“Driving with a disability is possible!”: Paralympic medallist Flora Vautier takes the controls in Montpellier

Flora Vautier a passé sa première leçon dans les airs à Montpellier. Midi Libre – GIACOMO ITALIANO

La médaillée des derniers Jeux Paralympiques Flora Vautier a réalisé son premier vol au bord d’un ULM équipé spécialement pour les personnes en situation de handicap, ce samedi 30 novembre, à l’aéroclub de Montpellier.

Showing that aviation is accessible to everyone. Paralympic athlete Flora Vautier from Gard took advantage of her first flying lesson on Saturday, November 30, to send a message to people with disabilities. The new icon of French disabled sport since the Paris 2024 Games is taking advantage of her recent fame to raise awareness of the initiatives put in place for people with disabilities. Including the one carried out by the Montpellier aeroclub. “Flying with a disability, yes, it's possible!”

Since a car accident in 2015, which caused a dislocation of the vertebrae, the 20-year-old from Gard has been paraplegic. Slightly shy at first, the bronze medalist in mixed doubles table tennis admits to loving this kind of activities. “I love trying new things. I've already done a parachute jump, I can't wait to get on the plane”, says the young girl before taking off. A state of mind that does not surprise Fanny Bertrand, table tennis player and friend who accompanied him for this activity. “She doesn't ask herself many questions. When she has to go, she just goes for it,” explains the bronze medalist at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

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A precious invention

This idea came from another friend, Damien Menella, also a table tennis player. The forty-year-old has been passionate about aviation since childhood and had to stop his passion following his accident. “For 25 years, there were no equipped planes or ULMs (ultra-light motorized aircraft), so it was impossible to fly”, says the silver medalist in the team event at the Games in China.

The members of the flying club and the table tennis players in front of the ULM. Midi Libre – GIACOMO ITALIANO

Until the day a manufacturer released what is called a malonnier. Thanks to this beautiful ingenuity, the pedals are replaced. Contraction of “manche” and “palonnier”, the malonnier allows to control everything only with the hands and the pilot no longer needs his feet. The Montpellier Aeroclub is one of the only associations to own a microlight with this specificity in France.

Since 2018, the club's Handivol section has enabled around ten people to independently access an aircraft in order to discover the pleasure of flying. This purchase required a budget of 150,000 euros. For this, the club received help from the Region and the National Committee for Sports Development (CNDS), as well as private stakeholders.

“With desire, everything is possible”

Despite a slight delay in takeoff, everything ultimately went perfectly for Flora Vautier who was able to enjoy the experience of flying over Hérault and learning her first maneuvers. An unforgettable experience for the Gardoise. “With desire, everything is possible” as she likes to repeat on her social networks.

With her 44,000 followers on Instagram, it's a superb spotlight for the initiative as well as the club. “The flying club has always been sensitive to disability. For years, we have been organizing first flights to allow people with disabilities to fly”, explains Pierre Sartre, president of the Montpellier flying club. In any case, thanks to Flora's video, the experience has already made people envious on the internet.

A list of achievements already well filled for Flora Vautier

Born on November 3, 2004 in Villepinte (Seine-Saint-Denis). The member of the Nîmes club started para-table tennis at at the age of 13. She was the flag bearer for France at the Youth Paralympic Games in 2022.

Palmarès : French champion in singles (2023, 2024), women's doubles (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), mixed doubles (2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). Bronze medal in mixed doubles at the Paralympic Games (2024), in women's doubles WD10 at the World Championships (2022) and at the European Championships (2023).

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