Pegasus France

Pegasus France at the NEC, 27th-28th November, Birmingham.

2010-12-03T17:54:00.000Z

We would like to thank all those who came to see us at the Flying Show in Birmingham. The show was well attended and we received a great deal of interest from potential students, past students and from qualified pilots who would like to undertake mountain pilot training. The later is aimed at pilots who would like to visit the alti-surfaces in the Hautes Alpes region. These include Alpe d'Huez, Courchevel, Tignes, La Motte Chalancon and Clemensane. Both Joanna and I were present together with Dave Reid who is a regular visitor to Gap Tallard. Dave plans to come to France in January to help build our brand new Skyranger Swift which will be perfect for mountain courses and beginners alike. We look forward to seeing you all in 2011.

A Grand Day Out

2010-11-04T19:37:00.000Z

As we couldn't miss the opportunity it was decided that a quick trip to Barcelonnette for coffee was in order. Climbing to 8000ft we passed the Lac Serre Ponçon and landed at the strip. As ever the coffee was excellent which reflected the mood after such a breathtaking flight. Lining up on runway 27 we set off for Clamensane (a small mountain strip) to round off the experience.

Well done Geoff and I hope you enjoyed your Advanced Training at Gap.

The Flying Show - NEC, Birmingham

2010-10-31T20:07:00.000Z

We will be at 'The Flying Show' at the NEC in Birmingham on the 27th and 28th November, so please feel free to come along for a glass of wine and a chat.

A great video that basically sums up the area.

2010-10-31T10:38:00.000Z

Stop Press!

2010-10-12T17:55:00.007+01:00

10% reduction on flying!

if you book a flying course before the 31st December 2010

From A Local’s Prospective

2010-10-03T11:57:00.003+01:00

As a foreigner who has retired and is now living in Provence, one gets to enjoy all that the South of France has to offer in the way of climate, relaxed living, wonderful countryside etc. but I was looking for a new challenge, and certainly found one in signing up with Pegasus France. I had thought about the usual pursuits like, golf etc. but felt an element of excitement was lacking, and wanted to try something that even my kids would think was cool. I spent many hours looking on the Internet for a realistic challenge, one that would not be too expensive or take up too much time and decided on flying. The usual light aircraft did not do much to excite me, and also worked out quite expensive, but to fly a shopping trolley with an engine and hang glider attached not only seemed more fun, but also worked out cheaper than the more sedate Cessna/Piper etc.

As shopping trolleys go, the Pegasus Quantum is right up there with the Rolls Royce’s of flex-wing microlights, so much so that after obtaining my pilots licence, I went out and purchased a model almost identical to the one I was taught in. On first sight, a flex-wing does look rather strange, and the thought of flying one seems alien, but the proof of the pudding…..

On arrival at Tallard (about an hour away up the motorway from the Luberon), I met with Simon my instructor, and very soon realised that an easy and relaxed atmosphere is the way to go in microlighting. After an initial look at the flex-wing, he took me through some basic flight safety points, and then said lets go flying. Being one who was never very keen on classrooms or a lot of study, I was pleasantly surprised that this is a 100% active course, and within five minutes of being airborne, I was actually flying it myself, albeit under Simon’s watchful eye. Three hours of actual flying a day is what is realistic, two 90 minute stinks, with a coffee and discussion in-between. The first week went in a flash, and I quickly rebooked another session two weeks later to keep the momentum going. This took in the first solo flight, that may sound simple, but any pilot will tell you that this is the most exciting stage, and everything that follows is polishing up on it. At all times, the countryside that you are flying over is stunning, one day it is a lake, and another is a mountain range, that always seem to have a well placed strip to land at and have another coffee. Some French ex-pat residents stay at the local hotel, which is reasonable and friendly. Others close enough like myself enjoyed the daily drive, and as Tallard is just at the end of the motorway the journey is surprisingly fast.

Third session, and at the end the GFS test (General Flying Skills) with Marcus and then the skies the limit. Simon was remarkably patient, and at no stage did I either feel that he was going too fast, or more importantly to the pocket, taking too long to get to the next exercise. The thought of the written exams was somewhat worrying when one has been out of the classroom for many years, but they are all multiple choice, and also not rocket science. I even enjoyed learning about the weather, and will never look at another cloud without trying to name it.

All in all, the experience was quicker, more fun, and less official than I expected. I started it on a whim, and now have my own machine, am flying weekly and completely hooked. Well done Simon and Pegasus.

Captain Sean - Zero to Hero in 3 weeks!

2010-08-29T15:43:00.004+01:00

Would like to say I had a fantastic time in France, flying ... everyone was so easy to get on with, socialising and eating out were good fun, swimming in the gorges was amazing, riding the motorbike around the mountain roads with the fantastic scenery and also we had a fly out over Gorge Verdons? Of course the BBQ's were even better, thanks to hosts Marcus and Jo, (not that I'm hinting at an invitation back ... ha, ha)!

