The Air Expo 2023 Adventure: the sensation of flying by your side

The France Air Expo in Bron

As every year for the past six years, we participated in the France Air Expo 2023 (on June 1, 2, and 3).
Air Expo is the international general aviation exhibition in France, bringing together pilots, owners, professionals, and aviation enthusiasts.

This is a key event in the industry, bringing together various aviation players. This year, the exhibition welcomed around 10,000 visitors, 300 brands represented by 190 professional exhibitors, and over 80 aircraft were displayed.

It was an opportunity for us, the exclusively online store specializing in pilot equipment, to meet you and showcase our products beyond your screen.

In addition to the professional market players, it was you, our customers, that we were delighted to meet or see again. We would like to thank our most loyal customers who have been equipping with us for several decades and who manage to make us smile when they talk about their memories of Bayo and its legendary chalet in Auxerre-Branches, which already gathered thousands of pilots in France back then.

The discussions we had with our customers were more than enriching, both from the perspective of enthusiasts for the stories you shared with us and from the viewpoint of industry professionals, as we learned more about market needs and trends. Thank you again for your feedback and the many fascinating stories.

Our New Products at This 2023 Edition

Speaking of current trends, many of you were interested in the latest technological innovations from major players in the aviation industry.
And we confirm you made the right choice because there's plenty to be curious about!
To present the latest innovations to our visitors in the best possible way, we invested in a new booth this year. We were like kids at the thought of presenting it to you. This new design gave our booth a more polished and professional look, with all feedback being positive. Here are the images:

Many appreciated being able to try out the latest headset from Bose: the A30 with an aircraft noise simulation we set up to allow visitors to try the headsets and immerse themselves in real-world usage conditions. Most of our visitors wanted to compare it with the A20, which many already knew, and most were surprised by the innovations on the A30. First, the comfort, although slightly heavier, the latest Bose model feels lighter thanks to a different weight distribution compared to its predecessor. And above all, the ANR (Active Noise Reduction) is stunning on the A30, and many pilots were amazed by it.

We also had many people try the Delta Zulu from Lightspeed, which introduces a new innovation in the market: the carbon monoxide detector. This life-saving technology sparked the curiosity of our visitors at our booth. If you'd like to learn more about this new headset, we invite you to read our blog post on the topic.

To all pilots who might abuse their equipment, we strongly recommend buying aviation headset bags, as they will help preserve your gear for many more years!

In addition to the Bose A30, we were happy to see your interest in the latest watches from Garmin.
Many asked us about their specifications and the new features Garmin has integrated.

Here are the answers we provided to the visitors at the exhibition.
Regarding the D2 Air X10, whose presentation you can find on our YouTube channel, the screen seems larger thanks to the thinner edges compared to the previous D2 Air version. This gives it a more minimalist style.
The drop-down menu has been optimized for easy page navigation, and the contrast and brightness have been increased for better readability.
Now, when the watch is connected to a smartphone, you can use the voice assistant directly via the watch, and also receive phone calls and respond via the newly integrated microphone and speaker.
To improve the Sport category, Garmin has added the ability to change music played through wireless headphones directly from the watch, so joggers no longer need to take out their smartphones. Additionally, training programs, health tracking, etc., have been enhanced.
Garmin also developed its own contactless payment mode via the watch: Garmin Pay, which allows you to store your credit card information directly on the watch and make payments. A security feature has been added: every time the watch is removed, you must enter your credit card code to reactivate it when putting it back on your wrist.
As the American brand specializes in aviation, the watch allows the user to access flight data in real-time (altitude, compass…), the nearest landing point, recorded waypoints, and even consult the flight plan directly through the Garmin app.
The watch also tracks vital signs in real-time, using sensors to measure the pilot's heart rate and oxygen saturation to avoid hypoxia.
All these features can be used for 6 to 7 days thanks to the watch's long battery life.

The D2 Mach 1, the small latest from Garmin has its screen increased from 42mm to 47mm and is also lighter.
The biggest difference from the D2 Air X10 is the presence of mapping directly on the watch. You can even input navigation points directly on the map.
Moreover, the touchscreen can be locked to make it easier to use for certain sports, such as skiing, where you can't always aim perfectly at the screen. Additionally, you can set up aerial alerts like minimum oxygen levels before triggering an alert, route deviations, etc. The watch can also display real-time weather conditions through the phone connection and manually set the time zone.
Regarding sport-related apps, this watch includes all the functionalities of the D2 Air X10 but enhanced. It gathers data and analyzes it to give an overall health status of the wearer. Although it's primarily for athletes, it provides a complete analysis of metabolism and areas for improvement.
Finally, this latest Garmin model can detect if the wearer has had an accident and send a message to pre-registered emergency contacts with the person's exact GPS coordinates.
Finally, this watch can operate for 10 to 11 days without recharging, thanks to its next-generation battery.

Note that we've already covered the topic of aviation watches in another blog post, and we invite you to discover it if you're interested.

General Aviation: Still a Success

I think we can say that this 2024 edition of the France Air Expo was a great success for us, for the exhibitors, and for the visitors.
Indeed, France Air Expo 2023 recorded a record participation rate with 9,700 visitors, which represents a 10% increase compared to last year. This remarkable increase is attributed to the engagement of the FFA, the event's partner magazines, the federations, and the exhibitors, all of whom helped ensure its success by sending thousands of invitations to raise awareness of this event in the sector.
Moreover, a surge of youth was felt this year from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Aerospace Academy. Many aerospace students or people wanting to discover this wonderful field were present. We can assure you, the future of aviation is bright!
Finally, the general aviation sector is transitioning towards greener flights. Indeed, a Pipistrel, the 100% electric Slovenian aircraft, was proudly displayed. Additionally, innovations being developed in the market are increasingly using carbon fiber models, which greatly reduce the aircraft's weight and consequently the amount of jet fuel required for the same flight.
Finally, we would like to thank the entire France Air Expo team for hosting us each year with great professionalism, allowing this event to bring together more and more aviation enthusiasts. Thank you to them for the organization they had to carry out before, during, and after the exhibition. Thanks to them for being there to solve the minor problems we encountered with great efficiency.

We’ll see you next year for the 2024 edition, and we hope you’ll be even more numerous to come meet us. The entire Bayo team thanks you for your commitment!