The french nationals 2009 are this year running at Puisserguier, in the Hérault départment, south of France.The ambiance is very rocky, and vinyards are everywhere around. The région is also known for winds which can be strong, like mistral, or tramontane. We will have a very good weather this week, and will run not less than 10 tasks.

The level grows high each year, and we can feel 2 major tandences: the young arrives strongly, with a very high level, and the girls, who begins to kick the a.. of many men!

A few strangers competes also, and not the worsts: Michel Carnet, Laura Turner, and Emilia Plak.

The Club Pélican du Lirou welcomes us this week, and we can congratulate the members of the club for their efforts, and great work. The course direction is, as usual, very performant, and allowed us to play on the good weather windows. 2 tasks have been flewn in hard conditions, turbulent, which is quite rare in a national championship.

Here’s a resume of the tasks flawn:

Task 1: addition of turnpoints in a given time:

It is in fact a speed navigation, where we have to collect a max of turnpoints in the given time of 1H30. We have to fly fast, and not get lost on the map. Tristan Guillabeau wins the task, collecting 16 turnpoints. I finish second, with 15.

Congrats Tristan, you make here a fabulous return in the solo competition, since your accident, we are all on our as… to see how you recovered, and how you show us the pilot you are.

For girls, Emilia Plak wins the task with 12 TP, then Sandrine Muzellec with 10 TP.

Task 2: Spot landing:

The aim is to land as close as you can of the central round (20 cm radius) with the engine off.

Many good pilots have good scores, i badly miss far away this first spot landing.

In the girls, only Coralie Matéos make a wonderfull target. Congrats Coralie, your flares are beautifull!

Task 3: Economy contract:

With 1,5 liters in the tank, we have to fly as far as we can on a given axis, and declare this distance before the take off. Of course, there are penaltys if you do not full the contract, or if you land out of the field.

The choice is hard…. Take off early to use thermals (weak…?) or later, in a softer and fresher air…

Michel Carnet and his 4 stroke engine wins the task, with a superb return, in fuel pann, and he makes his approach… the body in the trees, to finally land in the first meter of the field!!! and this, after 29 kilometers of flight!!!! Impressive one! This was one of the most intense of this competition! Laurent makes very well with his big carburatore, and fills in the contract.Aurélien Ganaye is also very well placed. I’m far away, because i’ve been a bit pretentious on the contract… I come back in the field (ufffff) but do not fill in my contract. Nico Salinas makes a very good performance, with 27 kilomètres, but doesnt cut the given axis…. This mistake costs him a podium, nice perf anyway.  For the girls, Emilia brakes everything, with 27 kilometers announced, and done! Congrats Emilka, you would have been second in the macho catégorie.

Task 4: given navigation:

A track is given, with only 10 minutes to prepare maximum. On this track, we have to recognize locations, with photos given also with the track. There are also some hidden turnpoints, so it is important to stay “on the line” of the track, in order to miss nothing. The speed will separate the ex aequo. Laurent and Fred Mallard wins with a total of 9 photos/gates. Laurent is faster. I report bad a photo (which i had clearly identified) and finishes second.

Coralie takes a nice task victory on the other girls, with 10 minutes of advance on  Kathia Weissenbacher.

Task 5: Précision landing:

This spot landing fellows directly the previous one.

The ozone team has high scores, with Laurent and Aurélien, and with Alexandre Foltier… A great thanks to the fabulous flares of the viper!

I miss badly for the second time the spot landing, and take a 20 points of penalty only on theese precision tasks!!! How bad i am! From this time, i’m 4th or 5th at the general ranking, and decide to wake up a bit. Michel and Laurent are far away before me.

Laura Turner and Kathia makes good at this game.

After this task, two pools are done: the pool A with the 15 firsts of the actual ranking, and the pool B to the 16th to the end.

Task 6: slalom “chrismas tree”:

We have alreay seen this special “Alain Barthère” mania may times in the past years. We have here to kick 2 meters height sticks, with a very short track at the beginning, which becomes larger and longer The chrono gives the bests.

The vipers have here the big advantage to be fast, maniable, and very pilotable at maximum speed. I win this one, fellowed by Laurent and Michel.

Emilia wins, fellowed by Coralie… The fight is hard by the girls.

