Editorial

With these words the Prime Minister yesterday announced phase 2 of the easing of lockdown. The CNFAS statement immediately spelled out the consequences for our activities:

From 2 June, all flights are possible, with no distance limit within France but no crossing of borders, in strict compliance with the health rules.

There will be a final phase in three weeks to take stock and adopt new measures. The health emergency now gives way to the social and economic emergency. This crisis will have terrible long-term effects. As we wrote at the very beginning of lockdown, it would be a mistake to neglect leisure activities in this context. A whole economy of clubs, companies, professionals, manufacturers and events is directly affected. The parachuting federation, for example, estimates the loss of activity for its organisations at a minimum of five million euros.

In concrete terms, the Ministry of Transport's aid to all the aeronautical federations is about two million euros a year. That is a very modest sum when set against aeronautical activity as a whole. For several years the federations have had to rely on other resources, and FFPLUM in particular has a low dependence on public money. But a drastic cut in an already tight context would have deep effects on the quality of training, on the level of safety, and on young people's access to our activities, who we know will be hard hit. It is even in this kind of crisis that the State has often pursued a recovery policy that could accelerate the necessary transitions.

As for the image of light aviation in public opinion, the activities grouped within the CNFAS have nothing to be ashamed of: free flight, electric flight, light modern combustion engines gradually replacing an ageing fleet, considerable efforts on noise; widely accessible and popular activities (think of the Coupe Icare). It is often the ageing of infrastructure (largely abandoned abruptly by the State) that conveys an outdated image of certain activities, but the modernity of our host sites is progressing thanks to local players.

The Secretary of State for Transport and trained pilot Jean Baptiste Djebbari has appointed MP Michaël Nogal to propose a recovery plan for aviation. It would be desirable that, like boating, which has a strong bond of solidarity with the merchant navy, "pleasure aviation" not be sidelined in certain decisions, because when we talk about the future, it is very often through our "leisure aviation" that vocations come and the world of tomorrow is built.

The federations' mobilisation continues so that freedom is increasingly the rule!

Have a good weekend

Happy flying!

Sébastien PERROT

President of FFPLUM

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And what next?

Since the previous newsletter, the regulatory environment has not changed. The federation therefore continues to encourage:

• Local flights
• In strict compliance with health rules
• Excluding introductory flights for now (until 2 June)

This position was ultimately adopted by all the federations of the Conseil National des Fédérations Aéronautiques et Sportives (CNFAS). The resumption of flying is going well overall: gradual and reasonable. However, this morning we regret the first fatal microlight accident of the year, a solo flight in the local area. While every accident is a tragedy, flight safety must be seen over the long term, and the indicators have been favourable for two years.

Since 11 May, more than 400 REV+ flights have been declared! This is a remarkable result for the exceptional operation we put in place (REV+ = €60) under the scheme developed two years ago with the support of the Directorate General for Civil Aviation and the contribution of insurers. Our instructors are more than ever at the heart of our activity.

Most instructors, clubs and companies have received a set of new microphone foam covers. We will adjust quantities if necessary and are considering other initiatives to support this complicated period.

The aim is to allow, from 2 June, if health conditions are favourable, an extension to all flights within the travel limits that will apply to everyone. This would guarantee a summer season in almost “normal” conditions. Introductory flights are essential both for people discovering our activity and for the life of our clubs and schools. This is of course the favourable scenario, which will be put forward by the CNFAS, which has been meeting by video conference every week for three weeks.

Regarding maintenance flights, we have agreed with the authorities to continue the protocol that was in place during lockdown. The FFA takes the same position as the FFPLUM, but note that our procedure is slightly different (see). Conditions should also be considerably easier after 2 June, always with the caution that these changeover dates demand, as they have brought their share of surprises and discord for over two months.

A new transport protocol may also be published before then, or even after, or never… It goes without saying that you will be informed immediately. Don't worry: the federations are working harder than ever to make it easier to pursue our passion!

Safe flying

Take care of yourselves

Sébastien PERROT

President of FFPLUM

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Making a successful return!

The weekends and the fine days ahead mark the real return to flying in a very particular context. If we want to regain some normality in the coming months, we have to get it right.

As we announced in the statement of Wednesday 13 May, on the legal side the Federation and its lawyer will support you, provided you undertake flights that respect our reading of the decree of 11 May, our ethics for resuming flying and in particular:

• The health measures
• Local flights
• Excluding introductory flights

Rest assured on this point. A protocol covering all forms of transport may be published by then, but it must be understood that it is a text of very general scope in which our activity is marginal. It is also understandable that in such an uncertain context there are publication delays or a lack of synchronisation. That has not stopped driving schools from reopening, nor trains from running. So no one should be blamed, and we should think about what comes next, that is, the period after 2 June, being pragmatic and responsible, and following the rules, and only the rules, as they are and as they apply. We will do so in a strategy agreed with the CNFAS.

Let's focus on the essentials: "flying for pleasure" for all pilots with our instructors and club and company managers. The Federation supports you with a REV+ bonus raised to €60 for a Return to Flying with an instructor. We have produced a whole set of materials to get back to the fundamentals of flying and mechanics. Organisations and instructors will receive "protective covers" that were sent out yesterday. We will adjust the quantity according to demand.

Since lockdown began, the whole federation team has communicated very intensively to defend and promote our activity as best we can. In this first phase of resumption, we will now communicate regularly every 15 days, and whenever necessary if we have special information.

Look after yourselves. Enjoy yourselves, we need it, in strict compliance with the health rules, so that everyone's behaviour benefits all.

More than ever, it's simple! It's microlighting!

Sébastien PERROT

President of FFPLUM

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FFPLUM PRESS RELEASE - Wednesday 13 May 2020

Dual flights for everyone’s safety

Many of you... and quite rightly... are asking the Federation whether two-seat flights have been possible since 11 May. The Federation, with the CNFAS, maintains that the resumption of flying, which is possible solo and wanted by everyone as part of a cautious and reasonable easing of lockdown, must absolutely also be possible two-seat, for obvious safety reasons.

The CNFAS has asked the DGAC for clarification of the authorities' strategy. With no reply to date, and pending the texts planned on transport, everyone must take their own responsibility.

Under current law, decree 2020-548 of 11 May 2020 states in annex 1: "Masks must be worn systematically by everyone whenever physical distancing rules cannot be guaranteed."

We therefore consider that two-seat flights are possible as part of the return to flying, and the Federation will defend members, pilots, instructors, club presidents and organisation managers who may be challenged on this point, provided there is strict compliance with:

• The health measures (see Measures)
• A local flight
• Excluding introductory flights at first.

Attached is the opinion of the Federation's lawyer, who stands behind the Federation on this point. The Board of Directors has approved this approach. The Federation has set up the REV+ scheme to support the return to flying.

We must be pragmatic and responsible. We favour resuming two-seat flights and, in law, nothing forbids it, pending broader provisions which we will communicate immediately as soon as we have them.

Sébastien PERROT

President of FFPLUM

OPINION AND POSITION OF MAÎTRE CONTI FOR FFPLUM AND ITS MEMBERS

ON THE APPLICATION OF DECREE No. 2020-548 OF 11 MAY 2020 AND IN PARTICULAR ON THE LEGAL POSSIBILITY OF FLYING WITH TWO PEOPLE ON BOARD

It stems from the new decree no. 2020-548 of 11 May 2020, and it is plain that its provisions are mainly intended for the majority of our fellow citizens who travel by traditional road transport and public transport, with an exception for maritime navigation.

Nevertheless, it does apply to the aeronautical field and we must reason in terms of its provisions, which should be read and interpreted with a fine-tooth comb.

Yet a careful reading of article 1 paragraph 2 of the decree unquestionably yields a general rule and, alongside it, a particular alternative provision that applies, beyond any dispute, to all aeronautical activity.

To recall the text of article 1, paragraph 2 of the decree of 11 May 2020:

"Gatherings, meetings, activities, receptions and travel, as well as the use of means of transport, that are not prohibited under this decree shall be organised in strict compliance with these measures."

Yet these "measures" entail respect for social distancing, including physical distancing of at least one metre between two people.

If we stop at a simple reading of this text, we must conclude that this measure applies to air transport carried out aboard a microlight between two people, whether it is a recreational or professional flight, with or without an instructor, apart from the exceptions listed in article 3 (professional activity and business travel, journeys between home and school, health consultations and specialist care, compelling family reasons, appearances before the police or gendarmerie, summonses from an administrative court or judicial authority, public-interest missions).

This is a reading - too hasty and incomplete - that some local authorities have made of this text.

It must therefore be stated that this conclusion is mistaken.

Indeed, article 1 paragraph 1 of the decree of 11 May 2020 unquestionably contains an alternative exception to the general provision, by expressly referring to its annex 1, which takes precedence over the general provision.

Article 1 paragraph 1 imposes physical distancing measures as they refer to the provisions of annex 1 in these terms:

"In order to slow the spread of the virus, the hygiene measures set out in annex 1 …….. "

Yet annex 1 expressly provides that physical distancing rules may be waived when they cannot be guaranteed, since this text states:

"[…….] Masks must be worn systematically by everyone whenever physical distancing rules cannot be guaranteed."

Failure to observe physical distancing has therefore been legally provided for in certain cases.

It must be concluded that any flight whose resumption the law has ordered without reservation, with two people on board (private/private, instructor/private) and for which distancing rules cannot be met and therefore cannot be guaranteed, may be undertaken, subject to the obligation that both people on board wear a mask throughout the flight.

This conclusion does not seem open to dispute to me, and it means that any organisation and any aircraft owner, in particular of a microlight of any class, may undertake any flight with at least two people on board.

Naturally, the other provisions of the decree of 11 May 2020 remain applicable, in particular those setting travel limits within the legal radius of 100 km.

