team
Christophe Mora
Technical and operating director
Aeronautics maintenance engineer Christophe Mora began his career at Novespace in 1997. He’s responsible for maintaining the Zero G aircraft, its performance and airworthiness, and makes sure operating tasks are organized and implemented – both for parabolic flights and one-off missions.
“The A310 Zero-G, which replaced the A300 Zero G, is unique. For me, it’s more than just an aircraft, it’s my “baby”. It makes it worth getting out of bed in the morning, and I’m responsible for its day-to-day care. It has be ready for each mission, because we offer a very special parabolic flight service, mainly for the scientific community, but also for people who want to discover the joys of weightlessness, and we work to very high safety and quality standards”.
Parabolic flight: a special human connection
Christophe has forged close ties with the people he meets through his work on parabolic flights.
- with teams of researchers from around the world as they conduct an essential part of their research,
- with the aircraft’s crews, who do an outstanding job of a very specialized nature to extremely high standards,
- with the aircraft maintenance teams whose mission is to pamper the aircraft,
- with the Novespace team – a close-knit group that works in mission mode,
- and finally with passengers who, for whatever reason, are enjoying an unforgettable experience.
“Some people find it hard to get up in the morning, especially on a workday. I don’t say that it never happens to me, but I’m really lucky to spend a big chunk of my life in such an amazing environment, with some equally amazing people.”
Gravity-free flight addict… but more besides
After more than 20 years at Novespace, Christophe has accumulated several hours weightlessness, with more than 10,000 parabolas to his name. Are parabolic flights addictive?
“Yes I’m a little addicted to parabolic flights, but not just the awesome feeling of weightlessness. For me, the flight’s the point at which my work on the aircraft and its operation comes together.
But unlike many people who work in the aeronautics and space industry, in the end, it’s not the sector itself that interests me. I started working in aeronautics because I like technology. My work’s all about the air, but my real passion is nature and water. I love how peaceful it is, and I do a lot of stand-up paddle. I care about the environment, and I try not to harm the planet in my everyday life. That may seem a bit rich coming from someone who operates an aircraft, but at Novespace I’m lucky enough to have been able to do something about it, by shrinking our footprint, particularly in terms of the buildings we construct, and by taking small steps, like all of my colleagues, in the same direction”.