The aeronautics industry in the Hautes-Alpes

Nationally known in Europe, the Hautes-Alpes’ aeronautics industry welcomes you, with its four airfields and its network of local companies specialized in light aviation.

By locating to the Hautes-Alpes, you will benefit from the dynamics of innovation steered by the rural pole of excellence Excell’Air and the PEGASE cluster in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.


4 airfields


4 airfields structure the Hautes-Alpes’ aeronautics landscape: Gap-Tallard, St Crépin, Le Chevalet in Aspres sur Buëch, and La Bâtie Montsaléon.

They offer a unique range of activities in Europe: helicopter, gliding, hang gliding, ultralight aviation, general aviation, parachuting, sky diving.

Numerous high technology companies are located throughout the territory:

At Gap-Tallard airpark:

 

At Aspres-sur-Buëch airfield:

  • ELECTRAVIA: electric motors for leisure aviation. This company detains a record for the first electric-powered airplane flight in the world in 2007.

At Saleon airfield:

  • HELICES HALTER: a world-leader in its field of activity, designs, manufactures and markets propellers for drones and UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).

 

Excell’air cluster of rural excellence


The Excell’air cluster of rural excellence is managed by the Hautes-Alpes General Council in collaboration with several public and private partners. It groups together the Hautes-Alpes’ actors of the ultralight & light aircraft industry—research & education centers, businesses and users— to develop collaborative innovation projects. Excell’air represents a significant part of the light aircraft industry section of the PEGASE innovation cluster in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

A high-value cluster:

  • A dense network of SMEs covering multiple technologies and competences.
  • A strong integration in innovation and business networks: PEGASE innovation cluster, the Italian Piemonte aerospace cluster.
  • Offering aircraft testing and tuning sites with optimal aerologic and weather conditions: 330 days of flight per year.
  • The gliding golden triangle: La Batie MontSaléon, Saint-Auban, and Saint-Crépin airfields.
  • Some world-class events, such as the 2009 World Hang gliding Championship at Laragne-Chabre.
  • Opened to international operations.

 

PEGASE innovation cluster


The PEGASE innovation cluster regroups the main actors of the aeronautic and space industry located in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur: 35,000 civilian jobs, several world-leaders such as Dassault, Eurocopter, Thallès Alenia Space, etc. It aims to foster the emergence of collaborative innovation projects between its members.

Hautes-Alpes Développement is a member of the executive board of PEGASE since 2009. The agency has set very strong links with all board members. We are at your disposal to help you enter the network and develop your project in the PACA region.

Top-level professional education & training


The Hautes-Alpes département has assembled top-level professional education & training programs on its territory: from professional capacity up to bachelor’s degree in mechanics, aircraft maintenance and aeronautics. A project to push the education level one step further (Master) is being implemented, representing the first complete range of professional education and training courses for the light aircraft industry in France.

This project is part of the « Poly-Aéro » education & training center project, a partnership between Université de la Méditerranée (especially the Aix-en-Provence Institute of Technlogy and its subsidiary in Gap), École de l’air in Salon de Provence, Epure Méditerranée and Gap apprenticeship & education centers, and the Hautes-Alpes General Council. It forecasts hosting 400 students a year in Gap and Tallard, starting by fall 2010, which would almost double the number of students of the city of Gap’s University campus.

Aeronautic Education & Training

In the Hautes-Alpes

  • Professional Capacity (CAP): Mechanics in aircraft maintenance.
  • Secondary School Professional diploma (Bac Pro) in aeronautics
  • Professional Bachelor Degree, option maintenance of multi-technique systems — Aircraft maintenance University
  • Institute of Technology (IUT) of Gap: Aeronautics

In Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

Ecole Centrale Marseille, ENS Arts & Métiers, I3S, IAE Aix-en-Provence, INRIA Sophia Antipolis, LMA, LSIS, Unimeca, ONERA, Paul Cézanne University, and UNSA

Land and Real-estate solutions adapted to the aircraft industry


We can present you a selection of lands, buildings, and premises to buy or rent (AOT: temporary locating authorization), with direct access to taxiway.

Please visit www.immopro-05.com


Key figures of Excell’Air cluster of Rural Excellence


  • Gap-Tallard: 2nd parachuting center in Europe
  • 40 SMEs representing 300 jobs and a € 35 million turnover in 2007
  • 51 Sports and Leisure service providers
  • 4 private of public Education & Training centers
  • 1 dedicated activity park: Gap-Tallard Airpark
  • 300 sunny days, 330 flyable days a year

Key figures of the aeronautics industry in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur


  • 8 global companies
  • About 180 SMEs
  • 35,000 jobs
  • € 5.5 billion turnover in 2006
  • 8 best-in-class aeronautical testing centers
  • 1,700 researchers
  • 30% of PACA R&D
  • 1st industry in PACA

www.alpes-envol.fr, the air activities web portal for Southern Alps


Visit www.alpes-envol.fr and get all information on the aeronautics industry, air activities, businesses and actors in Southern Alps.