I go out of the plane of CDG at 16H30, and i have to be at Cerfontaine, Belgium, for the first briefing of this compétition. The international open of Belgium is the first edition in that style, and we like it. The principle is to organize a few during the year, in order to mix new pilots who are not compétitors, to play games, with the bests pilots. This is not a national championship, but not even a tiring international competition.

The field of Cerfontaine is huge, it’s an airfield, and we share this space with skydivers. The event is managed by Thierry Moreau, known paraglider and paramotor instructor in Belgium: fou d’L. Michel Carnet is the task director, and his knowledge of the rules and of the tasks lets us think that the competition will be very interesting.

First task: addition of turnpoints in limited time:

You have to collect a max of Turnpoints, within a window of 90 minutes… A malus is given to those who pass the internediates points late… I have a motorcut, and have to land only at the half of the track, close to a big industrial henhouse. The very nice farmer brings me back to the field. Pascal Vallée, good tactician, wins the task.

results task 1

Task n°2: clover leaf.

I arrive late (my motor is still by the chicken farmer), i put a few liters in another motor, and go for the mania…. Conditions are a bit turbulent, and i miss the last stick (the one which stops the time) making a small lift in a gust. I have to uturn, and come back to kick the stick. Not too bad for me, with only 2 seconds after the winner. I’m 3rd, Alexandre Matéos and Aurélien Ganaye are before.

results task 2

Task n°3: Bowling landing

This new task (already seen in England) is appreciated by everyone. A bit like a Bowling game, you have to kick a maximum of aligned skittles, distant of 2 meters each. Of course, the motor is stopped at 150 meters. 4 winners: Pascal, Alexandre, David Muzellec and myself.

results task 3

task n°4: Japaneese slalom.

Well known in international circuits… The scoring is very (too?) severe, specially after the 4th place… Pascal wins, then Alex, then me.

results task 4

task n°5: Spot landing.

A classic one, many pilots can get the center.

results task 5

task n°6: bowling landing

Here also, scoring are very close… The firsts lets no points to concurrence.

results task 6

task n°7: mania “the 8″

A new mania! And we enjoy it… We have to make 4 times a “8″, touching each time the central stick. This mania looks a bit like the “cloverleaf”, but with only 2 outside sticks. Nobody really trained it, so very interesting to see the pilot’s technics. I win this one, fellowed by Alex.

results task 7

task n°8: the3 balls

Here also, it’s new, and certainly one of the funniest, and most visual for a public. Some people will say that it is a circus, but i think that this fun task requests lots of technical skills. A line is drawn on the ground. 150 meters further are standing 3 balloons. The aim is to bring theese balloons behind the line… Everything is permitted, you can take the balloons in between the legs, or use the blow of the propeller to roll them… The technique which looks the best is the one with the balloon between legs, added with clean trajectorys. The stopwatch gives the results. I win this one, then Pascal, then Aurélien and Alex. A ball slided of the legs of Alex (as for many people)  which penalizes his time.The World Air Games (HERE and HERE) helped me a lot in this task, cause we had quite similar tasks there beg of summer.

results task 8

Task n°9: nav/éco

With the English system (weighting pilots ready to fly before take off, then after landing to see the effective consumption by weight), we go for a first leg of speed, fellowed by an éco leg on a given axis. I like the weighting system, it is easy and fast. The English system of scale by weight is also applied, which penalizes the lightests. But still no speed penalization for the heavy ones… Not really fair; but no system can be perfect… The cumulation of the 2 performances gives the scoring. Aurélien finds the good compromise of speed/éco (and weight). Coralie Matéos wins the speed task, climbing to the perfect altitude with helping backwinds. About Alex, he just wins the complete task… Before the weight pénalization… He’s actually eating a lot of cheese preparing the next year.

results task 9

Epreuve n°10: spot landing

A classic one, no big surprises.

results task 10

task n°11: the 3 balloons

Same task as the n°8, i win it, fellowed by Stéfaan Michils the Begium champion, and Alex. Thanks to World Air Games

Nice 3 firsts places by the viper 2 team!

results task 11

task n°12: mania double triangle

A new again! This one is fun, and we wish to see it more in the future! Aurélie and Alex are the fastests, then arrives Pascal. I miss a stick, and fall in the scoring… That’s life.

results task 12

task n°13: Bowling landing

One more time, bowling strike with the 5 skittles.

results task 13

task n°14: mini/maxi

We have to fly as slow as we can on a straight line of 200 meters, with intermediates sticks, then a second time as fast as we can. Both tasks combined gives points, and also the difference between hi and slow speed. Alex wins.

results task 14

task n°15: French mania:

On the basics of a clover leaf (spanish mania), but with more complicated trajectorys. A tennis ball is also given, and we have to throw it during the mania, and let it roll as close as possible of the central stick…. It is a good idea; some keeps it in hand, others keep it in the mouth (like me) in order to keep both hands free for turns. I win this one (despite my ball is far from stick), fellowed by David Muzellec, who prefered to focus on the ball. Alex and Aurélien miss a stick…

results task 15

Epreuve n° 16: nav/éco, and speed régulation

Combinaison of the 3 skills, a flight a bit long from my point of vue, but cool, specially when flying through big windmills. Pascal wins, and he deserves it! Light weights are one more time pénalized… What is doing police?

results task 16

task n°17: Bowling landing

This task is the last one, it is crucial for final results! I miss it, getting only 1 skittle… Congrats for Michel Touitou , and Alex who collects points!

results task 17

Conclusion: A fun and cool competition, with plenty of tasks. The weather obliged us to fly low, so often in mania and precision tasks, which gave Michel opportunity to experiment and test new tasks and style. I am convicted that competition has to take this turn, with visual tasks for a public, and close to spectators to make the discipline seen from a good eye.

The task director Michel Carnet has been very good. His point of vue on tasks charmed us on several points: take off without deck, at the convenience of pilots: it works! Several tasks done successively, it works! And all that in a good pilots ambiance.

I win this open, less than 100 points from Alex, and less than 150 points from Pascal! Coralie wins again the female first place, she begins to be used to! Youngs are pushing, and this makes me happy… See the général results

Some vidéo and audio links here, there,and there or still here.

A hot air balloon is waiting for me, to do a season in the Cantal departement in the vulcanoes corner in France…. On the road again!