French-style microlighting and the EU opt-out

Flying

This is the end of a long journey that began in 2015 and gave rise to a great deal of controversy and discussion, with exceptional pressure from the supporters of the 600 kg limit.

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Microlighting the French way

Editorial by Sébastien Perrot (President of the FFPLUM) following the new European regulation on basic rules in the field of civil aviation, published in the Official Journal of the European Union at the end of 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:

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