Our microlight flight test in Guadeloupe

We’ve been trying to visit and discover as much of this beautiful territory as possible since we arrived in Guadeloupe in August 2021. I have to say that I’m totally impressed by what we’ve seen so far. Oh yes, I almost forgot: today it’s me, Mélanie, who is taking over the keyboard to tell you about the great aviation experience I had the chance to enjoy this month of April 2022: a microlight flight in Guadeloupe with ULM Archipel (flying club), over Petite-terre, Pointe des Châteaux and the island of La Désirade.

We took advantage of the fact that our grandparents were here for about twenty days to organise some activities. One of them was this wonderful microlight flight from Saint François. It was also an opportunity for us to discover the island of Grande-Terre, an island where we’re actually very well placed, living at the southern end of the island of Basse-Terre.

As we always say when we do this, this is a partnership with the Manawa and ULM archipel (flying club) activity websites. Because Manawa is a serious site with a huge number of excursions of all kinds, we recommend more and more activities with Manawa. But please know that our opinions are honest and that the opinions expressed in this article are our own.

I’d never flown a microlight before, so this was my first time flying (it was very challenging for me). Sylvain had already had the opportunity to fly over the island of Mayotte (airspace) when we lived there between 2011 and 2015 and he always told me that it was really great. What’s more, he went on to repeat the experience by flying over Bora Bora in French Polynesia. It’s not the same thing, I admit. But the idea of getting up high to see the sea level and discover islands from the air is still there!

Anyway, that’s enough talk about my co-pilot guided journey, I’ll get down to business by simply telling you about my microlight flight and sharing my impressions with you. To talk about my flight, I had the opportunity to do the yellow trail with Pascal (examiner). This includes a tour of the Pointe des Châteaux (airplane), a flight over the island of La Désirade and the islands of Petite-Terre (airplane). I’ll tell you more about it below, but it’s possible to imagine other aeronautical tours.

If you like the idea of flying over a beautiful lagoon and ilets, I invite you to read about our experience of flying over the Petit-Cul-de-Sac-Marin in a seaplane in Guadeloupe.

By the way, to get back to Manawa, we’re really going to try and set up a number of partnerships with them and try out a number of activities to give you our impressions of the different things you can do here in Guadeloupe. I’m sure we can explore many great activities (snorkeling, scuba-diving etc).

If you’re in the area, I invite you to read our full article on Pointe des Châteaux.

We’ve also published a story about our sailing trip to Les Saintes. It was great!

As I said in the introduction, this is a big first for me, and Sylvain was kind enough (I don’t think I left him much choice!) to let me fly the microlight. Who says he has to be the one doing all the cool aviation things, right?

Sylvain and I arrived at the flying club ULM Archipel (flying school) in Saint-François at 8.15 am. We had a tour of the premises, which had been very nicely decorated by Pascal (a real Harley-Davidson fan), and quickly made his acquaintance over a free coffee. It’s a simple place: A small shady area, a small bar where you can chat and have a coffee while watching the other microlights land. Sylvain will be able to have a rest here for the hour or so I’ll be in the air, in my flying adventure.

After a cup of coffee, Pascal gives me a quick briefing (flying instructions) on the things I need to be aware of for our flight. A couple of explanations later (for aviation safety) and I am putting on my flight gear and ready to fly before takeoff, which is really just my vest. I have to say that I’m both impatient and excited to start this beautiful aeronautical flight over the surrounding lagoons. I’m also curious to see what it’s going to feel like.

We left Sylvain sitting quietly on the bench in the shade and settled into our aircraft. This is a gyrocopter, classified in France as an ultra-light motorized aircraft (U.L.M.). I’ll give you more information about this at the end of this article. We learned a lot of interesting things (airline pilot, parachute, air-traffic) especially about the difference between gyrocopters and other “small aircraft”, as I call them (which are also microlights). I’m really happy to be flying this machine because it’s completely open and I thought it must be much better in terms of photos and sensations. Basically, it’s a kind of small helicopter with two blades on top (called a rotor, if I’ve understood correctly).

With Pascal’s explanations, I explore the machine and the cockpit before takeoff. When I got settled in, I was really expecting something a bit harder, but the whole thing is quite comfortable (it’s OK that I’m small too). I’m strapped in with a safety harness and have a look at the camera setup. Pascal reminds me: “Don’t have anything in your pockets or lying around”. The tension started to build up, not to mention Sylvain, who gave me a full briefing so that I wouldn’t miss the photos during the flight (in other words, he put the pressure on me). Before I went up, I even had a little photography lesson! For the record, I set off with two cameras: my waterproof camera of the moment, the Nikon Coolpix W300, and my Sony A6000 with the Tamron 70-180 mm lens. The idea was to take wide shots with my Nikon compact and zooms with my mirrorless camera. We’ll see what happens.