I would highly recommend anyone wanting to get their pilot's licence in one hit, this would be the only way "up" :-). Scenery and weather were fantastic, flying everyday what more could you ask for ....? The instructor and hosts were all second to none. Got my pilot's licence through yesterday yippee, all achieved within 3 weeks and I had never flown before ...!! Thanks to Andy Jones (instructor), and also Marcus, Brian and Simon.

I would like to say thanks to Chris Clarke for his hospitality when we went to the coast, for a great time and for sorting the campsite out.

Adrian Tinsen: 12th - 16th July

2010-08-29T15:40:00.003+01:00

If you ever get the opportunity to fly with the Pegasus guys in Tallard I’d thoroughly recommend it! The excellent weather and professional flying instruction catapulted me from a relatively inexperienced flex wing student to solo cross country flying over breath taking scenery in glorious weather – the most memorable flight was solo over Pic De Bure at 9500ft - all in a T shirt and shorts!

In five days I flew for more than 10 hours and yet still had plenty of time to explore the surrounding area with Julie, my wife. In the immediate area Gap, Sisteron and Lac De Serre-Poncon are all worth a visit. The Tour De France came through Gap when we were there which was a spectacle in itself.

We hired a Gite in Jarjayes about 11km from Tallard. The accommodation was perfect and as it was up in the hills the views from the balcony were fantastic. The local Irish Carpenter, who lived a couple of doors down, adopted us for the week as I think it was a welcome change for him to speak English.

It was a great holiday. The flying was second to none (thanks to Brian and Marcus) and while I was away each morning, Julie enjoyed the peace and quite of Jarjayes and a good book or two. We both came home happy and would definitely be going back.

Skyranger Swift now on order!

2010-08-28T15:30:00.002+01:00

Following the great success we had this summer with the Thruster we have now placed an order for a Skyranger Swift . The aircraft will be superb for the school with both high and low speed flying catered for. The machine can be placed on floats or ski's alike for the winter. We will be building the aircraft at Tallard and you are welcome to come along to see it's progress. We expect the machine will be on line later in the year.

A puncture leads to a swim.

2010-07-14T18:34:00.003+01:00

Today we flew from 8am through to noon with all three aircraft busy with students. Sean Runcie went solo again and so did Adrian Tinson. I flew to a mountain strip in the Thruster called Clemansane . This is a remote strip at 3500 feet altitude and is always a pleasue as it is only 20 minutes from Tallard. On our return Brian Blackburn took off with his student only to have a puncture at 1200 . The Thruster has been flying every day without any problems although a local French pilot pointed out the fact that the Thruster was stationary at the bottom of the airfield. After driving down we found that the machine had a puncture and we towed it back using a trolley under the defective tyre. The tyres are tubeless and they are not always very easy to replace as a large volume of compressed air is required to pop the tyre out onto the bead. Two of the smaller bolts that attached the disc to the wheel rounded off as we tried to remove them. After showing the defective bolts the impact driver we got them out and managed to get a new tyre on the rim. With temperatures hitting 40 degrees we headed off the Gorge de Meouge. The gorge is a natural feature that is only twenty minutes from the airfield and was a welcome break from the heat. Have a look at the footage to see where you can go for a lovely swim when it gets too hot in the afternoon.

A recent visit!

2010-07-09T16:51:00.002+01:00

I have been to the south of France on several occasions by motorcycle and had often thought it would be a great place to fly. I learnt to fly a microlight last summer and decided to explore the idea of riding down to the south of France and flying in the Alps. A Google search revealed Pegasus France who are based at Tallard airfield. I sent an email to Jo Dalgetty with my preferred dates and made a booking to do the advanced course. The Pegasus website has several suggestions for accommodation, I decided to camp at a site that was about a 15min walk from the airfield.

I arrived at Tallard airfield and met Simon Jeffrey the instructor, we discussed the flying, had a pre-flight briefing, an aircraft inspection and then went flying. From the time the wheels left the tarmac I was amazed with the stunning scenery. We spent some time carrying out several flying exercises which has made me feel more comfortable and confident with my flying. On the last day we flew to the mountain strip of Alpe d'Huez this was an absolutely awesome experience, a runway on the side of a mountain with a very steep uphill landing. Simon made the landing and I made the take off – it's definitely worth a visit to the strip!

To sum it all up I had a great time, some awesome flying and hope to return soon. Simon is a cool, calm and very good instructor. Thanks Pegasus France.

May Update 2010

2010-05-07T14:50:00.004+01:00

During the Easter break 4 students came out to Gap in order to get as much flying as possible and to have a good time. I think they all succeeded.

