Sport and recreational aviation... within everyone's reach!
We often picture traditional aviation as ageing (average age across all activities about 50) and less and less accessible. That impression is partly justified, but it masks a more complex reality. At the Federation, we have had on average 800 young people under 25 (pilots or students) for about ten years, even though the number of members has risen significantly.
This still requires constant renewal, and we have many young competitors, young people on the Tour ULM, in our clubs, or within the dynamic Youth Committee that some will have seen at Blois around the Mini-Explorer, for example. The difficulty is that traditional media are changing, and we must thoroughly renew how we introduce an activity that is often little known to the general public or burdened with prejudice.
Nevertheless, demand is strong and the incredible success of the BIA (almost 14 000 candidates in 2018, three times more than 10 years ago) proves that young people want to fly. It is mainly from this pool that we must promote microlighting. The film we made, “The BIA, young people, and FFPLUM support”, gives a broad understanding of the BIA and the federation's support policy. Registration for the 2019 BIA session began yesterday and runs until the end of February (www.monbia.fr). The BIA programme lets our young certificated pilots or students take it either through a partnership between a microlight club or school and a school establishment, or even as independent candidates.
But it is not only the certificate that is accessible; ownership is too. The latest article published in ULM-Info, "Beginners, make your dream come true!", shows that with good second-hand deals our microlights make it possible to enjoy owning your own machine, and not only for the under-25s. To make this bridge easier still, we are going to introduce a "microlight passport" through the Regional Committees, which will allow young BIA holders to try at least three of our six classes. Diversity is our strength, and you can fall in love with one type of flying (weight-shift, gyroplane, paramotor...), but you need to create opportunities to meet and discover them that go beyond the usual channels. To help this transition further, we have decided to offer the first licence to the under-25s, and third-party liability insurance rates, for a paramotor for example, are particularly competitive.
The tools are therefore in place, and it is up to all of us to reach out and meet people. For families or young people in the Paris region, this weekend there is the Aeronautical Training and Careers Show at the Air and Space Museum (https://www.museeairespace.fr/actualites/salon-des-formations-et-metiers-aeronautiques-2019/). The Federation will be there on the CNFAS stand for the BIA. A young person with a microlight certificate may seem far removed from the usual professional pathways, which are often tied to the certified world, yet schools are increasingly receptive to this kind of profile, from the BIA to recreational aviation, because what counts more and more is not titles and diplomas but what is called "soft skills". A young person who commits passionately to microlighting carries values: a sense of responsibility and freedom, risk management and a desire to fly that go well beyond our sport alone.
Thanks to the whole Youth Committee team for the work done to share our passion; it is up to all of us to spread the word!
Safe flying!
S
ébastien Perrot
President of the French Microlight Federation
