The Clamensane rough airstrip, located south-east of Gap airport in the French alps, is ideal for instructing ULM pilots who wish to train in mountain flying as members of the 'Pôle National Vol Montagne' (PNVM). This is a structure common to the FFPLUM (Fédération Française de Planeurs et Ultra-légers Motorisés) and the AFPM (Association Française des Pilotes de Montagne) whose goal is the promotion of mountain flying in all its specificities by providing theoretical and practical training. Though not "compulsory" today for ULM pilots wishing to fly in the mountains, it nevertheless allows them to acquire "on a voluntary basis" the knowledge and skills for a safer practice of ULM mountain flying with access to passionate and qualified instructors who will provide them with quality education under the label FFPLUM/AFPM.
With respect to Clamensane, the three videos below highlight how the practice of a standard mountain traffic pattern including integration, base, final approach and landing makes it possible to land safely on this rather difficult terrain resembling strangely an aircraft carrier runway. Here, an ULM pilot can validate with an instructor the knowledge acquired during his theoretical training prior to any practice.
This video shows that landing on a rough mountain airstrip necessitates a specific pattern from approach (high and low-level recon) to alignment in final and to landing followed by taxiing to the Clamensane parking platform from which the pilot decides to go around in the wake of the landing and to take off.
From the ground, two landings and one take-off at Clamensane.
Leg by leg, the standard mountain landing pattern is decomposed, each leg being indicated on this video by a small green inset mentioning its name. Mastering these legs is essential if you want be able to safely land a plane on a rough mountain airstrip.