Consequently, both the Federation and the author of this opinion can only encourage, without reservation, all members of our movement to undertake flights in accordance with the requirements set out here and, of course, in compliance with the other legal provisions. Their Federation will stand by them in all circumstances.

Note written in PARIS, on 13 May 2020

Serge CONTI

Lawyer for FFPLUM

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Clarifications on the gradual lifting of lockdown

A number of you in the départements provisionally marked red reacted to the Federation's recommendations in the last newsletter. We would like to provide the following clarifications:

• First of all, as we said, the legal framework is still not known, and it is normally from 7 May that the conditions applying in the départements concerned will be known precisely.
• In law, and as the texts stand, things will be relatively simple from 11 May: all recreational flights, whatever the microlight class, will be able to resume with no constraint other than not going more than 100 km from your home. No travel certificate will be needed as long as you stay within this 100 km radius. As things stand, no legal provision has addressed whether you may or may not enter a red zone from a green zone, provided you remain within 100 km of your home; the overlap has not been dealt with so far.

While awaiting regulatory clarification, the Federation, taking a reasoned and responsible approach, is led for now to give the following recommendations:

• Overlapping between zones will not be advised, so that for now it is recommended that each pilot flies only in the zone where their home is located,
• In all cases, it is recommended to put in place the "FFPLUM Covid-19" measures, which limit flights to two people in the same enclosed space.

More generally, it is obvious that the forthcoming legal conditions will apply to all aeronautical activities. It is not the federations but the State that makes the rules. As you have seen since the start of the crisis, the information is sometimes contradictory and incomplete. It is therefore very difficult for all of us to navigate injunctions or unspoken points that sometimes lack coherence and... even legality, and that change every week.

We would also like to make everyone aware of the psychological effect of the date of 11 May, whose significance should be put in perspective. Everything is still possible and precarious, in an obviously more restrictive direction. Under the state of health emergency, prefects could have very extensive powers. The 100 km limit and the explicit bans on certain activities or areas are still in force. We must also bear in mind that small warning signs (an accident, a lack of public-spiritedness, etc.) can have a very significant effect on all our activities. We will need to support the return to flying with great caution.

As soon as we have more precise information (so normally on the evening of 7 May), in liaison with the authorities and the members of the National Council of Aeronautical and Sports Federations, we will communicate on how the new rules apply to our activities. We have given a general framework, being pragmatic and responsible, involving the whole Board of Directors, our lawyer, the federation doctor and healthcare professionals.

It may change, and we hope it will in a less restrictive direction for the départements in the red zone.

For the départements in the green zone, we are defending the framework that has been set out, but we must all remain very vigilant.

We will communicate again on Thursday evening or Friday morning at the latest.

Look after yourselves!

Sébastien Perrot

President of FFPLUM

Saturday 2 May

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A very gradual lifting of lockdown...

The Prime Minister's announcements to the National Assembly on Tuesday 28 April clarify the framework for the very gradual easing of lockdown from 11 May. In particular, we note:

• The status quo is maintained until 11 May.
• A distinction between green and red départements that is updated daily, the first version of which we have known since Thursday evening (provisional orange département).
• Travel exemption certificates are abolished, but travel beyond 100 km is limited, other than for work or compelling family reasons.
• A ban on team sports, indoor sports and contact sports.
• A ban on gatherings of more than 10 people.

Based on these points, and subject to their being changed (notably on 7 May), the Federation recommends:

• In green départements: flights are possible (single-seat, two-seat, leisure, introductory flights, instruction), essentially locally, without exceeding a distance of 100 km (from the home address, on which any check would be based), and without entering a red département.
• In red départements, given the strain on the emergency services: no flying.
• In all cases, travel to clubs and affiliated companies will be possible in strict compliance with the health instructions that we have adapted to our activity in the document "FFPLUM Covid-19 measures ", which you can display on the premises.

As regards the validation of instructor refresher training, we have obtained assurance that it will be postponed until 31 December 2020. A first text will appear next week for flight crew licences, which will only concern aeroplanes and helicopters. The texts concerning gliders and microlights will appear later...

As for airfields that are currently closed, there is no reason for them to remain so in the green zone, at least from 11 May.

We will give another full update on Friday 8 May, as every week. This is only a first framework, which may change, and everyone must be aware of how fragile the situation is.

Take care of yourself and your loved ones.

Sébastien Perrot

President of FFPLUM

PDFFFPLUM Covid-19 measures

Friday 1 May

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Let’s prepare our Return to Flying

In what politicians and scientists are saying, we can sense a glimmer of hope for an easing of lockdown that, everyone agrees, will be gradual. But how should we approach this moment, which everyone is waiting for impatiently?

This return to flying after lockdown will be a very clear demonstration of the growing maturity of our movement, recognised by the supervisory authorities, whether the Ministry of Transport or the Ministry of Sport. 2020 got off to a very bad start, with repeated strikes in the 1^st quarter, Covid-19 since March, and on top of that very unfavourable weather in many regions, which certainly did not allow the season to start as it does every year. The media flood us with depressing news and fine weather is settling over France just when we are all confined at home. But let us stay resolutely optimistic and positive!

Being optimistic

This crisis will leave its mark, let us be certain of that, but let us see the glass half full rather than half empty, and stay optimistic! Let us work on positive projects rather than brood over the current situation. We must all come out of it stronger, even more united than before. Let us already think about gatherings and outings we could organise this summer or in the autumn, even though our visibility over time is limited today; but as when we fly, let us stay ahead of the aeroplane and look ahead. The sky will clear in the end. That is what the whole Federation team is working on and, even though we have sadly had to postpone a number of events (the regional and French championships, the General Assembly), everyone involved is working on rescheduling them in the end-of-year calendar.

For two years, accident statistics in our activity have been improving, and even though the positive results remain fragile, this improvement is now recognised by the whole aviation community and the State authorities. It is the work of everyone: pilots, instructors, presidents of clubs and for-profit organisations, flight safety officers, presidents of regional committees and heads of divisions.

This return to flying is an enormous safety challenge for all of us, and it must be approached in a structured and thoughtful way. Let us remember that we alone are masters of our regulations. Microlighting is an activity of freedom, and we stand by that, but it relies on the self-responsibility of all who take part, and it is at that price that we will preserve it.

The ReV+ scheme

A good number of pilots have not flown, or have flown very little, since the start of the year, which is why we have decided to introduce ReV + for everyone who wishes to benefit from it. The Federation will contribute €60 towards the cost of this flight.
Pilots of all classes can take part; it is also open to instructors, and we advise them too not to hesitate to do a ReV +.

Having gone without training or flying for at least two months has narrowed our circle of competence and our safety zone. Before flying with a passenger again, we will also need to make sure that the pilot in command has completed the 3 take-offs and landings within the last 3 months. We will certainly have to follow social distancing rules in our clubs and structures, which should not be too difficult. Let us plan ahead now for a supply of hand sanitiser, soap, gloves and hair caps for those wearing helmets in weight-shift microlights, gyroplanes and paramotors. Let us encourage our pilots and students to buy their own radio helmet, which guarantees better hygiene for the ear cushions. Good-quality equipment now costs about the same as an hour of flying. For the time being, wearing a mask is left to each person's judgement, but let us use plain common sense…

Many of us are asking: when will we be able to fly again, and under what conditions?

Quite clearly, nothing has been decided today. We might assume that if driving schools reopen with certain measures imposed, the same should apply to light and recreational aviation. We will of course come back to you very soon, as soon as we have reliable, precise information on the resumption of flying, its conditions, and the DGAC's position on postponing the dates for instructor qualifications and training centre approvals.

Until then, let us keep our spirits up and keep smiling, and let us use the time to revise our theory and dream a little while planning some fine cross-country flights for when flying resumes.

Jean-Christophe Gibert

Head of the safety and training division

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The call of flight, a call to sport!

For once, this editorial is devoted to the Federation's sporting mission. The FFPLUM sport division continues its work of structuring and organising itself to increase its ability to fulfil one of the federation's key missions: competition and, more broadly, air sports.

We are living through difficult times, and our strong initiatives for 2020 are being stopped one by one by this wretched pandemic. Our regional competitions were shaping up to be a resounding success this year. Our organisational set-up paid off, and an impressive number of regional competitions were ready and in the starting blocks! Competitions were planned in 8 of the 13 regions of France; this is unprecedented and very promising for the future.

Our French Championship, scheduled for June, has of course also been postponed and we are working on a possibility for early October. Internationally, competitions are being cancelled one by one. The paramotor world championships in Brazil were the first to be postponed, to 2021.

The sport division is using this period to improve how it operates and to launch new projects. A video-conference meeting is held every week, and the minutes that follow make it possible to track progress on actions and the implementation of decisions.

All of this is teamwork. Nothing can be done without everyone's participation and buy-in, and the support of federation governance. The way of working is participatory and collaborative; in a word, it is co-construction.

The sports policy that the sport division is rolling out, under the impetus of the Executive Board, focuses its action in various areas to improve accessibility and promotion of microlight sport across all classes. The events at our meetings are simplified to be within reach of every pilot, and are a source of improvement for everyone. Join us, you won't regret it!

The France group, from which the French team is selected for international competitions, must keep evolving and take in new talent. Our ultimate goal is to cultivate excellence in paramotoring and to come back strongly in classes 2, 3 and 4, known as microlights.

All this work will be needed for 2021, a year that promises to be rich in sporting events (barring other disasters...). Notably the paramotor slalom world championships, which will take place in the Paris region and will let us showcase our activities to a wide audience. We are already planning ahead to have a provisional calendar so as to synchronise air events and let everyone plan and fill in their diary.

Sporting regards,

Noël Mazaudier

Head of the Sport Division

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It all starts on the ground!

Plan to acquire federation airfields.

