Training days in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Two training / safety days were held in Bourgogne Franche Comté on Saturday 9 October 2021. The programme was a paramotor safety day and a radio phraseology training day at St Yan. Summaries.

Radio phraseology and NOTAM reading training day

On Saturday 9 October 2021, in the premises of St Yan airport (Saône-et-Loire), a training day on radio phraseology and reading NOTAMs took place.

Participants were welcomed from 8:00 am with coffee and croissants. The phraseology training was then given by Virginie, an air traffic controller at St Yan airport. After a morning in which everyone was very attentive, lunch was provided for the twenty or so people present by the Saône-et-Loire Departmental Microlight Committee.

 

Trainees listening to Virginie, controller at St Yan ©M.Nallet

The second part of the day covered reading NOTAMs. Jean-Claude, the former director of ENAC at St Yan, gave those present valuable guidance on how to read a NOTAM. As in the morning, everyone was very attentive to this new presentation.

At the end of the day, several of those present said they would like to take part in other training sessions on a variety of subjects:

• Navigation
• Weather
• Etc...

In addition, a navigation training course will be scheduled very soon (end of November 2021).

The Saône-et-Loire Departmental Microlight Committee thanks Jean-Pierre Caumont, President of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regional Committee, Virginie and Jean-Claude, the speakers of the day, St-YAN CLUB ULM for its logistical help and St Yan airport for the loan of the classroom.

Michel Nallet

President of the 71 Departmental Microlight Committee

Paramotor safety day

On Saturday 9 October 2021, we met at 8:00 am on the runway of the Olivier Paramoteur school LF2558, in the commune of Liesle in the Doubs.

20 people turned up, including the instructor Oliver Huguet, a seasoned and very experienced trainer, paramotor pilots, weight-shift and 3-axis pilots from the Arbois ULM club, student pilots and visitors.

Many safety subjects were covered: inflating the wing in strong wind and the behaviour of the different wings laid out on the field. A demonstration of how to use trimmers reassured newly qualified pilots about using them in flight.

Using the frame to find the right engine inclination on the ground must not make us forget that this inclination does not necessarily match the position in flight with the engine's thrust. To show how hard it is to throw a reserve parachute when needed, we suspended the pilot, blindfolded, from a frame fitted with a system that made him swing and spin. This situation is meant to represent a pilot in trouble after a severe collapse followed by a spin. This exercise helps demystify the use of the reserve parachute when needed, because having a parachute is good, but knowing how to use it is better! A tip from the instructor to gain precious seconds is to place your hand on the top of the riser, slide down to the attachment ring, let your arm hang and immediately find the handle. It is advisable to repeat this movement on every flight.

The instructor puts himself in the situation in front of the pilots who turned up ©P.Baumer

To complete this session, the instructor demonstrated how to position yourself in the harness, pressing on the riser to counter the onset of rotation and so keep a heading. An SIV course (simulation of incidents in flight) is strongly recommended to understand and master this kind of situation. On the radio side, a dual-band headset was presented, with the possibility of connecting 2 radios: 1 for free flight and 1 other for an aircraft, with LSA of course.

A mechanics workshop was devoted to adjusting the needle valve spring of a Walbro carburettor. Some manufacturers do not take the trouble to check the pressure needed for the engine to run properly. A spring that is too strong can cause hesitation under acceleration, which is dangerous on take-off, and one that is too weak causes over-consumption and fouling of the engine. This was on the advice of the two-stroke engine surgeon, Claude Montfort of the AN’AIR club.

Other subjects such as human factors, major sensitive zones (ZSM) and reading ICAO charts were also covered.

A short flight at the end of the afternoon rounded off this fine day, made possible thanks to the club's volunteers, to Daniel Legrand, who lent us his farm vehicle, and to the Bourgogne Franche-Comté Regional Committee for its communication and financial contribution.

The pilots were able to fly at the end of the day! ©P.Baumer

See you in 2022 for a new safety day, which will be run by the new management team of the Bourdons Comtois.

Patrick Baumer

President of the Bourdons Comtois