Paris Airshow: Thursday, June 19 — Final Day Roundup

Good day from the Paris Airshow!

My day started with watching Ryan DeBrusk in an interview with a reporter that writes for several aviation magazines. It was something I would not have normally been part of in my everyday role. It was amazing to see Ryan in his element and to watch him speak about DHC and the successes of the Paris Airshow. I learned about a few things too!

I continued my day with the tour of indoor exhibits, and I was introduced to Logic, an Italian avionics components manufacturer, and spoke with few other exhibitors. I was proud to introduce myself as part of De Havilland Canada – I discovered that many people know and respect us. I was also pleasantly surprised to come across a Ukrainian booth (my home country). I’m glad they continue to be present and are trying to keep the aerospace industry alive despite their difficult situation (Ukraine has few major manufacturers of propulsion systems for aviation and space, plus the Antonov aircraft). 

Outdoor exhibits highlighted numerous types of fixed wing and rotor aircraft, drones, and military technologies, which sadly have gained more relevance and remain a necessity in current times. On a positive note, I liked seeing how drones are being used for the delivery of medical supplies and aid in case of natural disasters in areas where manned aircraft and vehicles cannot access. 

As the pace of meetings started to wind down, it allowed the rest of the team to explore the exhibits as well. 

I am very thankful for this opportunity to be part of the Paris Airshow 2025 team. It is worth noting that DHC had excellent representation of women at this event. Ten women were part of the 24 person DHC team. Watching our leaders in action, both women and men, was inspiring, motivating and expanded my views on various aspects of our business. It helped me recognize and remove some of my personal mental barriers that I was not fully aware of before this event. Reporting at the end of each day also allowed me to reflect on the events and experiences of the day, and so all this new knowledge will stay with me, and I will apply it in my day-to-day work. 

Getting to know people on our team in the evenings after work hours was also one of the best experiences, we have awesome people that have a great sense of humour.

To highlight a few:

• Andy, our Fleet Director, is a former fighter jet pilot who at one point had the most flying hours on Eurofighter out of anyone in the world.
• Roger, one of our pilots, has some unreal stories, one of which is being chased by a polar bear in the Arctic for an hour and a half in freezing cold.
• Christoph, our sales Director, loves to fly aerobatics in his spare time.
• And of course, I cannot leave out Mandi, who brought the light and smiles to all of us with her bubbly and energetic personality.

Thank you for following my updates. I look forward to catching up with work next week with a fresh perspective and sharing my experiences with people I work with. 
I am proud to be part of the DHC team!

Merci! Au Revoir!
Olena Zagoskina — Roving Reporter, 
Paris Air Show 2025