This quite special period lets us look differently at the essential things. In aviation, being deprived of flying is a chance to remember that everything starts from the ground. France, a pioneer of aeronautics, has always benefited from very high-quality aerodrome infrastructure. A few years ago, the DGAC heritage committee published a remarkable Atlas of aviation airfields, available online. After the very dynamic phases of the pioneers, the Popular Front and the post-war reconstruction, State policy took a completely different turn over the last 20 years.

The transfer of airfields from the State to local authorities from 2007 onwards has caused a great many difficulties, closures, challenges and taxes. The battles over the postponed plan to privatise ADP are a recent example. Defending existing airfields seems to be the only "development" policy. It takes up the Federation's energy on cases that are always very specific, based on two principles:

• As far as possible, carrying out coordinated action with other disciplines and all users (within the CNFAS) on the one hand.
• And on the other, tackling the problem early, before the situation gets stuck.

To this end, the Federation has set up a legal ticket system with the Federation's lawyer (Maître Serge Conti). Get in touch with us.

But alongside airfields open to public air traffic, the microlight movement has the possibility of creating microlight strips, which are listed on our BASULM site.

The success of our movement owes a great deal to the richness and friendliness of these strips, which have very varied legal statuses: owned by a manager, run by an association renting farmland, and so on. However, the complexity of the regulations, issues of liability and insurance, and uncertainty over the long-term future of the land are obstacles to creating or keeping certain strips, particularly in regions structured around large cities.

On this basis, certain federations with similar problems have launched a land acquisition programme for their sport; this is the case of the French Free Flight Federation, the French Model Aircraft Federation and the French Motorcycling Federation. The Board of Directors has decided to do the same, and we will present acquisition options at the next General Assembly for certain ongoing projects, the aim, to be clear, not being to become "capitalist" but to be a player in the development and preservation of our flying fields in the general interest.

Taking into account the experience of other federations and adapting it to our particular features, the main principles of the federation airfield acquisition project are as follows:

• Acquisition of land by the federation in the most suitable way (outright purchase, long-term lease, AOT temporary occupation authorisation of public land for a maximum of 70 years...).

• Acquisition in regions where access to flying is difficult, with the aim of bringing areas back to life so that plots can be maintained and put to good use, contributing to safety with airfields useful for medical evacuations and fire protection.

• Management entrusted to an affiliated association, which will pay no rent but will take care of maintaining the airfield in line with precise specifications; the delegation will be renewable every three years.

• In particular, we will need to promote training, ensure diversity between disciplines, meet environmental requirements and preserve biodiversity by promoting clean technology: electric paramotors, unleaded petrol, photovoltaic hangar infrastructure... An affiliated company may be set up there in liaison with the managing association and the Federation.

The territorial network of our movement is a real asset and we certainly have opportunities to turn into something concrete by becoming part of local areas; airfields are also assets for municipalities in terms of outdoor sports and agritourism, complementing accommodation providers and the promotion of local products. If you have ideas or projects, we will study them together with the Regional Committees.

Contact us: acquisitionbasefederale@ffplum.org

In the meantime, don't forget the microlight strip safety kit. It's now or never to think about the future.

Let's stay at home and stay responsible.

Take care of yourselves!

Sébastien Perrot

President of FFPLUM

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When we fly again!

If we look at the tragic experiences of the Covid-19 disaster around the world, it is certain that lockdown will last throughout April and probably a good part of May. Easing will also be very slow and gradual, in stages, with social distancing measures lasting some time and specific arrangements for receiving the public.

Since the start of this lockdown period, the Federation has considered that no flight should be undertaken whether for leisure or instruction, by affiliated clubs or companies.

Last week the French Aeronautical Federation (FFA) obtained from the authorities a certificate of participation in public-interest missions; for the sake of equality and consistency, we obtained a certificate specific to microlights. We invite you to use this legal tool with great care and restraint. It is valid for clubs. Our affiliated companies already have the possibility of such measures under the general framework of the decree of 23 March 2020. Everything rests on the responsibility of club presidents or company managers. For private owners, we invite them to turn to clubs or companies. We stress that there is no urgency whatsoever and that all this must remain exceptional in a period when the notion of the general interest and everyone's public-spiritedness are essential. From a purely technical standpoint, our machines can very well remain grounded for many weeks.

In the interest of clarity in a complicated period, we have drawn up a Covid-19 Memo which will be updated. Below you will find examples of certificates for taking part in public-interest missions issued by some DSACs, which will be added to as we go. If you have any doubt about the scope of this text, we invite you to contact the Federation.

Despite our requests, we still have no precise answers on licence derogations for non-professionals in general aviation. As the European Agency and the DGAC have ruled on professionals for a period of four months, renewable for four months, it would be logical for the derogation to follow at least the same extension. So there is no short-term cause for concern. It would be desirable in the coming weeks, both at the aeronautical federations and at the DGAC, to favour simple, common and agreed decisions.

The main aim is to prepare the return to flying, which will happen in a homeopathic way when we are given the green light. To encourage all pilots to get back to the fundamentals with our instructors, the Federation has decided to raise the Return to Flying (REV) aid from €40 to €60. The application has been simplified further. You can register if you have not yet done so. We will put major resources into ensuring the quality of this restart.

Until then, let us be very attentive and set a collective example. More than ever, individualistic lapses in following the rules will affect everyone. We will also have to bear in mind that public opinion is getting used to some positive effects of this extraordinary period on the environment. We will therefore need to be particularly sensitive to this requirement in the use of our machines, which have many assets in their favour: lightness, modern engines, accessibility compared with traditional aviation, and a resolutely "fun" spirit coming from the free-flight culture.

But let's take it step by step, week by week. The Federation continues its work of contacting and supporting our organisations. A small clarification that is always useful: it is FFPLUM that supports, defends and promotes our activity, even though our microlights benefit everyone.

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones!

Sébastien Perrot

President of FFPLUM

PDFCovid-19 memo

PDFCertificate of participation in a public-interest mission signed by DSAC Nord

PDFCertificate of participation in a public-interest mission signed by DSAC Ouest

PDFCertificate of participation in a public-interest mission signed by DSAC Centre-Est

PDFCertificate of participation in a public-interest mission signed by DSAC Nord-Est

PDFCertificate of participation in a public-interest mission signed by DSAC Sud-Est

PDFCertificate of participation in a public-interest mission signed by DSAC Sud-Ouest

PDFCertificate of participation in a public-interest mission signed by DSAC Sud

PDFCertificate of participation in a public-interest mission signed by DSAC Océan Indien

PDFCertificate of participation in a public-interest mission signed by DSAC Antilles Guyane

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As if…

The Federation's General Assembly should have been held this Saturday at the headquarters of the Directorate General for Civil Aviation. I thank the DGAC staff and the employees of our Federation who prepared this key moment for our movement in advance. It has of course been postponed. We plan to hold the General Assembly on Saturday 29 August in the late afternoon during the Blois microlight show, followed by a big celebration. All of this is of course subject to how the current crisis develops.

Wall maps, posters and materials for clubs and affiliated companies will be distributed to you later. The Federation's physical head office has been put on standby but has not stopped. The team and employees are working every day, remotely, on all the ongoing projects.

We are neither receiving nor sending paper mail for the time being. All employees are now working from home. I wanted all the Federation's organisations to be contacted by head office to take stock. That will soon be the case for everyone.

In this period we all know the possibilities and the limits of remote working. Nothing beats discussion and physical presence, especially for a General Assembly. However, I wanted you to have the Federation's financial information, and I would like to give a brief progress report "As if" we were opening a General Assembly, around three questions: What objectives? What team? What tempo?

What objectives?

You will certainly have received the latest issue of ULM-Info (available here), in which the 2020 work programme is set out:

• Preparing the delegation of the microlight theory exam for implementation in early 2021
• Preparing the Microlight World Fair in Blois in 2021
• Paramotor world championship in the Paris region
• The new momentum from the creation of the National Sports Agency, which will let us develop our activity across the whole country with better-suited resources

These are only the priorities of the moment, which must not make us forget all the actions undertaken over the past three years, a summary of which, as regards safety and training, can be found in the editorial "Flight safety, training and class struggle". We also wanted to answer certain questions or controversies, hoping to reply argument for argument, action for action ("The Federation works for its members!"). This whole policy was launched from the "Generations ULM" programme, which has been updated for three years before each General Assembly, and these have been moments of constructive sharing.

One further novelty for 2020, which we mentioned last year. We want to create federation microlight strips in regions where access to flying and changes in land ownership are problematic, as the motorcycling, free-flight and model-flying federations do. We will put the principle to a vote at our "real" AG.

If we had to sum up in one sentence everything we have done for three years, we could say that the tremendous momentum of the microlight movement has not been matched by the human and financial resources needed to support our activity over the long term, in particular by supporting our instructors and our organisation managers. This is the groundwork we have undertaken. Without comparing ourselves with others, developing our own path, rebuilding our relationships with our main partners (Ministry of Sport, Ministry of Ecological Transition and DGAC, insurers) and creating new ones: ENAC, and soon the French Navy ("The sailors of the sky").

What team?

Its objectives can only be achieved with a fine team, of which I am very proud. A team of employees, a team of elected officials, supporters of everyone who wishes to join in its objectives. You will find an updated organisation chart here. You are welcome if you wish to join in the work undertaken. I want the team to keep growing around the divisions and also to renew itself periodically. If I had to name names, I would particularly like to thank two young Board members: Julien Tourbez, in charge of IT, and Océane Guinard, who leads, with Marie-Françoise Vallée Dubus, the superb youth team with very varied skills: broaden and rejuvenate, building on the experience of those with more experience, that's the equation!

What tempo?

