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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
COPA Pilot: Can you provide a sum- mary background of your life?
Lechartier: I was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco; after finishing high school I attended a business school in Paris, France. Eclectic would be the correct definition of my career, as I have worked in many different business areas – a financial futures trader, a gripping equipment renter, an operator in the film industry, and a restaurant owner and operator. Today, I am the chief operating officer (COO) of BALIMA, a Morocco-listed real estate investment company that works on both rental and development sides. I’m also an active shareholder in a joinery company spe- cializing in unusual materials like steel and brass.
COPA Pilot: Do you have any unique hobbies besides flying?
Lechartier: Aviation set aside, I’m from the sports “church” and train almost daily. Yoga, Pilates and cardio train- ing keep me fit. For fun, I participate in karate and surfing. At 56, I don’t practice karate 10 hours per week as I used to, but I still surf double overhead waves whenever possible. I often joke that being a sports junkie is an altruistic choice because it shields the rest of the world from my moods.
COPA Pilot: When did you first think you wanted to learn how to fly, take your first flight lesson and receive your private certificate?
Lechartier: When I was 5 years old, I used to spend vacations with my grand- parents. They would take me to the nearby airfield to watch the airplanes. Of course, I wanted to fly in one, but that wasn’t part of the plan. As a teen, a buddy of mine was learning to fly and he took me for a ride. I was instantly hooked, but I still wasn’t quite ready to
start lessons. When I asked my parents if I could learn to fly, they answered, “Yes, when you can afford it.” So that’s what I did. I spent my first wages on flying lessons in 1992. I was busy with many things, so gaining my private pilot certificate took me three years.
COPA Pilot: Do you have any other rat- ings? If so, what are they and when were they acquired? Do you plan on getting any others?
Lechartier: After receiving my private certificate, I separately obtained a Moroccan and a French license. In 2015, I attended the funeral of a dear friend along with his wife and children following the crash of their Seneca. After years of flying VFR in not-so-visual conditions, I swore on their tomb I would obtain an instrument rating, a very demanding feat in Morocco as only aspiring airline pilots can invest the time needed to earn that rating. Without even knowing if I could use it, I traveled to Manhattan, Kansas, and received a commercial pilots license and instrument rating after an acceler- ated course, before going back home.
COPA Pilot: How did you learn about the Cirrus?
Lechartier: I still remember reading the first article about the Klapmeiers in Flying magazine. From that day, I knew I would someday own a Cirrus.
COPA Pilot: Do you own, lease, partner or are you a member of a flying club?
Lechartier: In 2009 I purchased N1488C, a 2003 SR20. Our friend Luke Lysen ferried it from Las Vegas, and we met in Scotland. I was overworked then and couldn’t make myself available for the trip. I’m still frustrated by not having flown across the pond myself.
From Scotland to Morocco, Luke taught me the basics of flying a Cirrus. That aircraft was registered in Morocco as
CNLEC and that’s when I put my love for aviation to the test. There were air- worthiness reviews every six months, completing a 100-page form, booking the inspector and spending half a day flying and begging for a certificate; it sometimes took weeks and was the same story each year. Maintenance here is equivalent to Part 135 requirements in the U.S., with mandatory overhaul of your engine at TBO calendar or time in service, the prop at six years, etc. I could write a book about the hundreds of hours wasted dealing back and forth.
So please, everyone, show your love to the FAA. I certainly did the day I switched back to the N-registration under the call sign N50BZ. The occasional FAA backlog in issuing a certificate is noth- ing compared to the hundreds of hours I wasted dealing with the Moroccan aviation authority. I will never turn back!
COPA Pilot: What year and model do you fly now and when did you acquire it?
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JULY 2023 COPA Pilot