The Story

I have been fascinated by military aviation for as long as I can remember.

One of my earliest memories dates back to 1975, when I attended an open day at Tours Air Base in France. Watching the Lockheed T-33s fly left a lasting impression and sparked a passion that has remained with me throughout my life.

While my fascination with aviation never faded, my professional path led me into military service.

Following the completion of my studies, I joined the French Army, where I would spend the next thirty-six years serving in a variety of operational and leadership roles. My career began in maintenance before moving into air defence, eventually serving as a Roland platoon leader, a Mistral battery commander and later within multinational headquarters.

Operational deployments across Africa and the Balkans provided invaluable professional experience and a deeper understanding of the people, technology and cooperation required to conduct modern military operations.

Whenever circumstances allowed, I documented those experiences through photography.

For me, photography has never been about simply capturing aircraft.

It has always been about preserving moments, recording history and sharing a perspective that often remains unseen.

Today, joining the CHECKSIX Editorial Crew allows me to combine decades of military experience with my lifelong passion for aviation and editorial research.

I am proud to contribute to a publication that values authenticity, professionalism and historical accuracy while continually expanding my own knowledge of military aviation.

For me, every article is another opportunity to learn, to document and to preserve the stories that deserve to be remembered.

Jean François Auran / CHK6 France