Pascal helped me to position the microphone and explained that it was important to keep it close to my mouth so that the wind didn’t bounce off it. I’ll also have to be quiet when he talks on the radio communication, ha ha. No worries, I’ll just enjoy the scenery, fly for fun and my airventure !

When we’re ready, we taxi down the runway to warm up the engine of the airplane. We waited for the signal to take off. Finally, we taxied faster and faster for take-off and flew low to the ground, then suddenly gained altitude. The feeling is, well, weird: a mixture of fear/excitement and the ‘wow’ you get when you take off and become aware of your surroundings. Comparatively, it’s not the same as an air pocket in a plane. It’s a much softer sensation.

From the very first few minutes, the feeling of fear gives way to a sense of wonder. It’s a bit scary, because the whole thing is moving around a bit. But the view is breathtaking. As soon as I’m in the air, I tell myself that I’m really lucky to be up there and to do this ULM test with a good flying school/company. (Even if, between you and me, it has very little to do with luck. They say that nothing happens by chance, right?) At the top, just after take-off, I have a breathtaking view of the town of Saint-François, the beautiful white sandy beaches in the area, the crazy colours of the lagoon, the coral reef and the salt flats of Pointe des Châteaux. In short, it’s extraordinary. During the flight, Pascal did a lot of explaining to help me find my bearings and explain what I was seeing in real time, which was really appreciated.

We then headed east towards Guadeloupe and the famous Pointe des Châteaux. There is no movement here, the wind is almost at a standstill. The wind is almost at a standstill and the sun is out. It’s a really pleasant moment and you take the time to admire the view and savor the moment: Carpe diem, as they say. I tried to remember the settings that Sylvain had told me so that I wouldn’t be scolded at the finish! I’m even treated to Pascal’s famous “breakdown”. The command-pilot cuts the engine in mid-air over the Pointe des Châteaux. It’s funny because I was holding on to my seat at the time, expecting to feel like I was falling through a hole in the air or into nothingness, but instead I got a real feeling of weightlessness, like I was floating in the air, I was so enthusiastic. It lasts a few seconds, maybe longer, who knows?

Then we do a 360° turn on ourselves. It’s a delicate, gentle movement and we head towards the end of the point and its famous cross, so visible from the sky (airspace). The view from here is sublime! We continue to our “first crossing”. We’re heading for the magnificent island of La Désirade, which I had the pleasure of discovering less than a month ago, during 4 full days there. We’ve written a full guide to visiting La Désirade. During this crossing, the conditions changed a lot. You feel the wind much more and the boat moves more. There’s not much to see between Pointe des Châteaux airspace and La Désirade airspace as there’s nothing but “blue” (as they say in diving). But we’re looking for whales, you never know. The aeronautical crossing took a few minutes and we finally arrived at this beautiful island.

The first thing you notice when you arrive is the island’s cliffs. It’s juste the beginning of the aviation experience. We fly over the village of Beauséjour, which unfortunately doesn’t look quite the same as it did when we were there. The village is full of sargassum, the famous brownish algae that can be found floating and decomposing on the beaches of many Caribbean islands. We start by flying over the plateau that forms the northern part of La Désirade Island. We then skirt the coastal cliffs, which offer breathtaking views of small natural coves. I realise that this is only possible to see when flying. From the ground, it’s almost impossible to get to this side of the island. Sylvain, however, managed to get there via a footpath, which you’ll read about in the article. At one point, Pascal (private instructor) tells me about a place that used to be famous for pirates. Ships used to drop anchor here, and as soon as they saw an enemy approaching, they would cut the rope and run off to attack. As a result, several anchors have been found at the bottom of the water. He also shows me a bay where the local fishermen gather once a year for a big feast of sea cicadas and lobsters!

We continue towards the wind turbines. The views are as beautiful as ever. I can’t get enough of them. In fact, La Désirade (airspace) looks much greener from the air than it did from the ground when we were there. It certainly makes a difference to see the panoramas from so high up! I’m more aware of the island’s unique relief. We headed to the eastern tip of the island to fly over the old weather station, the lighthouse and the local nature reserve. This is the only part of the island that is volcanic and you can see it clearly from the air. It’s also easy to see the old leper colony and the beautiful local beach, although sargassum has taken over.

