Promoting microlighting here and abroad!
For the first time, the Federation had a stand at the AERO Friedrichshafen show, held at the end of April 2022 on the shores of Lake Constance in the home city of the Zeppelin. It takes place every year (it was postponed twice because of the COVID crisis) and is regarded as the biggest general aviation show in Europe, with a consistently strong presence of light aviation, often centred on machines from Central and Eastern Europe. We were there as part of an exchange with the show’s organisers, who will have a stand at the next MULM (2, 3 and 4 September 2022) in Blois. This exchange was made possible by our long-standing partner Flying Pages, which owns Vol Moteur, Paramoteur + and Flugzeugmagazin.
The first aim of this presence was to raise the profile of the MULM among the exhibitors and pilots who attend the AERO show, and to create synergy between two events that complement each other without competing. We already have new exhibitors for this edition, and therefore new things to see. The Federation was among well-known French manufacturers and equipment makers, and we met a great many French pilots.
The second reason for our presence is to promote French-style microlighting abroad and to make exchanges between European pilots easier. There is nothing like being there in person to clear up misunderstandings. The EMF was also present on our stand, with its president Louis Collardeau, who is also vice-president of the Federation. It is better to find rallying initiatives and partnerships than to risk getting locked into regulatory controversies.
And this is partly the third reason for our presence: to keep watch at European level at a show that is very close to the main players at the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. We need to be seen and to make ourselves known in order to protect our regulations, which offer the most freedom in Europe!
To this end, in the presence of our Czech, German, Italian, Belgian and British colleagues, among others, Louis Collardeau spoke at a conference that reviewed regulatory developments for microlights in the various European countries and explained the specific features of our system, which is based on declaration, encourages responsibility and facilitates innovation, something that makes quite a few of our neighbours envious.
Happy flying to all, and we look forward to seeing you at the many events that punctuate a season that has become almost normal again!
Sébastien PERROT
President of the French Microlight Federation
May 2022
