Louis Berger has begun his last flight

Paul WINDEY, President of the Belgian Microlight Federation (BULMF), has informed us of the death of Louis BERGER (in the centre of the photo), who left us on 07 July 2020 in his 90^th year.

FFPLUM sends its deepest condolences to his wife Josette and to his family, and shares in their grief.

After a fine career as a fighter pilot in the Belgian army, Louis BERGER had become an essential and recognised reference for everything concerning European ultralight aviation, and more particularly the defence and promotion of free, simple and responsible microlight flying, to bring the pleasure of flying to as many people as possible. He was undoubtedly one of the very first Franco-Belgian microlight instructors.

A founding member of the Belgian Microlight Federation (BUFLM) in 1983, he very quickly formed a strong tandem with Dominique MEREUZE to defend the interests of microlight flying in various bodies: the EMF (European Microlight Federation), the EAS (Europe Air Sports) and the CIMA, to face European pressure to impose ever more regulation, as well as holding mandates at the Royal Aero Club of Belgium and at the CIMA (FAI microlight competition commission).

Louis BERGER regularly attended our General Assemblies to share his expertise on the twists and turns of the European institutions, with all his sharpness of mind and the skills required. In 2012, to thank him for his unfailing support of the microlight cause, Dominique had presented him with the FFPLUM Medal.

Louis BERGER kept working alongside us, bringing his insight, notably more recently during the difficult gestation of the new Annex I, on which we shared the same concern in the face of lobbying for ever heavier aircraft, and I remember our telephone conversations, with his always very wise advice.

Thank you Louis for everything you brought to microlight flying in Belgium, France and Europe.

Louis COLLARDEAU

1^st Vice-President of FFPLUM

Regulation and International Affairs

President of the EMF