Christophe Hamel – Always listen to the inner voice!
After many years in aviation, Christophe is also an entrepreneur in the wellness and lighting industries.
What were you dreaming of becoming when you were a kid?
I was thinking of becoming a pilot and at age 15 or so, of being the owner of a night club or a recording studio: I am passionate about sound and music. But my real passion has always been designing things, you know, creating something new, whether, a lamp design, new sound equipment, new way of managing major programs, new strategies in the CNS/ATM area, new technologies, making something new that was never seen before.
What moved you to become part of the aviation family?
My dad was a geologist and he had to travel far and wide, as people of his profession do. On one occasion, the plane he was on had to make an emergency landing in the Sahara and they waited 3 days to be rescued. From then on he was really terrified of flying but his interest in the development of aviation and in particular the creation of l’Aeropostale remained. He read everything he could find about Saint-Exupery, Mermoz, Gullaumet and of course he told us all about those great aviators and this left a deep impression in me. This connection to l’Aeropostale stayed with me also a little… I delivered their first 737-300 cargo aircraft!
When I got my electronic and computer engineering degree I went to work in industry but soon after specialized in aeronautical engineering sealing my fate… I finally got an FAA private pilot license in 2005.
What were the most significant sideways jumps in your professional life?
There weren’t that many. I worked for the airlines for 7 years, EUROCONTROL 5 years, the avionics industry for 7 years and have been in the wellness and lighting industries for 2 years now… So, except for the last change it was pretty straight going really. I still keep an eye on the aeronautical industry. I would like to go back to it and by the way I am being asked to work there again these days which I would enjoy, knowing that our other businesses are running.
What were the most significant events that influenced your professional life?
Well not an event actually… My wife has always been the engine behind me. She was the catalyst, the provider of the necessary impetus at the right moments when I was looking for a change professionally. That is how I got to EUROCONTROL and also how I entered the wellness industry more recently.
Was there a person who had a profound influence on your professional life?
My superiors at UTA airlines, Air France and EUROCONTROL and also in the US though to a lesser degree. It was their full trust in me that enabled me to do well what I did and to achieve what I did achieve. They provided that very special kind of leadership which supports subordinates without unnecessary interference. The interference I experienced from them was always positive.
Was there a company which had a profound influence on your professional life?
It was UTA without any doubt. We were given so much independence and worked in a wonderful entrepreneurial spirit. At one time we forgot to cancel the order for a Boeing 767 and UTA had to buy it though there was no more need for that aircraft. Our boss said that he knew how much we worked and that the matter was not due to negligence… but he warned us never to do it again. So we brought the 767 home and she spent a few month on the ground until Lauda Air bought her to replace the 767 they lost as the result of that thrust-reverser malfunction.
We were a team of 6 or 7 people doing the work of 20 or 30. We seemed to be involved in just about everything from aircraft definition to deliveries… But it was all done with passion and that was what mattered.
Was there a “Darth Vader” in your life that you needed to conquer?
I was responsible for the 8.33 kHz channel spacing implementation project and there was a guy who was supposed to help us. When, on his request, I prepared a detailed plan of the required resources, he dismissed it out of hand… Towards the end of the project he even engineered a six months delay to the implementation working through one of the national administrations who, surprise, surprise, suddenly found a new bunch of things to worry about – quite unnecessarily I might add. Nevertheless the 8.33 kHz channel spacing was launched with unprecedented success as it unfolded exactly as expected in terms of safety, aircraft equipage, ATM delay and frequency release. “The Force” was with my team and I!
If you had a second chance, would you try to avoid aviation as a career?
No, definitely not but I would arrange things a bit differently. Operating more on the basis of entrepreneurship gives you more options, requires you to study yourself more deeply, it forces you to be very frank with yourself about your capabilities… You set your own goals and values and you cannot be grumpy about them. Being on your own you have to face the world the way you are and it gives enormous satisfaction. I am working hard to instill this feeling also in my kids. This attitude comes useful also if you work in a corporate environment.
Would you recommend aviation as a career to young people to-day?
As a general rule, I would recommend anything a person was passionate about. But only then. Take engineers for instance. A lot of young people become engineers but most of them do it because of the status that profession has in society. They are anything but passionate about their profession. Only those engineers who are passionate about being an engineer will be good at what they are doing.
I would say, young people should go for what they love to do. They should also keep in mind that their ideal work or profession may not even exist yet and they may need to create it themselves. Many kids dream about being a doctor, then a teacher, then a pilot or lawyer… things that society pushes upon them and which carry a kind of aura but it is not at all sure that those choices are in fact right for any particular kid. They should let their imagination fly, think out of the box and most of all listen to that little inner voice telling them which way to go. Don’t be afraid if the direction the voice wants to send you in points to uncharted territory! Everything, including aviation, started off as uncharted territory.
Ignore the inner voice and you may end up hating your choice for the rest of your life.
What personal traits should young people develop first and foremost?
They should all go and see the movie “Dead Poets Society”… The movie strongly shows how you can, in your own way, go against the status quo in life and even
die for it .
They should allow the primitive brain in their bodies to influence things and not be suppressed by the society inspired ideas of the neo-cortex… These two fight all the time and ignoring this can lead to all kinds off ills. Once again, let the inner voice guide you and you will be on the right path.
What was the funniest, aviation related situation you can recall having been in?
One time we were sitting on an Air France plane in London waiting for departure to Paris. As it turned out, the delay was three hours. Announcing this, one of the flight attendants kept the microphone and launched into a kind of stand-up comedian act, talking to the passengers for more than an hour in at least four languages, including Japanese. Everybody forgot about the delay, most were rolling with laughter and the day was saved! I met him later at a company function at Air France and told him how much we all appreciated the show he had put on. Now that guy was passionate about his job!
In conclusion?
I think it is really important for all of us to strive and learn what we want in life, what we are good at, digging deep inside and being honest with ourselves and not caring how long it takes to reach that point of knowing who we are and what we want. Life is incredibly beautiful but you must let go to avoid being a stranger to yourself. If you are lucky enough to have a loving wife and great kids while you are learning to know yourself, so much the better.
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