The stay

THE STAY

Do you dream of flying with your head in the clouds? The birds and their flight so fluid that you feel like you’re dreaming? Then this is the stay for you. At the heart of a valley, lined with high peaks, waterfalls and plenty of lakes, where the biodiversity is abundant and the landscapes magical, come and experience a unique adventure. You will be introduced by professionals to paragliding. Taking off slowly, you can savour the pleasure of gliding over the breathtaking landscapes of the valley.

Thanks to paragliding, you can fly in open air with only the sound of the wind in your ears and you can sometimes even hug and stroke the clouds -depending on each ascent - as well as vultures, kites and other birds of prey. You will have the immense privilege of sharing the sky with these birds and be part of their world.

But not only this! You will complete observations of the birds, starting with the discovery of them during hikes and the discovery of the local flora and fauna. With your observations of these birds, you will then be responsible for designing amazing flying machines that will imitate the pure flight you have just observed in the birds. You will have to choose the most suitable shape for your glider, create the most efficient movable surfaces and come and test them in the field. You will also be introduced to flying with strange, radio-controlled machines that imitate the birds’ flight. Do you think you can master these mini-bird machines and make them evolve like real ones?

THE RESEARCH

Birds are absolutely fascinating animals. Well before mankind, they learned to tame the wind, to make it their ally to allow them to fly higher and further distances. They have developed the most fluid and efficient form known to date. Man can only imitate a minimal amount of this feat. We invited you to go further, on our discovery course.

OSI through its program, drone connection, seeks to create the tools of tomorrow to observe and preserve nature through participative research. This research is accessible to all, and especially to you. So why not replace these noisy and voracious multi rotor drones with energy from these flight-imitating machines? It is easy to imagine the advantages of a machine like this. It would fit perfectly in nature without disturbing or polluting it. It could also get closer to animals without frightening or disturbing them. It would be an ideal tool to carry out preventative and observational acts for both flora and fauna of our planet.
Through this stay, we offer you the chance to initiate such a project and to lay the foundations for what could be a future OSI bird drone. All these experiments will then be the subject of a retransmission, the participants of each stay profiting from the observations and tests carried out by the previous participants, and thus each doing their part.

More generally, OSI, thanks to the drone connection program, seeks to showcase our planet and to protect it by raising awareness of its richness and fragility among tomorrow’s adults. Thus, as well as mastering this type of machine, you will be able to discover the flora and fauna with fresh eyes.
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DAILY LIFE ON SITE

You will alternate your activities during the stay, from an introduction to paragliding to designing the flying machines, all punctuated by games and outdoor adventures in the fresh air.

The introduction to paragliding will be given by professional and state-registered instructors. You will begin with tandem paragliding flights. You are placed in front of the pilot, and will contribute to the take-off by a run-up. During the flight, the instructor can offer you, if you wish and if weather conditions allow, the chance to pilot the paragliding in double-command. You will learn the behaviour of wings and the relevant gestures used to inflate and stabilize it. It is so much fun and you will feel sensations close to that of flying a kite, but with far more power. When there is little wind on landing, you will feel first hand what it’s like to hover in short rushes.

Then, depending on your level and weather conditions, you can, at the end of the trip make your first solo flight under the supervision of the instructors.
For the design of the drone birds, you will be integrated in a team that will be responsible for starting the bird-watching. There will be the opportunity for outings to try and observe the birds in their natural habitat. Then, you’ll have to start thinking about the shape and control surfaces that your future bird drone might have. Finally, with the help of OSI animators, you will build your machine and test it in the wild.

Throughout the trip, you will be introduced to piloting with small prototypes of radio-controlled birds of the Avitron model. You will learn to fly them in flapping mode or in glider mode. This experience will give you valuable information on the behavior of bird wings and their control.

The end of the stay will make it possible to record all these results and will be the subject of a public retransmission.

THE SITE/ACCOMMODATION

At the gateway to Spain and a few kilometers from the city center of Luchon, known as a spa town since Roman times, the Demeure de Venasque welcomes up to 67 people in a warm and family atmosphere.

Close to many hiking starting points, it offers you the chance to discover wonderful panoramas and refreshing waterfalls. This friendly gîte is surrounded by a park of 4 hectares giving free rein to your childrens’ and their educators’ imaginations for great games, den-building, or for beautiful nature walks ... Many board games and outdoor games, such as table football or ping-pong are also available.

Offering all the modern comforts, the Demeure de Venasque will welcome you in a dozen simple and comfortable rooms with 4 to 6 beds. The gîte has several activity rooms, a large reception room and a large terrace to enjoy the nice weather.

PARTNERS

INTERDRONES SERVICES is a company specializing in the construction and use of multiplatform drones. The company uses flying drones as well as land, surface and underwater drones. Founded by a firefighter in 2013, this company has the goal of intertwining drone technology with the emergency services.

ODYSSEE SUD is a society based in the heart of the Pyrenees, which offers all kinds of mountain-based activities: Paragliding, hiking, snowshoeing, mountain-biking, Fat Biking and all-terrain scootering. All the instructors are state-registered and would love for you to safely discover these mountains that they love so much.

FAQs

1: Is paragliding a dangerous activity for children?

The paragliding is organized by professionals of both the activity and the mountains. With much experience in this field, they have supervised this type of introduction for beginners for several years. They have perfectly mastered all the techniques of gliding and know how to adapt their teaching to even the youngest members of the public. The first flights will be held in tandem to learn the basics and only the most serious and responsible participants will be able to partake in the big solo flight.

2: Does this course include the option to receive a recognized diploma?

At the end of the course, a certificate of participation is given by ODYSSEE SUD. It indicates participation and completion of the introduction but is not an official state-recognized qualification.

3: Do you have to have a good level of drone- piloting, robotics or computer science Science La science est désormais l’affaire de tous. Découvrez la science d’une manière ludique et active. Nous vous proposons d’en découvrir plus sur nos expéditions à la voile, découverte du plancton. to participate in this trip?

Although this camp is moving towards this type of profile, the participants are all part of a team and everyone is contributing to the project. It is not necessary to be an electronic or computer genius to participate and develop fully on this type of stay. Just being interested and wanting to learn from others is enough to have fun here.
As for an understanding of piloting, it is certainly useful, but we are also here to discover more about the activity. Thus mini-drones and simulators are available to beginners. This allows them to progress very quickly and to acquire a sufficient understanding to achieve their objectives.

4: Does the camp respect the regulations on civilian drones in France? Are there particular dangers for participants?

OSI relies on the company INTERDRONES SERVICES for the organization and supervision of its DRONE CONNECTIONS stays. This company is approved by the DGAC and has all the necessary authorizations to supervise this type of service. Being in existence for more than 2 years, it also provides quality coaching from qualified pilots who practice this profession.

We also focus on security with specific hardware. We use the simulator for safe introductions. We also use safety nets and double controls for maximum safety. _

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