Chris, a hang glider/powered hang glider pilot as well as having experience on sail planes and paragliders, came out for 10 days. With his previous flying knowledge and experiences put to good use he came away with his unrestricted license and is now thinking of doing the advanced training course this summer.

Ian came out for 2 weeks and wanted to gain his license having flown a couple of times with a friend in Scotland and as a result had ended up buying a share in an aircraft! He made good progress and got to go solo, completed his written exams and is now finishing off the course with Pegasus Scotland, based near Perth.

Alan and John drove over from England which was just as well as they were able to avoid the ash fiasco and give Ian a lift back as well! Alan brought his own plane out (Quantum 503) and managed to get his unrestricted license. He had 15 hours experience on flexwings before coming to France but had not managed to get solo. John, already had his license and came for the fun. First, he was given a 'health check' before being hurled into experiencing HIGH mountain flying.

Yet another solo

2010-03-28T09:28:00.001+01:00

It seems that every time I get to Gap the weather is getting better. With the last student getting solo in a week, I am truly amazed by the micro-climate, giving blue skies and light winds. On another note, A friend and I gave the montagne de Céüse another beat up which is always thrilling with the cliff face appearing to drop into the abyss as you go over the edge!

So well done Dan for your solo and managing to absorb so much in so little time.

Pic de Bure without the cloud.

2010-01-02T14:29:00.000Z

Just to show you what the Pic looks like when the cloud is not on the top. When the wind is light it is great fun to fly over the edge of the big cliff. Definitely not a place to go near when there is any wind though.

Marcus

Winter flying in December 2009

2009-12-27T12:01:00.001Z

(Above is the Pic de Bure taken at 10,500 feet)
This month we completed that training for two students at Tallard. One with all the solo hours being required and the other with his cross country section to tackle. Both had lost many hours of flying in the UK due to the poor weather in the UK at the moment. Conditions at Tallard were as usual sunny and with very little wind. The winter air was crisp and temperatures in the morning were as low as minus fifteen . Several thin layers were added to the Ozee Exeat suits that we prefer. Both students were solo at Tallard on the day of their arrival following a check out. Despite the cold we flew 20 hours over the six days. With the windchill we probably had minus 25 in the open cockpit of the Quantum. Before each take off we rigorously checked for potential sources of draughts . Nothing worse than a zip slightly open at the hips or ankles . Flying over the mountains without a cloud in the sky was well worth it in spite of the cold. The southern French pilots refused to fly as it was too cold for them. We quickly became known as the "eskimo's". Late December saw a return to 15 degrees on the right side of zero and all was well. Next winter we plan to have a french registered trike with snow boards attached. This gives a new freedom to explore and land out as never before.
Posted by Marcus at 03:26 0 comments

Flying instructor courses at Tallard (AFIC)

2009-11-22T14:46:00.000Z

In spring 2010 Pegasus France will be offering intensive instructor courses approved by both the CAA and the DGAC. The course is three weeks long and covers all the flying and theory aspects required to pass the test with a UK examiner. Courses include 15 hours flying and 40 hours of ground school. Training will be carried out on the Quantum 912, QuikR or on a french registered Skyranger. Accommodation is offered from as little as €300 for the 3 weeks. The price of the course is £3500 and includes pick up service from Marseille airport. The course runs 6 days a week and can be split into one or two week sessions if you cannot spare three weeks. Contact Marcus on 07802 481285 or 01577 863645 (UK office).

News from Tallard

2009-07-19T22:57:00.000+01:00

Currently enjoying the great weather at Tallard. Adventures in the last week have included a flight to St Tropez for lunch and three different mountain strips. Near St Tropez there is a little airfield called Frejus which has around 35 machines , mostly fixed wing, just about 1km from the beach. At frejus there is a microlight instructor who used to fly 747's in the captains seat. He said that 14 hours of looking out of the window and playing with buttons was no longer his cup of tea so he is now a microlight instructor. Who would have thought it. When he is not teaching microlighting he is the photographer in a Canadair for the fire service. They drop down and scoop five tons of water at a time to put out the fires inland. He says that each time he goes up he is sure that he will die around ten times on each flight. Apparently the Canadair is extremely agile and can turn around in a very narrow space. If you can't imagine what they look like then imagine a big flying boat that lands on it's hull instead of floats. After take off we flew along the coast for a while and enjoyed the stunning scenery towards the Calanques near Cassis. On the way back we had a strong northerly headwind and flew in to wave at Sisteron. We climbed engine off to 10,000 before pushing on to Tallard. At Sisteron there was 20knots of wind on the surface and back at Tallard there was less than five knots. Thats Tallard for you folks. If you are coming down and want a really memorable experience then ask to fly to Frejus . Total flight time is two hours or there abouts and you will really see what the south of France can offer.

Cheers Marcus