.

In 1979, he entered the School of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (USA), where he obtained his engineering degree in just three years. An honorary member of an engineering society, he is also the founder of the student section of the American Helicopter Society at his university.

In 1981, during his studies at Ann Arbor, François-Xavier wrote a textbook entitled Helicopter Theory for Private Pilots, which became a popular reference for student pilots.

His passion for flying is such that, at the age of twenty-three, François-Xavier becomes the youngest professional IFR airplane and helicopter pilot in Europe.

This passion, combined with extreme generosity, led him to join his father at Air-Glaciers, a private company based in Sion (Switzerland) specializing in mountain missions. In three years, in addition to his regular flights, he carried out over 300 rescue missions in the Alps and in the desert.

On January 14, 1986, François-Xavier tragically lost his life during a heliborne mission in the Malian desert.

In 1989, his parents, family and friends founded the François-Xavier Bagnoud Foundation and Association to continue his life-saving work and perpetuate the values of generosity and compassion that guided his life.

"Neither we, his parents, nor his family, nor his friends know how François would have led his life, but we do know with certainty what values guided it. He would have been proud and happy of what has been achieved in his name over the last 35 years. Albina du Boisrouvray and Bruno Bagnoud (deceased 2022)