STOL competition: excellent organisation!
News from 9 July 2020. Last updated on 10 July 2020: some information may have changed. Latest news
On 4 & 5 July 2020, at Belmont-sur-Rance / Saint-Affrique (LFIF), the first Short Take-Off and Landing competition took place in the best possible conditions, thanks to a well-structured organisation, a suitable site, committed volunteers and favourable weather.
This first competition was organised by the club Roland ULM, which provided the logistics and mobilised a large number of volunteers. The FFPLUM was involved from the start of the project to help structure and oversee the sporting side.
Roland Andral, the club president, ran this first edition with 40 pilots pre-registered; given the situation and the health precautions in force, 25 turned up, in classes 2, 3 and 4. This first STOL competition drew well beyond the competitors and local pilots, with many visitors who enjoyed the performances. Local partners supported the project, notably the town of Belmont-sur-Rance and the Occitanie Regional Microlight Committee.
On the sporting side, the principle is fairly simple: take off in the shortest possible distance and land in the shortest possible distance, safely. The two figures are added together and give a ranking by class and by aircraft. The first day was given over to practice, with pilots gradually building up their skills. From the afternoon, the first performances were greatly appreciated by all the participants. On the second day, we all saw the mastery of all the pilots, with some fine performances already, enough to produce a first ranking.
Of course, what comes next for STOL competition remains to be built, after a very successful first edition. Once again, beyond commitment and the pursuit of performance, competitive microlight flying helps pilots improve their flying skills and their handling of the aircraft, and so makes flying safer.
As with paramotor slalom, the visual appeal of STOL wins over the public. The FFPLUM Sport Division will support its development in the next regional competitions, with prospects to be built at a higher level.