For those who follow the life of the federations from a distance, which is tied to the Olympic cycle, we are in the last year of a four-year term. This year will obviously be very special, but we must always prepare what comes next, aware that time passes quickly, even in difficult moments. In the short term, we will need to prepare the restart as well as possible. In the long term, we will certainly need to rethink the main operating frameworks of traditional aviation. We have tremendous assets for that.

In 2020, if we look at the indicators, they are good: a rise in the number of members (over 500), a good flight safety trend (to be sustained over time), and balanced finances despite heavy investment.

From now on we will communicate every week through the newsletter.

Look after yourselves and your loved ones!

Courage to you all. We'll have great celebrations afterwards.

Sébastien Perrot

President of FFPLUM

Please find an extract from the draft financial report for 2019 by clicking here.

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Optimistic!

Pascal writes in the Pensées:

"When I have sometimes set myself to consider the various agitations of men, and the perils (…) from which spring so many quarrels, passions, undertakings bold and often evil, etc., I have often said that all the unhappiness of men comes from one single thing, which is that they do not know how to stay quietly in a room. A man who has enough to live on, if he knew how to stay at home with pleasure, would not leave it to go to sea or to the siege of a town."

For pilots, instructors and managers who are drawn to nature and mechanical sports, often passionate about the sea and the mountains, active in community life, and driven by a taste for passing things on and for projects, being confined is therefore a real mental revolution.

The frenzy of social media, the difficulty of working remotely, the cramped family quarters and the loss of the most basic points of contact in life do not make things easier. Yet, more than ever, it is thanks to our civic spirit and the support of the emergency services and all health professionals that we will get through this exceptional crisis, which is not a war in the classic sense of the word.

It therefore goes without saying, even if the authorities' communication may seem uncertain, that flights, even purely private ones, even above one's own home, must not be undertaken. The Federation does not make the regulations, and it is not for us to say that VFR flights are prohibited. A fatal accident, wrongly linked to a microlight by some media (we had it corrected), mobilised 28 firefighters. What more is there to say?

It also goes without saying that all calendar and administrative deadlines, examinations and refresher requirements concerning microlights will have to be postponed. It is likely that forthcoming ordinances will clarify this point, which concerns all administrations.

It also goes without saying that this crisis will deeply affect the resources devoted to sport and leisure activities. But it would be a mistake to want to sacrifice them right now. Aviation has always inspired dreams; it is a sensational experience. Young people will need meaningful activities, sport and culture more than ever, rather than hollow virtual socialising or a sanitised digital workspace.

Despite this exceptional upheaval, we must stay optimistic, because science, which is "without borders" (like aviation), will overcome this pandemic. We must also be optimistic because our humanity will surely emerge stronger from this painful ordeal.

We must therefore prepare for the end of the crisis. The Federation remains at your service, and head office has adapted to work normally. We have set up a COVID-19 monitoring unit that supports event organisers, clubs and affiliated companies. The Executive Board meets every week (remotely). Elected officials and managers are listening to you. We will have to hold out for the long haul; this is a marathon, not a 100-metre sprint. We will communicate every week through the newsletter.

Any initiatives or ideas that could help collectively will be welcome. Going it alone is not on the agenda, nor are side issues.

Take care of your loved ones and of yourself.

Sébastien Perrot

President of FFPLUM

Postponement of the General Assembly of the French Microlight Federation 2020

The exceptional circumstances of the Covid-19 crisis require us, and allow us - legally - to postpone the Federation's General Assembly, which was planned for Saturday 28 March at the DGAC premises. We plan to hold it in September and will let you know as soon as possible, depending on how the pandemic develops, of the new arrangements for holding it.

The activity report and the financial report will be published on 28 March, together with all the documents that were to support this non-elective General Assembly.

We must relay and take into account, in the life of our clubs and affiliated companies, the barrier measures and hygiene rules that are crucial to containing the virus while keeping our activities going as normally as possible.

Our "outdoor" activity is less affected than more enclosed sports or those geared towards large public events with major financial stakes. The aviation sector, however, is directly and dramatically hit. This will have knock-on effects on all parts of aeronautics.

We must stay supportive and united. It is everyone's public-spiritedness and sense of responsibility that will let us return to a normal social life as soon as possible.

Happy flying to you all.

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation

Below is the barrier gestures poster issued by the government:

https://www.gouvernement.fr/sites/default/files/contenu/piece-jointe/2020/03/coronavirus_gestes_barierre_spf.pdf

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Flight safety, training and the class struggle.

Reply to the Vol Moteur editorial of November 2019

In its November editorial “Six mismatched microlight classes, our Achilles' heel”, Vol Moteur asks the federation to publish accident statistics by class so as to allow a finer analysis. It even makes this a condition for showing that the federation has an active flight safety policy. One cannot answer an editorial with an editorial. A fuller explanation is therefore needed to remove any ambiguity.

Quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis

First of all, since 2015 (when the BEA resumed investigating microlight accidents after a break from 2009 to 2014), fatal accidents class by class, and even model by model, are known. The table is below:

What can we conclude from these figures? We can conclude anything and nothing if, alongside this quantitative approach, we do not have a qualitative one. In terms of analysis by class, no two years look alike, so it is hard to draw any conclusion. Since March 2017 (the start of the term of office), we have changed our approach very significantly. The Federation cannot work alone, and we hold very regular meetings and have permanent contact with the BEA and the DGAC and, from a different but complementary angle, with the GTA and our insurers.

We therefore decided to count not the number of deaths but the number of fatal accidents. Whether an accident claims one or two victims obviously has a considerable human impact, and an insurance impact too, but little on the analytical side. We have also paid greater attention to the ratio between serious and fatal accidents. The dividing line depends heavily on chance (fire on the ground, passive protection, delayed rescue…). The sadly famous 2015 season must therefore be put in perspective when set against the serious accidents of previous years. It should also be recalled that the Federation takes into account all accidents, whether or not the people involved were members. That may seem strange to say, but other federations count only “their victims”. We also wished to isolate the case of accidents that occur on machines registered in France, with pilots who hold French certificates but who fly abroad all year round outside the federal framework. The Federation has no influence over these pilots. That covers the methodological choices.

Counting and statistics

Let us return to the analysis by class. It goes without saying that these figures, which incidentally deal with small numbers, must be set against the whole fleet of machines. And strange as it may seem, this is not simple. There are mainly two channels for knowing the fleet: the DGAC, with its validity cards, and the Federation, through the taking out of licences. For historical reasons, the Federation created an insurance system (the famous pilot third-party liability cover) that is attached not to the machine but to the pilot. It was only by recording the types of flying (first, second, etc.) that we could know the class. I have always regretted this thoroughly skewed system. And you should know that the statistics published for years took account only of the first type of flying; besides being a mere survey, the notion of first type of flying tended to favour one class over another. It is, among other things, in the face of the very summary nature of the information collected, but also because of the difficulties of a slow and costly system, that we decided to change our licence-entry software, moving from GOAL (orange) to the EXALTO system. The transition was not without its bumps; it took place for the 2018 season. The new system makes it possible to collect objective information (certificates, machines). If we summarise the information available to us, at the end of December 2019 there were 15 400 members, and 30% of members do not have machine third-party liability insurance. This may be either students or members who are insured elsewhere. Licence and insurance must indeed be carefully kept apart.

People can take out a licence for reasons other than insurance, even if federal insurance is a good reason to do so (see “Why take out a licence?”). 8 100 machines are insured. In this fleet, 27% are paramotors, 17% weight-shift microlights, 47% three-axis microlights and 8% gyroplanes. By extrapolation, the fleet can be estimated at around 10 500 machines. On the DGAC side the figures are somewhat different: the fleet is much larger (around 16 000 machines) with roughly the same breakdown (more paramotors, however), but keeping a validity card does not mean that all the machines fly.

Percentage of machines by class in 2019, DGAC and FFPLUM:

DGAC source: number of microlights with a valid identification card on 14 October 2019.
FFPLUM source: microlights insured through the federal programme and declared by their owners on 05/11/2019.

So we have a lot of work to do to refine the data. The Federation has decided to launch a study in 2020 to gain a finer understanding of the fleet of machines. This study will cover various aspects: model type, average cost new, second-hand, and so on. The flight safety aspect is not decisive from this angle, however. For what do we know for certain? The percentage of machines by class is roughly the one mentioned. To make up for the lack of comparison with traditional aviation, the Federation has for several years asked members for their estimated number of hours per year. The average is around forty hours, but this method also has its flaws. It remains a declaration-based system, not always filled in correctly, depending only on members, and in a comparison with the certified aviation world that has its limits. It nevertheless emerges that microlight pilots, who are largely owners, naturally fly more.

The long timescale of analysis

In the end, what can we conclude from these elements? First of all, the number of fatal accidents (which, let us remember, deals with small numbers) is largely proportional to the fleet of machines. The number of serious accidents must be added to give a coherent picture. Can we say that one class is more dangerous than another? Take the paramotor, for example: it is significant that there are on average two fatal accidents but a large number of serious accidents, which are taken into account significantly in insurance terms. If we also look at free flight, which does not come under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport, we see around twenty fatal accidents a year for about 140 serious accidents, which is a lot when set against the number of hours, for example. The history of microlight flying was built on this diversity of classes (from the very beginning), even if the paramotor and the gyroplane came along later. This history is coherent, and the classes have always stood together in dealing with overall risk. Drawing up statistics by class shows nothing truly significant. We will take care to leave aside the creation of the recent class 6, which will be assessed once enough time has passed. To bring some clarity to this sensitive subject, however, the Federation secured (September 2019) that the DGAC, with the BEA and the Federation’s help, produce a study on “20 years of flight safety in microlights”. Our hypothesis, to be refined, is that the very significant increase in the fleet of machines over 20 years has not led to a proportional rise in serious and fatal accidents. A downward trend in their number can even be seen. The recurring prejudice about microlights is often tied to a supposed danger specific to them. This idea is very largely wrong. Perhaps it is also time to stop comparing our activity with others (aeroplanes, free flight). We have enough perspective to assess our own share of risk. After 40 years of activity and a well-established regulatory environment (1998, 2018), we need to take full responsibility for ourselves. That is what we have undertaken. Enough talk of figures; let us talk about concrete action.