We left the island of La Désirade for the Petite-Terre Islands (renamed the Pascal Islands by Pascal, ahah). They are administratively attached to the island of La Désirade. So, a new intersection. This crossing is actually more beautiful. You can see beautiful shades of blue between the two islands. It is even possible to see the two islands from a considerable distance away: Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas, not to be confused with the archipelago of Les Saintes, just in front of us, off the commune of Trois-Rivières. The arrival on the island is also impressive. It’s very different from arriving at La Désirade, which is made up of two small, low-lying coral islands separated by a shallow, turquoise-coloured channel. Let me point out that Terre-de-Haut (the smaller one) is closed to boats. This is an area reserved for the local fauna (turtles and rare and endemic bird species such as the little tern). On the other hand, although both islands are part of a nature reserve created in 1998, the island of Terre-de-Bas is open to tourists. The number of boats and tourists is limited to one per day. From the feedback I’ve been able to get, the sites (on land) are magnificent, but the excessive number of tourists in recent years has clearly damaged the place… However, Pascal (private pilot) told us that the underwater world is still excellent for snorkelling and even diving in the surrounding areas. We’ll have to try that one day.

Pascal explains that several scientists live in the lighthouse on the main island that we are flying over in our ultra-light plane. They are there for the study and conservation of the local flora and fauna, and to punish any abuse or degradation of the site. In any case, the views offered by the microlight flight over the islands of Petite Terre are one crazier than the next. I’ll have to ask Sylvain about the origin of these two islands, as it almost sounds like an atoll (or part of one). I was surprised to see that there weren’t many boats (but it was a bit early, I have to say). In the distance on Terre-de-Bas there’s a beautiful beach where you can see a few tourists and boats. The water is translucent and makes you want to come and explore (and of course do snorkelling)!

The south coast of Terre-de-Bas is less spectacular as there are fewer beautiful white sandy beaches, but the reef and barrier reef are there all the way. At the western tip of Terre-de-Bas we fly over several salt pans. The brown colour of the pans is very noticeable. On the largest of these, you can see the pontoons that serve as nesting boxes for the birds that come here to lay their eggs. The colour of the lake and the appearance of a beach inside the saltworks are a real contrast. Pascal, the private pilot then makes a wide turn over the islands, which offers even more exceptional views, being directly opposite the scene. We even caught a glimpse of a small turtle. It’s an eye treat.

We headed back towards Grande-Terre as the flight drew to a close. The crossing between the islands of Petite Terre and Pointe des Châteaux is fairly quick. There’s not much to see on the way back. I’ll have a good look to see if I can spot any whales, because a month earlier, during our weekend in La Désirade, we saw some whales blowing. Nothing this time. I came back with the sun at my back, which is much better for photos and not too many reflections. In my opinion, the flight over Pointe des Châteaux (airspace) on the way back was much nicer than on the way out. We return to the skies, once again flying over the beautiful sandy beaches and the thousand shades of blue of the lagoon.

At last we are back at the airfield of Saint-François, from where we had taken off more than an hour before. The descent is very smooth: no sudden movements, no earache, in short, it’s very relaxing. The landing was also extremely smooth. It’s a good thing you can tell you’re on the ground, otherwise you’d have no idea you’d been on the ground. We go back to the office to pick up Sylvain, who’s waiting for us on his bench! Pascal and I have a quick debrief on the trip and we have a quiet chat with Cédric, a certificated microlight pilot who works with Pascal (flight instructor). We’re going to learn a lot from him (the command-pilot).

At the end of the day, what can I say about this solo flight? To describe what I really felt, I don’t have enough adjectives, the views were just breathtaking. As much as I’ve tried to put it into words, I have to say that it was an amazing solo flying moment to experience. It’s definitely a once in a lifetime experience. The feeling of silence in the air, of serenity, and being able to observe the beauty of it all from the sky is nothing short of magical.

I felt like a child. My eyes were wide open as I admired the panoramas, each one more beautiful than the last. It’s simply magical. I think it’s a great activity to give as a gift, whether it’s for a birthday, Christmas, wedding or any other occasion. It’s really original and they’re sure to love it!

As for the route, as I said, I did the yellow loop. I think it’s the best choice. I think the others are a bit too short. After that, the Grande Terre tour should also be sublime, with a greater variety of landscapes to discover (lagoon, mangrove swamps, sandy beaches, coastal cliffs, fields, windmills, etc.). I’ll tell you all about it below.

By the way, if you’re looking for something completely different on your trip to Guadeloupe, I suggest you visit the Cocoa Museum in Pointe-Noire. It’s really fun.

As for the price, the yellow flight I took cost €170. You might think that’s expensive, but honestly, I don’t think it’s that much for an hour of pure pleasure in the airventure!

