Blue sky sparse with clouds, grass dotted with daisies, a light easterly wind, view of the spiers of the cathedral… Chartres aerodrome offers its bucolic setting to planes maneuvering above these runways. Aboard a two-seater glider still on the ground, Frédéric Hoyeau, a world champion in the discipline, gives the final instructions to Yazid, who is about to discover gliding, under the guidance of this experienced pilot.
The right age
His passenger, a student from the Jehan-de-Beauce high school, is one of eight young people taking part in the two-day course offered, Thursday 14 and Friday 15 April, by Chartres Gliding Center (CVVC). “It is aimed at all young high school students in the Chartres Métropole conurbation, which is a partner. It’s the right age. We had to stop these internships for two years, because of the health crisis. So we are very happy to take them back, ”rejoices Joël Denis, president of the club.
Impatient
Helped by a winch, to gain speed, to which it is connected by a 1,300 meter long cable and which detaches itself, Frédéric Hoyeau’s plane, with its young passenger, rises before leaning on the rising warm air currents.
BIA students
While waiting for their turn, the three comrades of Yazid, with whom he follows the preparation courses for the Aeronautical Initiation Certificate (BIA), within Jehan-de-Beauce, do not take their eyes off the glider. “They are stamping with impatience,” smiles Olivier Fafet, their teacher.
“It’s a bit stressful though. It’s not very reassuring. But we’re going to have fun flying.”
Antoine (15 years old, student at Jehan-de-Beauce high school, in Chartres)
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“It’s a bit stressful though. It’s not very reassuring. But we are going to have fun in flight, ”breathes Antoine, 15 years old. To see Hugo, another trainee, all smiles, testifying to his desire to return there, as soon as he returned from his flight with the pilot Albert de Kersauson, finally convinced the teenager.
Briefing before the flight
Shortly before the practice, during the morning, these young people got to know the devices. “We gave them a briefing on the course of the day and the course. We showed them how to get the gliders out of the hangar, how to pull them, push them… We are going to show them how to store the parachutes, the batteries… They become familiar with the devices and that allows them to take a few small initiatives. In two days, there is a minimum of acquisitions and restitutions, they get involved and they apply”, specifies Joël Denis.
Five medals for the Chartres club at the French gliding championship
Reduced cost
As it ends this evening, the purpose of this course, which includes “an introduction to aeronautics and air trades”, is, of course, to introduce this practice to these high school students. Those of the BIA are already made aware of it, during the courses, by Olivier Fafet, himself a glider pilot. “It was he who told me about this course, so I wanted to try it out,” says Baptiste, 15. The teacher also convinced 17-year-old Joseph, delighted with everything he learned during this first day. “For me, aeronautics is a passion! This is what led me to enroll in the BIA. »
Participation in this course costs €65 per student for families. “It includes two days of training, with four flights each day. It’s correct ! “says the president.
The Chartres Club
Year-round, the Chartres Gliding Center provides glider pilot license training, thanks to its fourteen state-qualified instructors. The club welcomes, on average, about thirty students.
In addition, the association, which has a hundred members, also has a sporting vocation. “The purpose of the glider is to make beautiful flight. First in duration and then in distance. Glider is an aeronautical sport”, emphasizes Joël Denis. The Chartres club also has top-flight competitors in its ranks, Frédéric Hoyeau, Thibaut Marienval, etc. (our edition of September 9, 2021).
Practice. The next course of the young aeronautical initiation center of Chartres Métropole will take place on August 25 and 26. Information: 02.37.34.14.27 or www.planeur-chartres.org
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