Flying in a plane or gliderphotographic guide
Bagnères-de-Luchon, the last town at the end of the valley, has an airfield. It is 500m from the Hôtel Alouette, about a 10min walk.
The club which manages this airfield offers first flights in a plane with an engine, or in a glider. The environment is magical, the valley is approximately one km wide and surrounded by mountains of 2000 to 3000m altitude. The king of the Pyrenees itself, the Pic d'Aneto, is just 10km from there.
The aerodrome is a good place to walk, but avoid walking on the landing strip! A track makes it possible to walk between a lake and the landing field. You can admire take offs and landings. You are so close it is possible to see the preparations at the end of the grass runway, and to hear the conversations before take off.
The glider is either tractor drawn or towed up by a plane. On ground the glider is tired, it rests on a wing while waiting to find its element. On take off it requires a hand to hold it steady until the wind takes the wing. One sees the nanny running beside it for a few meters, but this is normal, because it has only one central wheel!
Lighter than its tow plane, it flies quite a lot higher than it by the end of the runway. The large white bird is released. When one is at the top of a mountain and a glider passes just above you, fffuuuu, you can hear the noise of the wind. It passes very quickly, whereas it seems to move slowly when seen from the ground. The vultures accompany it, as with the paragliding, undoubtedly thinking they have met a big brother.
If this adventure excites you, contact the airfield on 05 61 79 00 48.
