French LSO Instructor Expresses Benefits of U.S. - France Alliance
01 April 2024
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The Landing Signal Officer (LSO) School is the launching pad for all LSOs in the U.S. Navy. The school provides their initial training on providing safe and expeditious landings of aircraft on aircraft carriers.
The LSO School has been training U.S. Navy pilots for 79 years. Though they often welcome foreign pilots to train with them, French navy Lt. Adrien Tosser, has inked his name into the history books as the school’s second French instructor, continuing that legacy of opportunity.
Tosser was assigned to Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana’s LSO School in 2022 to extend his experience as an LSO, while simultaneously strengthening bonds between the United States and France.
Tosser’s assignment is a representation of the longstanding alliance between the United States and France. Both nations are proud members of NATO, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this April. One of the purposes of NATO is to build relationships that enhance security, and Tosser understands the importance of fostering those relationships.
“Sometimes you see U.S. pilots coming on the French carrier, and they see some of the friends they had in flight school that they hadn't talked to in years, and they're like ‘Hey! You're here?!’ It’s great,” Tosser reflected.
Having been on almost all carriers on the East Coast, Tosser has gained invaluable experience. He credits advancements on the catapult systems on both French jets, and the French navy aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, with increasing interoperability between our navies. These changes enable pilots to land on both U.S. and French flight decks while at sea – further enhancing security worldwide. This additional training platform also enables French pilots to achieve their flight qualifications quicker, and provides U.S. pilots too with additional experience in landing methods.
“We still have barriers, but the goal is to erase those [barriers] and continue to move forward and build interoperability and relationships even more than in the previous generations,” Tosser said.
Tosser is an example of the commitment NATO and its members have had to each other for the past 75 years. As he prepares his lessons for his students, Tosser provides this reminder.
“You can't think you know everything and just sit on your knowledge,” Tosser said. “Every day there are new things to learn. Every day is different. Keep the will to learn.”