Typology of accidents and actions by the Federation

With the help of the BEA and the DGAC, we have set about establishing a qualitative typology of flight safety every year. The main characteristic of our activity is the diversity of machines, which the Vol Moteur editorial rightly stresses, and which in fact suggests that a typology by class is of little interest, because within each class the machines are very disparate. Unlike traditional aviation, which is marked by a certain uniformity of types. This diversity is our richness (a regulation that allows innovation) but it is also a weakness. The other characteristic is the diversity of organisations: small clubs, large owners’ clubs, clubs with or without an instructor, and companies, which account for 30% of the 1 200 organisations. There is no such thing as a typical microlight club. We also have 1 100 instructors affiliated to the Federation, which is relatively few for the number of machines. We must therefore do everything to energise this community without touching the regulatory lever, or as little as possible. That is what we expressed by saying “raise the safety culture without changing the regulatory framework”.

Return to Flying (REV)

This finding led to the setting up of the Return to Flying (REV) scheme (April 2018). The principle is to encourage a pilot to fly with an instructor, helped by a contribution to the cost of the flight, on an entirely voluntary basis. This scheme, which was at first reserved for owners only, was extended to all pilots (January 2019). We plan to simplify the application interface (March 2020). In 2018: 180 registered for REV; in 2019: 600, in every class! If every instructor did one REV, we would already have 1 000. This is a scheme that has taken hold and is gradually gathering strength, putting the instructor back at the centre of our flying.

ENAC partnership

We have also decided to bring together every year (June 2018, June 2019) all the affiliated instructor training centres (which make up 95% of centres) to exchange on practices. It is notably through this channel that we set up the partnership with the ENAC. The observation was that we needed a framework to bring our practices into line, without falling back into the logic of a National Microlight Centre, which had its merits and its limits, and without falling into regulatory obligation either. On this occasion we discovered in particular how notoriously weak material support for our instructors was compared with traditional aviation, for historical reasons that should not be disowned but that have also reached their limits. Most training courses or refresher courses are indeed funded for aeroplane or glider instructors. We obtained (March 2019) that our instructor trainers or trainee instructors who wish to can attend the educational psychology week run by the ENAC at its Muret site. Most of the trainers have already taken part, with unanimously positive feedback. The mix of instructors from completely different backgrounds enriches the experience, and we have as much to learn from the ENAC as the ENAC has to learn from microlight flying. A trainee paramotor instructor being able to talk about his flying with an airline captain from a national carrier is interesting for both. This partnership is also gathering strength, and it allows all instructors to benefit from this shared experience during their refresher courses.

Material support for instructors

As for concrete material support for instructors, we obtained from our insurers (January 2019) the creation of a special instructor user third-party liability policy, with a premium sometimes lowered by €100 for identical cover. Some regions (for example AURA) have set up an annual grant for instructors, and we will ask the National Sports Agency, which has just been set up (November 2019), to help us extend this scheme. We have also worked on the equivalence of qualifications between the instructor certificate and the sports world. This is an ongoing and complex subject, which will allow better support for professional careers. We have also helped, on an ad hoc basis, with requests that were made, driven by specific motivations. In this respect, the Federation is open and reachable. In two years, the Federation’s staffing organisation has been profoundly reshaped, and you now get answers every day on instructors, organisations, regulation, insurance, legal matters and communication. To encourage meetings and exchanges at local level, we set up (January 2018) instructor forums, which club presidents often join. The Federation supports the regional committees to the tune of €500 to set up these meetings. Subjects and difficulties are tackled with no taboos. Specific cases always get a specific answer. On the sports movement side, the audit by the general inspectorate of sports (September 2018) that we had requested helped identify a new approach, extending the notion of sport to other aspects, including training. In a context of post closures, we obtained (August 2019) the creation of a national technical adviser post covering sport, flight safety and training. This post should normally be filled early in the year, and we would like to set up a federal assistant-instructor scheme, like what exists in diving or parachuting, for example, to allow, under the instructor’s responsibility, a broader training offer. And also to allow those planning to become instructors to enter an intermediate process. Because ultimately, and this is the whole point of our new approach, the question of flight safety is obviously tied to the question of training.

Delegation of the microlight theory exam

In a way, the subject of training was approached backwards, because we began by reforming instructor training without raising the question of reforming pilot training. The reform had been undertaken in some confusion and over an unusually long time before our term of office (March 2017); its real effects were felt with the refresher course (January 2019), and we are doing our best to make things easier while supporting the new requirements, which are good practice. But the real effect actually concerns pilot training. It is a complicated subject that required many exchanges to arrive at something simple. The Federation will administer the microlight theory exam in some of its organisations (around fifty at first) by early 2021. The current exam suffered from a few defects that were not conducive to a good start in our flying. The DGAC has therefore agreed to support the Federation on this project. This means amending the 2000 order on the microlight theory exam. A new order, with a modernised, simplified pedagogy, common in its theory part and specific by class, should appear in spring 2020. The exam application needed to test the scheme is already operational (spring 2019). In the long run, this will certainly be the most significant change for our Federation. A whole, highly motivated team of instructors has joined this project, working with the DGAC. It is an enormous task and it will bear fruit. In time, we would like (March 2021) to be able to offer a new federal reference manual with e-learning alongside. In anticipation of this new environment, the Federation has already produced two seasons (2018, 2019) of safety and training tutorials, including one aimed specially at the general public (“Is microlight flying dangerous?”).

Human and material resources

To all these new actions over the past two years we should add running the network of regional flight safety officers (national meeting January 2018, March 2019), the class-by-class “microlight” presentations given at the BEA for first-response investigators (on average two sessions of 40 people a year), similar talks to the GTA (nationally, March 2020), trials and assessments in technical areas with the BEA (carburettors or investigations into specific problems), the forthcoming reissue of the Safety Memo, the monthly updates, ULM-Info, and so on. If we take into account only the REV operation, the ENAC partnership, the safety meetings and the preparation of the microlight theory exam, we are looking at an average additional financial effort of €100 000 in 2018 and in 2019. Funding comes partly from grants (REV Agreement, ENAC Agreement), from the introduction of Insurance Intermediary Agent status (January 2018) and from the federal share of licences.

Vol Moteur and class struggle

Some may think that all this is just words, speeches, “smoke and mirrors”. It is in fact an account of very concrete actions that take hours of exchanges, meetings and setting up of apparently simple initiatives. There are plenty of people involved: partners, safety and training teams full of projects, convinced instructors, managers of organisations. For a very long time in our world, people have liked “editorials” and positions taken, for and especially “against”. This is often very reductive, with in the end a great deal of immobility. Thinking that publishing accidents by microlight class will revolutionise the overall level of safety is still rather far from the reality of what can actually be done, if one has taken care to understand what is really being done. But where the subject is not entirely innocent is that this demand has often been made by those who wanted one class to be separated from the others, or who wished to establish that some classes are more dangerous than others.

Here we do need to say a little about the evolution of Vol Moteur, which has been a historic companion of the Federation from the start. For the past ten years or so, however, Vol Moteur’s editorial line has been pulled by two tendencies. First, Channel R, as in René, in favour of separating the paramotor from the rest of microlight flying. It is not put that way, but in practice that is the real wish. Along with complete liberalisation of machines under 120 kg, supposedly safer. Either the administrative complexity of aviation, which has become heavier and is “killing” flying, is invoked, or the microlight theory exam, which French people who have become illiterate supposedly cannot pass. I am only just caricaturing. There are certainly things to do, such as delegating the microlight theory exam and others (we will come back to them) to simplify access to flying, but this is not linked to the flight safety argument.

On the other side there is Channel W, as in Willy, which fills Vol Moteur with modern, heavy and sophisticated three-axis machines, in a microlight-aeroplane approach that has failed in regulatory terms over the past two years. Everywhere in Europe where the microlight movement was split between paramotors, weight-shift microlights and gyroplanes on one side and three-axis microlights on the other, growth has weakened. The problems of safety, training, airfields, airspace and development cut across all classes and require solidarity between our forms of flying, which have always sat halfway between the certified world and free flight. It is in this space between transport and sport that the microlight ecosystem took off, and it is in this space that we are best equipped to meet tomorrow’s challenge (see the latest ULM Info editorial on “crises”). It is a mistake to separate the paramotors from the rest at the Mondial de l’Aviation, it is a mistake to no longer welcome them at Blois. Of course one may disagree, but one must see each party’s interests. In this case, flight safety has nothing to do with this “class struggle”, which has always run through our history. We should also ask why machines have become more expensive, but then how do we explain the evolution of our cars between 1980 and today? Why drive an SUV in town? Can’t we feel that simplicity is in fact our best asset? It is not a matter of regulation but of mindset.

The Federation’s policy is faithful to keeping the classes together, and this dynamic is coherent. Perhaps some will also have understood better, reading us, why it is worth taking out a licence to support these choices and their implementation, not only to defend but to promote. Because whatever their merits, it is not the unions, the “European” federations, the brokers bought out by other brokers, or even the magazine publishers who carry the general interest. It is the Federation, the common home, for all classes!

That is a mid-term review on training and safety. All help is welcome; there is still work to do!

Safe flying

Sébastien PERROT

President of the French Microlight Federation

January 2020

Jean-Christophe Gibert

Head of the Training Committee

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The Federation is on the road for its members!

