Maxime Compagnon is the founder/ editor/ host of The STOL Collective and flew a modified Zlin Savage Cruiser named “Vieux Bandit!” around the German/Austrian/Italian and French Alps. First a glider pilot licensed at the age of 16 then moved on to European Ultra Lights (Light Sport Aircraft), he has been flying for the past 25 years and more intensively exploring European bush flying since 2016. On November 21. 2021, he had to avoid a material transportation cable which altitudes was incorrectly displayed on his navigation system and then crashed hard in high mountain terrain. Saved by his flight helmet and PLB but heavily injured, he recovered in 2022 and is working hard to get back in the air in 2023 as well as getting a new awesome bush plane in 2024. His motivation has never been so high!

Maxime also enjoys producing photographic content and short films about anything to do with backcountry, mountain and bush flying, and is dedicated to meet people sharing the same passion.

He works for a major motorbike company. He and his family reside in the south of Munich, Germany.