The Alès-Cévennes flying club is ready to take off towards its 50th anniversary

Quelques bénévoles étaient déjà sur place afin de préparer l’évènement. Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

L’Aéro-club de Deaux proposera 2 jours de fêtes ce week-end pour petits et grands.

There were around twenty volunteers working this Wednesday afternoon to prepare for the 50th anniversary of the flying club. Not all members were present yet for scheduling reasons but the club is ready for this weekend which promises to be daunting.

3000 thousand people expected

"We expect around 3000 people over the entire weekend", admits Romain Girard, vice-president of the club. An ambition which is not without justification. Indeed, the program has something to please many curious people: "I think that the unmissable will be the exhibition of legendary planes. For the occasion, a Fouga Magister (fighter plane), an OV-10 bronco (an American attack plane) or the T6 zero used in Spielberg's film, The Empire of Sun, will make the trip."

In addition to this, the Air Force aerobatic team will be on site, accompanied by three planes in order to experience a moment of sharing with the public. Romain Girard specifies "that’there will be no aerial demonstration but visitors will have the opportunity if they wish to test the flight simulator mirage flight (fighter plane). There will also be the possibility on site to participate in a 25-minute first flight. The opportunity to fly over and discover the pleasures of our beautiful region from the air." Baptisms are open to everyone from 3 years old and cost 130 euros; for 3 people.

"Bringing people together"

Behind this event, the flying club hopes to highlight Alesian aeronautics. "It is true that we are not really in a region very inclined towards aeronautics, especially since it’s an environment that seems difficult to access . This anniversary aims to put planes back within everyone's reach. We seek to bring people together as is already the case in the club, here there are no social barriers, all members officiate for pleasure.& quot;

Parking at the exhibition center

Access Attention! Parking your car directly at the airfield will be « impossible », to use the word used by the club. As the site has few parking spaces available compared to the expected attendance, the flying club has set up a free shuttle system to be actively used. The meeting is set at the parking lot of the Alès Agglo exhibition center, in Méjannes-lès-Alès. The shuttle will travel back and forth between the two sites. Once there, between the planes on display and the activities, the meeting will offer a food-truck area for catering.

Saturday 6 and Sunday July 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission: 8 euros, free for children under 15.