Deaths - Death of Bernard MARCOU

We are sad to announce the death of Bernard MARCOU, following a long illness.

IENAC 70, he was retired from the airworthiness and operations technical department of the DSAC.

A blessing will take place on Friday May 2 at 11am at the Saint Leu-Saint Gilles church in Thiais, and anyone who may have known him is welcome to attend. You can send your testimonial by e-mail to: germaine.masson@gmail.com

Bernard Marcou devoted his entire career to aviation safety, working for SFACT, DCS and then DSAC. In particular, he was one of the key players in the certification of the Airbus A320 in the 1980s - a pioneering project in the field of glass cockpit and fly-by-wire technologies. This groundbreaking work, carried out against a backdrop of nascent European cooperation and French organizational complexity, was a landmark in his exemplary career. For this remarkable commitment, he was awarded the Ordre National du Mérite in 1990.

Throughout his career, Bernard Marcou has played a decisive role in the development of French and European regulations, notably with the implementation of feedback in safety matters, as well as in the development of the French Safety Code.He was also instrumental in drawing up the first common European regulations for the commercial operation of aircraft (JAR-OPS).

After holding several positions of responsibility within SFACT, then the DAC Nord (now DSAC/Nord), he took over as head of the airworthiness and aircraft operations sub-department Airworthiness and Operations Branch, which he headed until his retirement in 2014. After his career, he continued to put his skills at the service of foreign authorities in their development of aviation safety.

Bernard Marcou was also a pilot. He was renowned for his technical rigor and his attention to developing the skills of the people he supervised. His incisive wit was always accompanied by a great sense of humor.He will be deeply and enduringly remembered by all those who worked alongside him.