As I said, this was my first flight. ULM Archipel (flying school) offers five circuits available all year round from the Saint-François airfield:

• The “Tarrare” circuit: named after the rocky point and beach of the same name, north of Pointe des Châteaux. This is the shortest tour flight (12 minutes) and costs €50. It’s a flight that already gives you a great overview of the area, and one that is sure to take your breath away. I think I would have been frustrated to fly so little. You could do the following tour for a little more money,
• The “Pointe des Châteaux” tour: the flight lasts 20 minutes and allows you to see the whole of the Pointe des Châteaux from the air. It’s a great gift for those on a budget and will give you a great view of the whole area, with its magnificent white sandy beaches, cliffs and salt marshes. Price €70,
• The “Pointe des Châteaux + Petite Terre” tour: this flight tour is even longer (40 minutes) and allows you to enjoy the splendour of the Petite Terre islands. Price – €120,
• The “Pointe des Châteaux + Petite Terre + La Désirade” tour: this is the one I did and, to be honest, it’s the one I’d recommend with my eyes closed (a 60-minute flight). It allows you to see three unforgettable and very different parts of Guadeloupe, with a beautiful variety of landscapes. Especially when you fly over the island of La Désirade, which changes with the relief of the island,
• Finally, it’s also possible to fly over the whole of Grande-Terre (€270). I think this must be a truly exceptional flight, as it gives you an even better overview of a large part of Guadeloupe and the diversity of its landscapes.

If you’re wondering how to get to ULM Archipelago, it’s very easy. All you have to do is go to the Saint François airport and drive all the way to the end. You can park in front of it, there’s plenty of space. It’s just opposite Gwada Fly, a free-fall simulator.

You can fly from the age of 6. It’s a short ride, but I can just see Louis in one of those ultra light planes. He’d love it!

For those who are wondering (like us), there is currently no opportunity to take a first flight in Basse-Terre. It’s a shame, but it’s simply down to the weather conditions, which are much more complicated around the volcano.

Hopefully, you’ve had a taste of what a great activity this can be here in Guadeloupe. I’m coming to the end of my article. I wanted to tell you a bit more about the things I’ve learnt during my flight time here thanks to the flight instructions. It’s always interesting and challenging to know a bit more, isn’t it?

• ULM is the acronym for Ultra Light Motorised Glider. It’s basically a very light aircraft with a motor. It seats a maximum of 1 or 2 people. There are several classes of ultralights, including paragliders, hang gliders, multi-axis ultralights (a small plane with fixed wings), ultralight gyrocopters (the one I took), aerostats and ultralight helicopters. In short, I didn’t know that there were many different types of microlight. I also learned that you can’t fly a microlight abroad. Speaking of that, I invite you to read our article about our paragliding experience in Le Moule.
• For flying, it’s generally recommended to choose the gyrocopter (the one I tried), which remains very stable and moves less than an airplane. The ‘gyro’ has a rotor (the 2 blades on top) in the fuselage that cuts through the wind/air. Take-off and landing are really smooth! Another advantage of an autogyro is that you have a better field of vision (as you have no wings). On the other hand, multi-axis aircraft with fixed wings are a bit more windy. It all depends on what you’re after. You’ll get more thrills in a multi-axis plane than in a gyroplane. However, you can choose the microlight you want to fly and the price remains the same,
• Another difference I wasn’t aware of is that flying a seaplane (which is what Sylvain did in Bora Bora) has nothing to do with the microlight I just did. To fly a seaplane, you need an air operator’s certificate, basically an airline, with all that implies (maintenance of the plane, paperwork, audits, etc). This requires several flight lessons with a pilot trainer and passing an exam to verify the qualifications and to obtain your flight certification.
• I also learnt that on our flight we flew at an average of 300/400m and that you can fly at around 600m over the island of La Désirade (which is higher),
• You can also choose a fly session as a couple: each person flies in their own microlight plane and the two of you follow each other on patrol for the duration of the flight session. It can be great for taking photos of each other in your own airplane!
• Pascal also offers flying lessons for beginners interested in learning how to fly! He is a certificated pilot trainer and I am sure you will become a good pilot with him with numerous flight training flight sessions!

Well, that’s it for a few more details. It was my flight review. Nothing to do with a flight simulator ahah. I’ll stop here. I hope you enjoyed the microlight flight and my aviation adventure. I’m repeating myself, but I really think it’s an aviation experience you should have at least once in your life. For me, it was an incredible aeronautical moment.

We also took advantage of our week in the Grande Terre to try another activity: stand-up paddling in the sea at Morne-à-l’Eau. Speaking of which, we spent half a day exploring the Grand Cul-de-sac marin, north of Basse-Terre.

We’ll also be trying some activities closer to home in Guadeloupe, including climbing La Soufrière with a guide and canyoning. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a bit of peace and quiet in our neck of the woods, check out our article on our weekend in Terre-de-Bas, in the Saintes archipelago.

See you soon for another article from Guadeloupe.

Written by Sylvain PONS

Since 2021, I've been living in the Guadeloupe archipelago with Mélanie and our two children. We are exploring these beautiful islands and discovering the treasures that we are happy to share with you!

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