Following the Aéropostale Trail: Toulouse Tarfaya/Cap Juby Air Rally’s Second Stage to Casablanca, Morocco

Aboard their Cessna, Niortais Jean-Michel Foucher and Olivier Dupont, alias Papy-Roméo, have just reached Casablanca, Morocco. This is the second stage of an aeronautical rally which will take them to Tarfaya, in the footsteps of the Aéropostale du Petit Prince and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

At daybreak, the gray sky and the information from the Denis weather router suggested a long day, with little chance of reaching Casablanca Tit Mellil before sunset. Daniel, one of the pilots, is perplexed.

Upon arrival at the Mutxamel field, near Alicante (Spain), not only is the rain falling, but demonstrators who are campaigning for their working conditions are preventing access to the platform.

After a negotiation with Jean-Luc and our driver, each crew manages to prepare their mount a little more calmly.

The Kodiak took off first and confirmed that visual flight conditions were met, despite a few isolated squalls and an unfavorable wind.

Everyone enjoys the Iberian maritime landscapes at 1000 ft (300m), with a series of crenellated coasts, deserted islets, beaches and aquaculture farms, but also greenhouses as far as the eye can see on the approach to Almería.

Lifejackets around their necks, our participants begin crossing the Strait of Gibraltar to discover the Moroccan shore under a radiant sun and unexpected heat.

Mandatory stopover for all in Tetouan (Morocco), the official gateway to Africa.

On the tarmac, Ishmael is expected by Eq. “Aéro-Club du Perreux”, which encounters an electrical problem. But this time, our man with the golden fingers can’t work a miracle: the broken part, which fortunately didn’t cause any damage, will unfortunately nail our friendly friends Daniel and Pascal to the ground for a few days, the supply time.

Heartbroken, the caravan takes to the air again without the “Mike Bravo”, making its way between commercial flights and the many storks.

On the way to Tit Mellil (Morocco), the color palette of the landscapes expands with the terracotta red of the soils, the intense green of the olive and argan trees, and the petrol blue of the many dams and canals. Saint-Exupéry’s watercolors were also not lacking in color…

When we arrive in Casablanca (Morocco), mint tea and pastries await us: the director of the aerodrome has planned a festive welcome for our visit.

For several years, Tit Mellil has settled into a dynamic aimed at paying tribute to the historical heritage of its platform (soon to be 75 years old!) under the impetus of the child of the country, Reda Bennani. We will meet them with pleasure in September to celebrate the centenary of the Mission Roigmajor clearing work between Casablanca and Dakar for the continuity of the Latécoère Air Lines for mail transport, at the beginning of the 20th century.

In town, head to the Petit Poucet restaurant for a dinner in the days of the pioneers.

This establishment, opened in 1920, used to serve Antoine de Saint Exupéry and his comrades, who sometimes communicated with each other by messages left on the menus of the brasserie. You can still admire the memory displayed on the walls today. The pilots then went to rest at the Hotel Excelsior not far from there, before taking control of their Bréguet XIV for the mail to pass.

Today, for the participants of the Toulouse Tarfaya/Cap Juby rally, in the footsteps of the Little Prince, it will be a hotel with modern comforts before heading for Agadir!

(Story with the Toulouse Tarfaya/Cap Juby rally)

Our team follows the rally with the crews. His story will soon give rise to a series of reports broadcast on our antenna.