A couple of days ago, this photo popped out in my FB memories timeline dated 3 years ago.

Wow, it feels like it has been more than that! 

It was one of my first few trip when I was assigned under my current unit.

The trip was intended for aircraft type validation exercise where we had 4 days meeting with Eurocopter (now known as Airbus Helicopter) in Marignane nearby Marseille in France for AS350B3 Écureuil (Squirrel) helicopter.

That photo was taken just outside my hotel in Aix-en-Provence.

It was old phone resolution, hence the quality :P

I've been to other part of France (Airbus center in Toulouse), yes some of the man are good-looking, but in Marignane - they look soooo. much. better! I was smitten at every corner of the road and in their every presentation session just feasting my eyes to the great God's creations.
(I wish Blogger has some embedded emoticon so I can put in how my face looks like as I'm writing this!)

So, when I returned, our office pantry clan asked me about the best part of the trip - and of course I said it. The goooood-looking man of Marignane. Haha. They are hunky and handsome,

and the best part was they kiss each other's cheeks when they meet.

I was describing it excitedly and I got various reactions!

"Of course they are - they are descendant of Nabi Yusuf AS."

"You know why they kiss each other? ~
They are the descendant of those Nabi Luth AS was sent for."
"Hello, there's no culture in the world that have men kissing each other even on the cheeks,

if they are not family members!"

OMG!!!

But in my defense, I do honestly think it's a cultural behaviour and they are really loving bunch of people - to love their friends and colleagues that much to have pecks on each other's cheeks! One holding spanner and the other holding screwdriver - kissing on the cheeks when they bump into each other! Just like how we ladies do it.  They didn't look like the 'suspecting ones' as they did it to some close friends. And everybody is doing it, young and old. 

Anyway, the second best part was of course Eurocopter assembly lines. They brought us to two buildings next to each other where they have the 'squirrels' in the first one. The place was newly renovated to accommodate their new process upgrades (lean concept) where they have multiple assembly stations in sequence for the product (helicopter) and the product moves as it completes the assembly line/cycle. With the efficiency of the lean process, they managed to increase their production rate significantly. 

The second building housed the bigger helicopters named 'dolphin' (AS365 Dauphin) where they have their conventional assembly process in which a few helicopters sit in their respective location and the processes move around it. Admittedly it was messy and the difference is obvious, but eventually the line will be upgraded to lean process as well.
They also have some obscured area where they build military helicopters.
It was highly confidential we didn't get to have a peek.

Nonetheless, imagine this - a bunch of handsome hunky men assembling helicopters. 

I told you!