The rules of the game
In Leviathan, the famous English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (after all, the philosophy baccalauréat was yesterday - this Thursday 17 June 2021) considers that good laws are comparable to rules of a game that must be accepted by all parties and be easy to understand. That is what ensures they are respected and that they last. In an apt comparison, he likens laws to hedges along the side of a road, which are not there to hinder travellers but to keep their path steady.
The forthcoming publication of the order on the delegation of the microlight theory exam is a good example of innovative co-construction (to use a fashionable word) in the interest of all parties (State as regulator, Federation as delegate, easier access for pilots, recognition of clubs...). It is the fruit of long joint work over at least two years, and it has a bright future!
The new expectations of the microlight regulations (July 2018) were also the subject of wide consultation of the parties, with the added complexities of European regulation. They consolidate and amend regulations that have more than proven themselves over 20 years. They have a bright future!
Conversely, the draft order on professional microlighting, which is for the moment only at the consultation stage, is an example of a text which, despite long discussion meetings, is the application of a highly standardised text with its legal merits but which does not match the reality on the ground… It is more a certified European legal motorway than a country road suited to microlight flying. Let us hope the draft will change.
More insidiously and threateningly, the administrative attacks on airfields (very active and numerous in the south-west at present) show that everyone gets lost when the rules are changed in the middle of the game or when arbitrary and bizarre grounds are invoked to flatter the spirit of the times. We are mobilised on this subject, which is essential for access to the sport. We could make the same remark about the absurd ban on banner towing, even though a welcome awareness led to an amendment in the Senate.
Our era likes shortcuts and, paradoxically, it also likes legal complexity. It is wise to return to simple things, based on good practice and the experience of all the players. We must be pragmatic and sensitive to emerging problems by providing suitable answers. That is the best way to ensure the rules are respected in everyone's interest. This will avoid the anarchy of everyone for themselves and the stifling top-down rigidity of a rule that nobody understands.
Safe flying!