Reply to the ULMaG editorial “Who is the Federation working for?”
https://www.ulmag.fr/index.php?lire=edito/edito_aff.php

Dear Miguel,

In your November editorial, you challenge the reader by asking “whom does the federation work for?”. You report on the meeting of the “Vieux Deb’s” association held in November, on the theme “Where is the federation heading?”. That meeting brought together about twenty people, including five from the federation and not two (two elected members of the Board of Directors, one national technical director, two representatives of the regional committees). It resulted in a largely one-sided report by the association, whose talking points you relay. Perhaps it is time to set the record straight?

Microlight-aeroplanes and regulations

Among the subjects raised in no particular order, you mention the new regulations of July 2018. I do not wish to come back in an allusive way to such a complicated subject, which has caused a great deal of ink to flow, but I challenge anyone to show that these regulations undermine our freedoms or penalise any form of flying. Looking around the European regulatory environment, one realises how lucky we are to have preserved and encouraged this framework. In two years we have managed to secure the future of our regulations. France's election to head the EMF is a sign of this new influence. Whether people like it or not, these regulations are very widely accepted, pragmatic and preserve what is essential. They may still evolve towards greater simplification.

On the “microlight-aeroplane” trend, we must first acknowledge that it does not date from July. Magazine covers and the last few years of the Blois microlight show are not representative of the machines in our hangars. We have 30% of paramotors feeding every kind of flying, a lively second-hand market, and new machines that remain affordable if one wishes: the market depends both on customers and on what they are shown. The lesson of our European experience is that wherever classes have been split, the dynamic is negative. Here again, one cannot develop this remark in three lines. But I am confident that ULMaG will also get its information from the Federation, all the more so when it is being called into question. Everyone's opinions will be informed and balanced by opposing views.

On flight safety, we will see the trend over time, but our principles are simple: no fatalism, no extra regulation. Let us avoid shortcuts and the “why don't they just…” chatter of the squadron bar. The equation “microlight-aeroplanes” = “new regulations” = “accidents” is incorrect. Conversely, how do we explain that there were sometimes more than 30 deaths a year 20 years ago? If there is a subject that calls for perspective, a cool head and collective work, it is this one. If there is a subject that has mobilised energy and resources for two years, it is this one. One example: Return to Flying (REV) in 2018: 180 flights, REV in 2019: 600. The DGAC has agreed to undertake (with the BEA and with us) a study on “20 years of microlight safety”. Nobody has all the answers. Our recent trends are good, and that is not just chance. We will talk about it again, but without shortcuts.

The medical

On the medical question, I believe ULMaG has perfectly understood the federal policy. The no-contraindication check on first taking out a licence is already long-standing and well accepted. The introduction of the QM Sport at the start of 2019 understandably threw some people. But those who have understood the philosophy of this questionnaire have grasped that not only does it not undermine our freedoms, it is also intelligently designed. It coherently protects us from the aeronautical medical examination. Without this approach from the Ministry of Sport, our system would have changed long ago, including for those who strut around outside the federal framework and have never done anything to preserve our freedoms. Here again, let us look at what has happened in Europe.

It is a mistake to associate the Ministry of Sport with competition alone. Training, health, and the development of flying and of airfields are essential issues. The subject is delicate and has required a great deal of collective work over the past two years. It allows us to build a strong relationship in the context of the overhaul of the sports movement. To take account of some people's comments on the questionnaire, we have simplified the attestation as far as possible when taking out the licence for the coming season. For a year now, a passionate microlight enthusiast, a faithful companion of our shared history, has been very active on this subject. Despite hours of explanation, he is not convinced and is very fiery online. That is how it is. He has never, however, called into question the quality of the work we have been doing for two years.

The radio

In the editorial, ULMaG also refers to the Federation's “submission” to authority, among other things. It is good to be so nuanced. But it is all wrong. The October editorial refers to the radio text published in July. That text was a complete piece of miscasting, totally unforeseen, including by most DGAC departments. The perfect example of what not to do: no preparation beforehand, plenty of inconsistencies in application. The Federation said so. What is it doing? We are waiting for the texts of the new microlight theory test, for early spring 2020, which will redefine radio skills from the ground up. The published text formed part of the effort to give microlights access to controlled airfields, a long-standing subject that ended up getting lost over time. In the meantime, you simply need to contact the Federation in case of a shocking, shaky or incomprehensible situation. It is a bit crude and easy to speak of submission. The world, fortunately, is not so binary. One has to listen, understand, negotiate, propose and report back. That takes time, sometimes violent conflicts, but always respect. So it is not a relationship of domination that structures relations with the DGAC, but a clear-eyed partnership. Not to see, too, the good fortune we have in Europe of having such an administration is the blindness of spoilt children. A historic blindness, because it is the DGAC that made microlighting possible from the very beginning.

The lack of democracy

ULMaG mentions the distance of the Board of Directors from the regional committees. That is very funny. Two years ago we decided to involve the regional committees closely in the governance of the Federation, notably through a large joint Board of Directors alongside the usual meetings of regional committees and Boards of Directors, as well as monthly executive board meetings, which did not exist before. The last large committee took place a fortnight ago and was unanimously appreciated by all for the quality of the work and the choices made.

There is indeed one regional committee president who spends his time running down our work in a style all his own; he is a doctor of discord. I am confident in the long run: nobody listens to him any more. The web is his outlet.

Some people talk about democracy at every turn, but when it comes to counting, there is nobody there! It is not enough to puff yourself up behind a screen or to speak loudly in front of half a coach, saying “some clubs here or there” or “more and more” to bend the reality of things, mistaking a stream for a tsunami. Elections are regular, the annual reports are approved with more than 90%, the many clubs present ask questions and we answer. Some stand for election. Others are elected. Of the 20 elected members of the Board of Directors, 6 are women and 2 are under thirty. Throughout this year 2019, there have been numerous meetings of instructors, club leaders and committees. Where are the divisions? There is debate, there is discussion, but the feedback is largely positive, or else it really is “Tintin in the Land of the Soviets” in lots of corners of France, with an overwhelming majority of members lulled to sleep by the narcotic federal word.

It would also be good to change the old demagogic refrain about the grassroots and the top, the real country and the legal country, the France of below and the France of above. We are happy to sacrifice our time and energy on plenty of subjects, but we would not have so much support and such momentum if we were just a team of arrogant, pretentious “traitors”. My principle is not to make personal attacks but to try to bring teams together around widely shared projects. That is called Federating. It takes quite a lot of energy. I do not like testosterone-fuelled governance, or sterile controversies that lead nowhere.

Of course people have the right to disagree, but we need to impose a few simple rules on ourselves: do not call people to account without checking with those directly concerned; do not fall into the sometimes hurtful easy option; accept the rules of democratic life that apply to federations.

I have long appreciated ULMaG, and if I am taking the time to reply, it is because I am attached to it at a time when the aeronautical press is changing a great deal, when social networks give more importance to the video of a cat falling into a swimming pool than to listening to simple, widely shared principles, expressed publicly and with respect for difference.

The spirit of the age likes easy information, and confirmation bias where you only listen to those who already think as you do. By headlining “Who is the Federation working for?”, the implication is that we have sold out, but to whom? To the DGAC? That shows little knowledge of our relations. To money? One is allowed to laugh. To aeroplanes? Speak freely about it with the president of the FFA, who is also a friend, but with whom we have frank relations. To whom else might we be sold? The CIA? Big business? The Illuminati? Paranoid suspicion always stimulates the imagination, but it rarely gets things moving. On the other hand, when you know a little about the ins and outs of our movement, certain postures are not without irony.

Let us also avoid the crude tricks about the “historic channel” guardian of the temple. The expression should give pause for thought to anyone with a sense of history. The history of microlighting belongs to everyone. It is a bit of a shame to capture this heritage in a sectarian approach, hitting out at the Federation while building a mausoleum to Dominique Méreuze: traitors and the golden age, the true and the false, a B-movie western with its censors and its scapegoats. The script is sometimes baroque when you know the actors' past. If we had let certain people who were only driving for themselves run the Federation after Dominique's death, we would be sitting on the side of the road with our hazard lights on! And besides, if we were so cut off from the world, why would 5 officials have come to a meeting of 15 people?

So there you are, dear Miguel, a healthy clarification. I also know that on plenty of subjects you are in tune with us: Blois in 2021, the delegation of the microlight theory exam, the paramotor world championships in the Paris region, the flight safety and training policy, and so on, and that we have plenty to do together, each in our own role. I also know that you are not one to attack individuals, but your standing and professionalism sometimes feed less nuanced debates and invective. The problem is not disagreeing but listening to each other beforehand rather than hurling anathemas afterwards. It was necessary to rebalance things a little so as not to let people say just anything for free.

For two years now there has been a whole, deeply committed team, made up of elected officials, support staff, employees and committees, serving our members. There are clubs, commercial organisations, active supporting partners and ordinary pilots, generally happy with the policy being followed. As soon as we identify a problem, we try to solve it or take it into account; there are also plenty of projects and a deep renewal of the teams. That, I believe, is what a very large majority of members appreciate. Plenty of things can be improved, but systematically running things down is flying on the back of the power curve.

I will not play ping-pong on social media; I would rather mobilise people to build.

Who does the Federation work for? For its members! At the beginning of December, there are 15 360 of them.

Happy holidays.

Sébastien PERROT

President of the French Microlight Federation, working for its members

December 2019

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France takes over the presidency of the European Microlight Federation (EMF)

At its annual general assembly in Warsaw, the EMF (European Microlight Federation) elected Louis Collardeau, who is also 1^st Vice-President of the French Microlight Federation, as its president. The situation has changed considerably over three years, when France was largely in the minority in confused regulatory discussions.

This election should not be read as a success for France but for a widely shared vision. It is now well established that the EMF brings together the European aviation movements that have chosen to stay outside the scope of the European Agency under national regulation. By seeking unified microlight regulation at European level, all we do is level everything up, penalising flying and manufacturers. We run the risk of being caught up by regulation that depends directly on the Agency.

The EMF’s priority now is to make bilateral agreements easier, as has always been the case since the beginning of the microlight adventure. We also need to encourage the sharing of good practice, in both flight safety and training, making life easier for European pilots. We would also like to organise a “Microlight Erasmus” to show that our light, accessible recreational aviation is the way of the future. We would also like to give the Blois microlight show a more European dimension from 2021.

Fewer regulatory debates played like 18-cushion billiards, more flying, respecting our differences while promoting the best of what we have. The next EMF general conference will take place in Paris in October 2020.

Founded in 2004, notably at the instigation of Dominique Méreuze, the EMF today represents more than 60 000 microlight pilots in 23 European countries. In October 2015, Rieteke Van Luijt succeeded Dominique as president of the EMF. Over these past 4 years, most of the EMF’s activity has focused on the evolution of microlight regulation, which ended in 2018 with the new Annex 1 to European Regulation 2018/1139, leaving each country free to define its own microlight regulation. A big thank you to Rieteke for leading the EMF through these 4 years, full of debate and sometimes surprising regulatory twists from the European Union. The new EMF board, formed on 12/10/2019, has 5 members (in the photo, left to right): Dariusz Cymerys (Poland) secretary general, Jan Fridrich (Czech Republic) vice-president, Louis Collardeau (France) president, Rieteke van Luijt (Netherlands) treasurer and Hans Havager (Denmark) vice-president.

Happy flying!

The French Microlight Federation

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Publication of the New Microlight Regulations!

The new microlight regulations have just been published in the Official Journal:

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000038705197&dateTexte=&categorieLien=id

The Federation has designed a resource that summarises all the important information. It has just appeared in ULM-Info and is available below as a PDF in French and English.

The head office is mobilised to answer your questions.

Happy flying!

The French Microlight Federation

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The Air Sports Festival took place from 11 to 19 May!

For the second year running, the National Council of Aeronautical and Sports Federations (CNFAS) coordinated the Air Sports Festival. The aim is to promote every form of flight to the general public: aeroplane, glider, free flight, balloon, helicopter, parachuting, model aircraft, amateur building and, of course, microlights, showing in concrete terms that the dream of flying is within reach.

The week was accompanied by a television campaign, which the FFA (aeroplanes) has run for many years. An interactive map was set up on the CNFAS website (www.cnfas.fr), allowing every organisation to register and show its presence through a wide variety of events, from a simple open day with trial flights to larger-scale events. Everyone does as they see fit, but with shared tools and a bigger media sounding board than usual.

With our 1 000 affiliated clubs and schools and 800 airfields, the Federation has an exceptional territorial network. Microlight flying is innovative, varied and accessible, but often too little known or misunderstood. Every month we produce films that help to inform the general public better. In 2019, we also made the first licence free for people under 25 and for women. Everything is in place to celebrate! Join us and take part in this edition. We will repeat it every year.

Despite the weather, which was not always on our side during the week, we thank all the clubs and regional committees that helped to organise it!

Happy flying, and fly safe

Sébastien PERROT

President of the French Microlight Federation

April - May 2019

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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!

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation

February 2019

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Together, let’s prepare 2019!

Our activity is mainly seasonal. For the Federation, preparing the year 2019 takes anticipation. In 2018 we gave priority to the triptych of Regulation, Safety and Training. The objectives are clear, some have been partly achieved, and the calendar is unfolding at a steady pace, with the delegation of the microlight theory test and the organisation of the paramotor world championships on the horizon for 2020.

For 2019, we wanted to get back to basics: the licence. Why and how should you take out a licence? What does the Federation concretely bring to pilots and to the life of clubs, beyond the big issues usually identified? How can we promote our activity within a framework that does not distort it?

In parallel but separately, we wanted to redefine our insurance offer, with products that offer ever more cover at optimised prices. The Federation has joined forces within UFEGA with other federations to obtain specific insurance. The insurance offered by the Federation is made by pilots for pilots.

We have therefore been working on these two subjects for over a year. In practical terms, on the licence side, this means:

> A new Member area, smoother and more practical. The previous software was almost 15 years old. Switching over is a big job and we will inevitably have a few teething problems. But our partner is very responsive and the product keeps improving. For those who prefer paper, we have reinstated a Licence&Insurance form, available on the website or simply on request from the Federation;

> The licence can be taken out from October. The first year is free for women and for those under 25.

On the insurance side:

> Clearer presentation and optimised prices (a reduction in IA personal accident cover, RC third-party liability rates maintained)
> A special instructor user RC policy, on average €50 cheaper than the standard user RC
> The option of insuring your owner's RC for a parked microlight for €5 when you are not flying, or later in the season
> A new accident damage insurance for damage outside flight operations, anywhere

All this is sometimes complicated to explain in detail. We will go out into the field with the regional committees to explain, help and support club presidents, as was done with the safety meetings.

We have, however, created three resources to make the basics easier to understand:

> The tutorial “Why and how should you take out a licence?”
> The tutorial “Why and how should you take out insurance?”
> The Licence&Insurance user guide, available as a PDF

The whole team works hard so that we can enjoy our passion in the best possible conditions. On its behalf, and with the head office staff, I would like to wish you and your loved ones an excellent year 2019.

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation

December 2018

download the FFPLUM 2019 calendar (A4 double-sided PDF format, HD, 2,72 MB)

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French-style microlighting

August 2018

The new text of the European regulation (to download below) on the basic rules in the field of civil aviation will appear in the Official Journal of the European Union at the end of August, to apply during September. The text allows each Member State to opt for an exemption. In line with the guidelines of our term-of-office programme, our European battles within the EMF and the work done with the DGAC since then, the Director General, Mr Patrick Gandil, confirmed in a letter addressed to us (3 August 2018) (see below) that France would exercise this exemption to preserve the national microlight regulation. The main principles of our regulation for builders and for pilots do not change. We fully maintain the declaration-based system. This exemption will give rise to a new national text on microlights, whose scope is known and which will soon be finalised:

• Empty weight of 295 kg (or 320 kg with parachute), maximum take-off weight of 500 kg (525 kg) for two-seaters
• No change for paramotors and weight-shift microlights
• Maximum stall speed of 65 km/h
• Slight increase in power for gyroplanes and helicopters
  

This new regulation will make the control of empty mass and stall speed more effective. As in the current regulation, its scope is national and will give rise to bilateral agreements, or to agreements if foreign machines comply with these principles.

This is the end of a long journey that began in 2015 and gave rise to a great deal of controversy and discussion, with quite exceptional pressure from supporters of 600 kg. We resisted and we will come out of this sequence reinforced and strengthened. Beyond this scope, it is no longer a microlight but lightened certification. The limits are clear.

Our regulations change roughly every 20 years, most recently in 1998. The whole challenge now is to increase our safety within this regulatory framework. That is where we must focus our efforts.

Have a good new season
Happy flying, and long live French-style microlight flying!

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation

Download:

• Letter from the Director General of the DGAC, Mr Patrick Gandil
• New European regulation (EU) 2018/1139 on common rules in the field of civil aviation
• Proposed table of regulatory microlight weights

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Safety and Training: a good trend

June 2018

This month you will discover the first tutorial on training (“Engine failure on take-off”), following a first series of “three maintenance tutorials” and the presentation of the “ 6 classes”. Coming up: the “Rescue parachute”, then after the summer the “Jack’s Lessons”, of which you have a foretaste in “ The airspeed indicator is life! ”. There will also be another series of three “maintenance tutorials” before the end of the year.

Short films will not by themselves shift the lines, but the convergence of different actions will: the Flight Safety Bulletin at the start of each month with its four contributors (safety, training, RASU, and the analyst’s view), ULM-Info, materials in clubs and schools, safety meetings organised in the regions and above all the REV (Return to Flying) operation, which is enjoying a fine success at its start, together with all our partners.

With a single objective: to raise safety culture without touching our regulatory framework.

This start to the season is encouraging. The weather factor and statistical bias must not mislead us, but there is a clear decrease in serious and fatal accidents.

In the long run, it is training that will shift the balance: producing teaching resources, energising our rich network of instructors, the necessary reform of the federal theory exam. This takes place over the long term, with a team and a programme, hard work and a pragmatic approach, but the trend is good, and it is up to each of us to support it.

Safe flying

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation

>>> Discover all our videos on the FFPLUM YouTube channel

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Microlighting to share!

May 2018

 

This month you will see in pictures the very good results of our teams at the paramotor World Championship in Thailand in difficult conditions (click HERE to see the results). There are the champions, and we congratulate them, but behind them there is also a whole team and the resources the Federation provides to promote and support the momentum of paramotoring, which is fully, and more than ever, microlighting.

Microlighting is a big family with different practices and budgets of every kind. We must above all not set activities against one another, separate them, or compartmentalise them. We must take the best of each and share the tremendous energy of an accessible and modern form of aviation. Sport is an extraordinary driver and we encourage the development of regional competitions.

Outside the circle of those who fly, our activity is still poorly understood, and too often burdened with unfounded prejudice. To widen its audience, the Federation has decided that next season, new members will be able to take out their licence from October (which amounts to three months free for the licence and insurance). It is a small detail, but we must create the best conditions for discovering our activity. We have also decided to offer the first year of licence to young people under 25 and to women! It is up to us to convince people and let them discover it. This school year, 11 500 young people, 2 700 of them girls, are sitting the BIA. They want to fly! We must go to meet them, stepping off the beaten tracks of traditional aviation.

This month we are releasing the last episode of the first series of maintenance tutorials (cleaning the carburettor) (click HERE to see the video), which will resume after the summer with three new episodes. Next month we will talk about engine failure on take-off, again in the form of a short film.

Let’s share our passion in all its forms!

Safe and happy flying.

