Profile: Florence Vieil

Following on from the section newly created in ULM-info, in this section we invite you to discover women microlight pilots, whether they are competitors or leisure flyers.

This week, we introduce Florence Vieil, based at Châteauneuf-sur-Cher in the Centre region (LFFU).

Florence: a pilot at heart

My name is Florence Vieil (Flopie to my friends in aviation). My adventure as a pilot began when I was 37, at the same time as my husband François's, at Châteauneuf-sur-Cher aerodrome (with a wonderful instructor, Michel Proust, who passed his passion on to us). I was then flying the DR 315 and the DR 400, and after getting my licence in 1996 a taildragger Jodel D112 (a fantastic aircraft that makes you dream).

This lovely story lasted 6 years, but in 2000 I had to stop flying because of family commitments. But you should know that this passion is a real virus that can lie dormant and reappear without warning...

After 10 years without flying, I took it up again thanks to weight-shift microlights. This time, the reunion with the sky took place at the St-Christophe-le-Chaudry strip, with Hervé Beaux.

There I discovered open-air flying, where all the senses are engaged: sight as much as temperature, not forgetting smell: the many scents of nature and the feel of the wind are pushed to the maximum. We perhaps often forget it, but what joy!

My weight-shift was a reliable, simple aircraft (GTBI 582 with an Ixess 13 wing) that leaves plenty of room for the pleasure of flying, with a complete view of our beautiful planet.

But this aviation virus gave me another flare-up... what if I tried three-axis flying? A new challenge, after 8 years of weight-shift. I found the same pleasure in flying there with Frédéric Speyser, again at Châteauneuf-sur-Cher. A passionate pilot himself, he likes to share and pass on his knowledge with great skill as a teacher.

Every flight is an intense pleasure that pushes me to improve my flying while respecting the rules and safety. I am immensely lucky to share all this with my husband. Today we fly a Guepy (nicknamed the zebra) powered by a 582 Rotax. We are also going back to our roots by acquiring a Jodel D18 V powered by a Limbach 2000. The new challenge is now to get back to flying taildraggers.

My best flying memories? Hard to choose, there are so many.

The first memory is, naturally, my first solo. A wonderful alchemy between the pleasure of being alone in the air and a kind of positive stress that lets you surpass yourself. But I also keep a special place for discovering Corsica from the sky: departure from Châteauneuf-sur-Cher, a stop at Cuers, then the crossing to the Island of Beauty, which I flew round over three days. The stops: Ajaccio, Propriano and Calvi, along the coast and through the centre. Incredible.

There is also a weight-shift flight over cranes which, surprised, agreed to let me share their migration for about a quarter of an hour. Seeing these magnificent birds flying in formation, from above, left me amazed.

The return from a flight that took me through the Châteauroux CTR, passing over the aerodrome. The tower had me overfly a Boeing 747 doing "touch and go" training, and I passed over the Boeing just as it touched down... these are images I cannot forget.

More recently, the Mondial de l'ULM at Blois in 2022. Unsettled weather on the outward journey, arriving in the evening with the lights of the event already on, sleeping under the wing of my Guepy (which had been reunited for the occasion with its creator, Jean Daniel Roman). Waking up to the morning dance of the paramotors, then two dream days shared with microlight enthusiasts.

As for bad memories, I have none. There are incidents, more difficult moments and even moments of discouragement, but they always lead to a better experience...

There is no question of age or sex, and no one discipline is better than another, just the pleasure of flying and of sharing this passion.

Every flight is different and brings a moment of joy. For me, in 18 years of flying, I have had a little over 700 hours of happiness, and I fully intend to carry on...

Florence Vieil

Interview by Solène Bergevin

Photo credit: François and Florence Vieil