By Henri Corderoy du Tiers, President, IDPA-France

The summer of 2000 was a good one for European-based IDPA members. Ten deaf European aviators--seven from France and three from the United Kingdom--participated in the IDPA's 7th annual international fly-in June 26-July 2, 2000, at San Martin Airport in Morgan Hill near San Jose, south of San Francisco in the U.S.A. It was the largest gathering of deaf pilots in the year, drawing not only from the Europeans but also a large pool of U.S. deaf pilots.

The fly-in was successful owing to the well-organized plan of its host, Mark Stern, an American deaf pilot. Nine aircraft were flown by deaf pilots, including Henri Corderoy du Tiers from France, who flew a rented Piper Cherokee 6/300. Four European student pilots--three French and one British--took flying lessons at San Martin.

In Europe, the world's first program to train deaf people to pilot ULM (Ultra Light Motorized aircraft) was organized at Cuers in Var, southern France, from July 31 to August 4. It was greatly successful, with four deaf participants (beginners Xavier Hinard and William Seemuller, moderately experienced Eric Debieuvre and Henri Corderoy du Tiers, who returned to ULMs after 11 years of inactivity). The instructors were the friendly and willing Franck Paindavoine and our friend Luc Adrien, a Boeing 747 pilot for Air France.

The good humor, nice ambience and sunny weather contributed greatly to the program's success. What's more, Capt. Michel Dupont, retired chief pilot of Air France's Concorde fleet, visited us during the training and expressed support and encouragement on behalf of the Ačro-Club de France. The program was filmed by French TV's Channel 3 the evening of August 3.

As of today, eight deaf pilots--including one Swiss--have obtained their French ULM pilot licenses according to individual training levels.

Another first, a program to train deaf people to fly hang gliders, was organized August 21-25 at Annecy, in the southeast French Alps. It was also a success owing to seven deaf participants (Philippe Marti, Maati, Patrick Aroule, Patrick Hourigat, Michel Garnier, Fabienne Cordier and Philippe Brockhoff), the super guidance of Christelle Charpy (the program wouldn't have existed without her), and the willing friendliness of three instructors, all of whom observed that their deaf students' progress was more rapid than the average, thanks to their solidarity and motivation. Two of those trainees cried tears of joy after several years of frustration from being rejected by other training centers.

Because of the positive results from these training programs, others are planned for 2001. Two ULM programs will be held, one at Graulhet near Toulouse in May, and the other one at Cuers in August. Three hang gliding programs will be held at Annecy. Programs in other aeronautical activities, such as skydiving, will also be organized for IDPA members.

In other matters, three deaf ULM pilot trainees attended the annual ULM show in Blois on September 2. A TV production team for "L'oeil et la main" (The Eye and the Hand) filmed the event.

A documentary film for "L'oeil et la main" on the IDPA-France Association was broadcast September 16 by TV's Channel 5 under the title "Vol a vue" ("Visual Flight").

The IDPA-France Association's first conference was held at the Aero-Club de France in Paris on November 18. Some 140 people attended.

The IDPA-France Association, or the French chapter of the IDPA, was established in 1996. The IDPA itself was established in 1994 in the United States. The objective of IDPA-France is to provide greater access for the deaf in the sky through aeronautical activities. For more information, visit: http://www.volez.com/idpa-france/GB/index.html.