Two U.S. Students Complete 2008 Internship with EADS Socata in France as Part of the “Young Eagles” Educational Program

July 29, 2008
College students from Illinois and Wisconsin have completed six-week internships at EADS Socata’s headquarters in France as part of an ongoing cooperation with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in the “Young Eagles” program.

Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 28, 2008 – College students from Illinois and Wisconsin have completed six-week internships at EADS Socata’s headquarters in France as part of an ongoing cooperation with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in the “Young Eagles” program.

The two students, Margaret A. Viola and Matthew J. Woodruff, are attending this week’s EAA AirVenture show at Oshkosh in Wisconsin, where they will outline their EADS Socata work experience at the Gathering of Eagles Dinner on July 31.

The EAA Young Eagles program was launched in 1992 to provide first-hand general aviation experience for young people. This activity is offered free of charge, and is made possible by the generosity of EAA members, its volunteers and corporations.

Viola, a student in physics and Chinese at the University of Chicago – and an active EAA volunteer for six years – was tasked with a strategic business case for the company’s general aviation sector during her internship at EADS Socata’s Tarbes, France, headquarters.

Woodruff, who is involved in the EAA’s Fond du Lac chapter, and a graduate from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, researched noise regulations for EADS Socata’s next generation of aircraft. Woodruff brought his previous experience as a research assistant at the NASA Langley’s Flight Research Center.

“We were highly impressed by our 2008 Young Eagles interns,” said Nicolas Chabbert President of EADS Socata North America. “They brought a high level of enthusiasm, skills, energy and a U.S. viewpoint to our company’s projects, and accomplished a significant amount of work in a limited period of time.”

Chabbert added that EADS Socata has agreed with the EAA to continue the Young Eagles project again in 2009.

Woodruff and Viola said they appreciated the friendliness and openness of EADS Socata employees, and were impressed by their devotion to work. They found the company to be exciting and fast-paced.

"EAA encourages excellence through scholarships and internships among EAA members,” explained Elissa Lines, Vice-President Business Development at the Experimental Aircraft Association. “With the relationship we’ve developed with EADS Socata, we hope to help outstanding students to achieve a career in aviation."

About EAA (www.eaa.org)

EAA, the Experimental Aircraft Association, is an international aviation membership association founded in 1953 and headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. EAA sponsors many aviation education programs including the EAA Young Eagles program. More than 170,000 people currently belong to EAA, with local Chapters located in all 50 states and many countries. Members are aviation enthusiasts of every age group, including many airline and commercial pilots, engineers, business people and even astronauts.

About EADS Socata (www.socata.eads.net)

EADS Socata is one of the world’s leading general aviation manufacturers, with more than 17,000 aircraft built since its creation as Morane-Saulnier in 1911. Current products include the TBM family of high-speed turboprops, TB GT piston aircraft, aerostructures for Airbus civil airliners, the A400M military transporter, Dassault Falcon jets, Eurocopter helicopters and Embraer regional jets. EADS Socata is expanding its customer service activities, to support its growing fleet of TBM and offer its light aviation expertise for aircraft below 5.7 metric tons through avionics modernization, maintenance, repair and overall package offers. Headquartered in Tarbes, France, with North American operations in Pembroke Pines, Florida, EADS Socata is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS group.

About EADS (www.eads.net)

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2007, EADS generated revenues of €39.1 billion and employed a workforce of about 116,000. The Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and EADS Astrium, the European leader in space programmes from Ariane to Galileo. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, develops the A400M through its Military Transport Aircraft Division, and holds a stake in the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems.