Autonomous flying in Millau

The ecoles Labellisées FFVL are there all year round to help you progress. Several formulas are available to you:

• Formula by the week, initiation or improvement course. In general, in 4 to 5 days , you’re ready to make your first big flights, on your own, but always under the watchful eye and voice of your reassuring instructors. A series of exercises to perfect and improve your skills.
• Formula à la journée. Handy if you live in the area, or if you want to get back into the swing of things after taking a break from the activity, educational days to continue progressing safely.

On summer evenings, as the sun declines towards the horizon, a large number of paragliders circle the skies over Millau. As you stroll around the landing sites, you’ll hear talk of super “restit”: understand “restitution”. All the heat stored up during the day rises evenly along the relief, restituting itself. These aerological conditions offer unrivalled comfort in calm flight. It goes up everywhere and it’s all smooth, like in “oil”! The opportunity to fly for a long time without stress and almost without holding the controls.

It was in the 80s that the pionniers du Vol Libre found here in Millau the conditions conducive to the development of hang gliding and paragliding.

Challenges Millau – La Mer were even organized: reach the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea by taking off in paraglider or hang glider from Millau. With the development of air transport and no-fly zones, today challenges to the sea are over, as they are far too complicated. Nowadays, paragliders turn their wings northwards towards the Puy de Dôme, depending on the weather conditions on those big spring days! That’s all there is to it!

Cross competitions in cross-country flying are organized by local clubs either in “buddy mode” or during events such as the Natural Games or the Pierrot Cup, in homage to Pierre Galland, a pioneer of the discipline.

Want to come and fly in Millau, dare take advice from local parapentists for directions.

Based in Millau, the Comité Départemental de Vol Libre de l’AveyronCDVLA manages and maintains flight sites and supports the Aveyron Vol Libre clubs and associations.