The unit traditionally opens the Bastille Day military parade in Paris with 9 Alpha Jets, presenting a twenty-minute demonstration of formation changes and crossovers narrated by the director of the French Air Force presentation team, also a jet pilot as well as the public relations officer.

In 1931, the first aerial demonstration (démonstration aérienne) in patrol (En Patrouille) took place at Étampes-Mondésir Airport.

Between 1932 and 1939, under the command of Captain Pierre Fleurquin, the Patrouille d'Étampes received an encouraging success and entered in posterity.

The presentation unit was directed by Capitaine Pierre, former pilot of the Patrouille d'Étampes and accordingly equipped with twelve Stampe SV-4.

In front of the ongoing ascending success of presentations, diverse formations were put in place at the corps of the French Air Force.

In 1952, Commandant Pierre Delachenal, pilot of the 3e Escadre, stationed at Aerial Base 112 Reims-Champagne, formed an escadrille of four Republic F-84G.

During an aerial meeting on 17 May on the field of Maison-Blanche (White House) in Algeria, the pilot show commentator of the escadrille and journalist Jacques Nœtinger, overwhelmingly shocked with the spectacle which he had just witnessed, baptised France's Patrol officially as Patrouille de France.

The general staff headquarters of the French Air Force accordingly confirmed this appellation on 14 September 1953.

They have to retain the qualification of a patrol chief and totalize at least 1500 hours of flying on a reaction aircraft in order to apply.

The accompaniment revolves around ensuring the necessary logistics support, in transporting a dozen tons of materials, in addition to the required personnel in concern for the mission.

The accompaniment is capable of conducting rotations to main base from any lieu in case the situation was of a requirement.

The Transall and crew which participate to the mission of the Patrouille, hail from the transport squadrons of the French Air and Space Force.

For example, Nicolas Hulot, victim of a "voile noir"[15] on board of a Patrouille de France aircraft, was never awarded the title.

He came for the first time to Salon-de-Provence Air Base, with Yves Mourousi, then flew on a flight directly to Journal de 13 heures of TF1, a journey which took 30 minutes.

A journalist with a passion for aeronautics, he came for the first time to the Salon-de-Provence Air Base on 26 March 1990, and took his first flight on 26 April.

Douillet conducted a flight in front of the Patrouille de France on board the Transall transport aircraft with the door open.

In 2014, the French Air Force celebrated its 80th anniversary and for the first time in history, the Patrouille de France counted two Patrons: Jean-Loup Chrétien and Patrick Baudry, who conducted two flights during the year.