Presentation

The plane is above all a school of rigour, discipline, self-control (or coolness) and liability. From the age of 15, before even being able to pretend to drive a car, it is possible to take control of an airplane. Under the control of an instructor, the first flights take place near the Cahors-Lalbenque aerodrome to acquire piloting technique. After a regulatory minimum of 6 hours (more generally around fifteen hours depending on your progress), you can fly alone, from the age of 16 aboard the plane on which you were trained, in a radius of 25 Nm around the aerodrome, outside controlled or regulated areas... From the age of 17, it is possible to obtain a private pilot's license (PPL) and then take your passengers to visit the whole of France or other countries.

The landscapes are so beautiful from above ! …Around Cahors you can of course admire the city from above in its loop of the Lot but also sites such as the Lot and Célé valleys, Saint-Cirq Lapopie, Rocamadour and the Ouisse canyon , the Dordogne valley, Domme, the Chateau des Milandes (by Josephine BAKER), the Gorges de l'Aveyron or those of the Tarn, ... and many other superb sites (the region lends itself to magnificent walks). The Millau Viaduct is accessible with a flick of the wing.

From Cahors-Lalbenque aerodrome, it is easy to spend a day at the sea or in the mountains. Aeroclub pilots and their passengers can reach the Atlantic side (Arcachon, Ile d'Oléron, mouth of the Gironde, etc.) in 1 hour or, if the weather is not good on that side, reach the Mediterranean coast , or prefer the Pyrenees or the mountains of Auvergne. The multitude of airfields in France (on average 1 every 50 kilometres) is just waiting to accommodate aircraft and their pilots and passengers.

Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be "rich" to afford the joy of moving in three dimensions above all these splendid landscapes. Many of the members of the flying club have incomes barely above the minimum wage ; they have made choices and are persevering in their ambition to fly, to have fun (the happiness of a pilot to fly over beautiful landscapes, to have made a good landing, a somewhat difficult maneuver, the precision of a navigation … is huge!). After the patent, the average expenditure per year and per pilot can be estimated at 1500 €.

If you compare these sums to the annual budget of a smoker, it may make you want to quit smoking to fulfill an old dream : to fly!

Un homme n’est vieux que quand les regrets ont pris chez lui la place des rêves.
John Barrymore