Task 7: Unknown navigation:

(photo out of context)

A first part of a track is given, 10 minutes before the take off, and we have to fly precisely on the track, in order to collect the “hidden gates (only the organisors knows where they are, and the gps on the pilots will confirm, or not, that the pilots went in the hidden gates). Then we have to land on a field, and take the second part of the track. Of course, the stopwatch turns. The air is turbulent, and particulary at the landing, because we are in thermals downwind, very powerfull. I can see an ambiance of “boycott of the task”, leadede by Michel, because of the strong conditions. I decide not to listen to that, this mistake costed me a podium a few years ago… And here am i again in flight, on the second part of the track. 2 touch and go are requested, and gives better scores… Something amazing happens to me on the first touch.. For a reason (still unknown from me), the half of my net goes away, and bangs the prop. I fight 10 minutes in the turbulence to try to secure it, it just risks to break the prop, and then makes me loose the task… I cannot manage it… and have to deal with this special situation.. I have to fly “on the track”, in strong conditions, with a joking net… I can ruffly manage to go on, by slowing down my speed, to take less risks of breaking prop. I can do the second touch… The final line is close, and at this moment, everything goes worst: the prop finally ate the totallity of the net. I fly with no net now… And i begin to feel strong vibrations… F…..!!! The net, has probably badly damaged the prop when it came away… Only 3 kilometers left, after the 50 already done… The motor begins to loose rpms, and i have to trimm on maximum not to land! I’m over water, 2 meters high, with my hand 100% blocked on the throttle… I also have to brake not to go in the swamp. I slalom between reeds… The motor finally takes some more power (ufffff) and i can finally pass thearrival line… That flight was sick!!!

I can see around 10 pilots who made the same choice to fly, even if conditions were strong; congrats dudes!

On this task, i can earn the first place, because i’ve been fully accelerated since the take off, despite of the turbulence. My viper 2 has superbly crossed high turbulences, with full trimmers out, and fully accelerated before the first touch. David Muzellec is a paraglider pilot, and it is normal to see him here; the turbulence, he’s used to! Nicolas is third, the Laurent, who preferes to fly slow, not to miss his advance points. This decision could cost him the first place..

For the girls, Laura, Sandrine and Marie Pierre Guippert are leading.

Because of the turbulence, many pilots decided not to fly. And i have to say that i admire this attitude. This is a pleasure to see a big maturity in the paramotor pilots… They are not sheeps cattles, but really pilots, with pilot decisions, and who decides to stay on the ground whenthey estimate conditions too hard for them. Congrats guys, i really admire your safe decision at this moment.

The girls talks together, and decide to stop here, without to be “intoxicated” by the men! Well done dudettes!

The decisio to cancel or not the task is up to the task director; and it is finally validated!

That’s cool for me, i come back strong in the ranking.

Task 8: addition of turnpoints, in a given time:

It’s the same as the first task. Many pilots get all the turpoints. An error of inattention of Laurent and myself makes us miss the firsts places, taken by Tristan and nico. Nice guys!

The girls decides to add…. the beers at the bar!

Task 9: Pure economy:.

3 liters are given to everybody. The aim is simply to fly as long as we can. Laurent and me decides to share the flight (despite the fact that we are both fighting for the first place)

We take off a 20 minutes too early, the thermals are not really established… I burn 2 liters in the low bad thermals in the 45 firsts minutes, while Laurent could get the first “acceptable” thermal of the day. I take bad decisions, and fight in bad air in plain, and when i return back to the field, i see the mass of the competitors at the top… 1500 meters over me! i can finally climb. The north wind is strong up there, and we are 2 pilots to find a very comfortable area up there… Between 1200 and 1800 meters, we are facing the wind, in a kind of “wind wave”. We spend 15 minutes to go forward 1 kilometer, with a very small negative vario, then catch a good thermal, sink in the wave. At about 10 turns, we get again to the top of thermals, going a bit more downwind, and this for… 3H30… I can tell you that we now know exactly the landscape of the vinyards in that corner! :d

We stay there with David (also paraglider pilot) until this wave desorganises, to finish our lasts centiliters in a small soaring, o a small hill.

2liters burnt in the first 45 minutes, and 300 centiliters for the nexts 4H30.. We could say that my motor is more economic when warmed!

I win, David is second, Nico is third.

Emilia brakes all, again, fellowed by Sandrine, and by Laura.

Task 10: Touch and spot landing:

This last task will make the final results specially in the lower level pilots. We have to do 4 touchs, very close from each other, then a spot landing. There’s a lot of firsts in the men. For the girls, Emilia wins, then Sandrine, then Coralie.

End of the champs, it has been the hardest physically i’ve ever done… The wind, and hi temperatures didnt really help… My 2 main concurrents have been excellent, true pilots! This champ has also been very sportive, with nice and various tasks, will a lot of surprises… If you look at the scores, everybody burnt at least one joker during the week. The new scoring system is interesting: easy, and fast.

I win, because of flying more agressive on the second part. Laurent is second (this is around 10 years that we dream to be both on a podium). David Muzellec confirms his potential in paramotor. In the open ranking, Michel takes a very nice second place.

Emilia wins the competition (in open class) with a good advance of points. Coralie is french champion!!! YIHAAAAAA! Congrats Co, i know you worked a lot for it, and you did it! God save the queen! Sandrine is second, then comes Kathia. Congratulations girls, you are amazing!

Bravo to the ozone team, you clearly show here that the viper 2 is more than ever in the house, for a certified wing!!