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation

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April 2018

The First Review of “Générations ULM”

The last General Assembly approved by a very large majority the review of the first year of our term of office. This “Générations ULM” term rests firmly on a close-knit team, a clear programme and collective energy mobilised to defend and promote our activity. It is all a matter of rhythm and timing, however. To put it simply and schematically, things can be summed up as follows.

1. This first year was mainly devoted to reorganising the way the Federation works (insurance agent status, new salaried posts for regulation, safety, legal affairs and communication), a joint Board of Directors with the Regional Committees and all our support teams, about 50 people in all, and a reset of our various contractual relationships in a controlled financial environment. On the regulatory front, we clarified and untangled the European issue concerning our regulations in liaison with the DGAC, and likewise on medical matters. We introduced an incentive-based safety and training policy including, among other things, the Return to Flying operation, which requires substantial resources, partly obtained through the Federation’s first four-year agreement with the DGAC. Safety has a price and we pay it without touching our regulatory framework.

2. The coming season will bring major changes to the licence and insurance: a change of data-entry software, a start to the season in October for new members, a free first year of licence for under-25s and women (new members), a personal area for each member, downloadable medical certificate, and simplified insurance products matched as closely as possible to the diversity of our practices. It is a big job of renewing our offer.

3. Starting now, but with a necessarily longer horizon given the time needed to implement it, we are investing in a Microlight Training plan whose aim is to energise our pool of instructors by helping them in their practice under the new regulations. In time, we would like the microlight theory exam to be taken in federal structures (like the FFVV does with the Wingu system). This means the Federation taking on a consistent teaching approach while respecting the specificity of each class and of our declaratory system. We need institutional partners to support this movement, and we are working on it.

Of course there is everything else (sport, airfields…), and above all the unexpected! But it is important to have a coherent roadmap in order to report back and rally people. That is what we have!

Good weather is here! Safe flying, and do your REVs!

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation

Discover the “Générations ULM” programme

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April 2018

Microlighting by microlighters

For about ten years, most of what is new in sport and leisure aviation has come from microlighting and revolves around it. The Blois show is one of the few in France to showcase new models, the covers of traditional magazines feature microlights, and you even find advertisements referring to the “microlight spirit” on fully certified flying sites. Electric aviation is being driven by our regulations, and the same regulations are rejuvenating seaplane flying, mountain flying and adapted flying. That is a good thing! Success should be shared.

It has therefore become common for aeroplane clubs to buy microlights, and for gliding clubs to buy microlights for towing (and only for that, we are told). It is a fact that amateur building is increasingly open to microlights. And free flying is itself on the fringe of paramotoring. This trend calls for a few remarks.

First of all, it is the FFPLUM that defends and promotes microlight flying. It is therefore natural, and this is very widely done, for microlight sections to be open and themselves affiliated to the Federation. This also gives access to all the support we provide to clubs, instructors and members. It is also up to us to offer ever better-suited services. But we must not forget that our movement is far less captive than traditional certified activities, where you inevitably go through the club! That is not the case for us, where a majority of those who fly are owners. Bringing people together takes more energy for us, with resources that are historically weaker.

Where things become a little more problematic is when the microlight is used in a spirit that is no longer that of a microlight and, ironically, some claim to explain to us what microlights are, how to use them or what should be done for the sport to evolve, sometimes even asking for specific regulatory adjustments. As far as flight safety is concerned, we must accompany our success by keeping our safety level much more under control. It has been in the upper averages for some years, but we also need help in this, because the shift towards our sport is general! We can clearly identify accidents linked to a use that has nothing to do with microlighting, and that until recently fell under certified aviation.

Finally, it is a fact that aviation professionals have been raised in a culture of certification, and we must redouble our efforts to explain what makes us different and how we keep our balance. It would be desirable for engineers, controllers and players in the certified world to take on board the declaration-based culture from the outset, in order to respond as precisely as possible to our issues. The systematic training of first-response investigators with microlight modules within the BEA is an excellent practice, and we would be delighted to be able to support the opening of microlight sections in the major aeronautical schools!

These remarks are made in good faith with our friends in the other federations. This is all the more true as we have never worked with such solidarity within the CNFAS, whose role we would like to see
better known. That is the purpose of the events for the 50 years of the BIA, or the Air Sports Festival that we are setting up this year for the first time. Working closely together, even friendship, does not rule out frankness and clarity of intent.

In the long run, everyone benefits!

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation

Continue reading in our magazine ULM Info

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March 2018

Return to flying, here we go!

The Return to Flying (REV) operation is now up and running. The application that lets pilots get in touch with our instructors is live on the Federation’s website. This approach is incentive-based, preventive and original. It aims to make it easier to share flying experience, of which our instructors are the guarantors, by raising our safety culture. After the Return to Flying, the pilot receives a federal contribution of 40 euros. This operation is long-term and we want it to be a success. It applies to all microlight classes.

It requires significant resources, which are provided by the Federation and by support from the Directorate General for Civil Aviation. We will regularly review its implementation, and our approach will be pragmatic if the arrangements need adapting.

As every month now, we are releasing a short film on our sport. This month we start with a series of “maintenance tutorials” with Pierre Pouchès and Thomas Gadaud of the National Technical Training and Testing Centre (CNFTE). Of course, Return to Flying! In this case, on a paramotor!

Even if the temperatures are deceptive, it is spring!

Enjoy getting back into flying!

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation

Return to Flying (REV) is a programme launched by the French Microlight Federation in partnership with

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23 January 2018

Microlight regulations: the timetable takes shape

On 11 January 2018, the European Parliament and Council adopted the civil aviation regulation proposals. The 271-page text is available on the Commission’s website (http://data.consilium.europa.eu) and also on the Federation’s (here). This is a very important step that closes this very long process, full of controversy.

Two pages in particular concern us: page 205, which defines Annex 1 excluding aircraft that fall outside the competence of the European Agency, and page 39, paragraph 7a of Article 2, which defines the conditions under which a State may exclude certain aircraft from the Agency’s remit within an envelope different from that of Annex 1.

This complicated subject was covered in a long article in the latest ULM-Info (“The second life of the EMF”), which is also online on the Federation’s website and places our regulatory vision in the European context. Our position therefore remains unchanged and we are acting in perfect harmony with the DGAC.

This announcement gives us a clearer view of the timetable. We still have to wait for this text (which will not be amended) to be applied. From that point, we will define with the DGAC the outline of the regulatory changes, whose principles are known: the current declaratory system, an empty mass that is substantially the same, and a maximum mass of 500 kg.

It is risky to announce a timetable, but the DGAC and the Federation will soon be in control of the clock. This is therefore very good news for our movement.

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation

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10 December 2017

New IULM order

The orders on microlight instructor training have been published in the Journal Officiel and are available at the following links:

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/arrete/2017/11/24/TRAA1729550A/jo/texte

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/arrete/2017/11/24/TRAA1729552A/jo/texte

These orders and their annexes are the result of long, complex and fruitful work with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, particularly with the departments of the Directorate for Safety and Regulation, and those of the General and Helicopter Light Aviation Mission.

Our regulations were more than twenty years old, and changes were needed to reflect the evolution of both our activity and teaching methods.

The work, begun under the previous term of office, has preserved and promoted the spirit of our regulations, based on Responsibility and Freedom. It both guarantees the consistency of training and maintains the specific nature of our activities.

We worked very effectively with the SNPPAL in a spirit of collegiality on such an essential subject. We would like to thank its president, Serge Marolle.

Since March 2017, Jean Christophe Gibert (head of the Training committee) has taken responsibility on behalf of the Federation for finalising the work, in close collaboration with Louis Collardeau (First Vice-President in charge of regulation). We also want to highlight the work of Pierre-Henri Lopez (former President, now Second Vice-President), who had to lead this reform at the end of the previous term, as well as the role of the lead instructors for each class and of the instructor training centres.

The texts are only a beginning. Now we have to bring them to life.

The federation will launch (from February 2018) a major Training and Safety action, Return to Flying, which will be encouraging rather than binding and will make instructors the central pillar of our safety culture.

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation

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21 November 2017

Do a REV (Return to Flying)

From 2018, and renewed every year, the Federation has decided to run the Return to Flying (REV) operation, which encourages a pilot who owns their machine to meet an instructor and fly one hour with their microlight. This is entirely voluntary. It applies to all classes. The Federation will provide 40 euros of assistance to the pilot who has done a Return to Flying.

This operation starts from the observation that we are all the product of what our instructor made of us. That in our flying experience we have met different machines between our beginnings and our current practice. That the fleet of our machines is characterised by very great variety (unlike other aeronautical activities). That, incidentally, is what makes our movement rich. That these machines often have very wide flight envelopes, even surprising ones for those coming from traditional aviation. It is therefore necessary to be, as Eric Galvagno puts it, “an expert in our own machine”. Indeed, we see that the majority of accidents are due to loss of control in flight in all phases of flight. There are therefore inappropriate reactions in uncertain contexts, which are explained by too little knowledge of the machine’s limits.

Our aim is to raise the general level of “our safety culture” by being encouraging rather than restrictive, in the spirit of our regulations: free and responsible.

Do a REV!

Sébastien Perrot

President of the French Microlight Federation

How it works

• The REV operation starts at the beginning of 2018 (February)
• Everything is done online (ffplum.fr): meeting, flight certificate, payment
• The pilot must register on the Federation’s website
• They must own their machine, insured for third-party liability by the federal broker, and accept the conditions
• They will be able to access the contact details of instructors affiliated to the Federation (whoever their insurer), by class and by region
• The pilot and instructor agree on an appointment to carry out one hour of Return to Flying in line with the programme issued by the Federation; the price of the service is entirely free
• The instructor and the pilot each certify separately, through the site, that the REV flight took place
• A certificate is issued
• Payment is made