Olivier Dassault

Olivier Dassault (Boulogne-Billancourt, June 1, 1951 – Touques, March 7, 2021) was a French politician and billionaire who served as a member of the National Assembly of France.

Early Life and Education

Born in Boulogne-Billancourt, he was the son of Serge Dassault and his wife Nicole (née Raffel) and the grandson of Marcel Dassault. Dassault graduated from the École de l'air as a combat engineering officer and pilot in 1974. He was also a reserve member of the French Air and Space Force.

Professional Career

In June 2002, he was elected as a member of parliament for the first constituency of Oise, running as a candidate for the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). He was re-elected in 2007.

A descendant of the founding family of the aerospace engineering company Dassault Group, he held various positions within the family business. He served as chairman of Dassault Communications, chairman of the board of the French publishing house Valmonde (a former family property), board member of the French financial newspaper Journal des Finances, and director of Dassault's subsidiary Socpresse.

At the time of his death in March 2021, his net worth was estimated at USD 7.3 billion.

He graduated in 1974 from the Air Force Academy (École de l'air) and held a master's degree in mathematics (1976) and a doctorate in business management computing (1980). Throughout his life, he cultivated a passion for photography and published several photography books. Dassault was also a composer and musician, contributing to the soundtracks of several films in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Speed Records

Having qualified as a professional IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) pilot in 1975, he set several world speed records:

• 1977: New York to Paris in a Dassault Falcon 50.
• 1987: New Orleans to Paris in a Dassault Falcon 900 (both with Hervé Le Prince-Ringuet).
• 1996: Paris to Abu Dhabi in a Falcon 900 EX.
• 1996: Paris to Singapore in a Falcon 900 EX (both with Guy Mitaux-Maurouard and Patrick Experton).

Death

Dassault passed away on March 7, 2021, when the Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil helicopter he was traveling in crashed in Touques, northwestern France. He was 69 years old. The pilot, the only other person on board, also died.