André Turcat

André Turcat
BornAndré Édouard Marcel Turcat 
23 October 1921 
Died4 January 2016  (aged 94)
Alma materÉcole polytechnique
OccupationPolitician, aircraft pilot, test pilot 
Awards
  • Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (2005)
  • Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit (1996)
  • Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1952) 
Position heldMember of the European Parliament (19801981) 

Major André Édouard Marcel Turcat (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃dʁe tyʁka]; 23 October 1921 – 4 January 2016) was a French Air Force pilot and test pilot celebrated for flying the first prototype of Concorde for its 1969 maiden flight.

Turcat was born in Marseille into a family in the automotive industry. He studied at École polytechnique. In 1983 he founded the Académie nationale de l'air et de l'espace.