A Bit of History

History of The Club

In 1784 the first ever aerostat [Montgolfière] which flies over the Savoy country takes off from Chambéry and the winds push it towards a great marshy zone which extends from Challes les Eaux to North where it lands.
In 1895 the military garrison of Chambéry recovers this same zone to transform it as a parade ground field.
In 1911 and 1912 the first flights with motor planes are tried starting from this military parade ground by Pierre Béard.

In 1913 the place becomes officially "an airfield ". Although initially reserved for the use of the military aircraft, the aerodrome of Challes opens gradually to civil after the First World War, with the creation of the "Aéro Club des Alpes Françaises". Several meetings are organised between the two world wars, with the participation of the most famous pilots of that time: Détroyat, Le Brix, Hélène Boucher, Maryse Hiltz...
From 1932 to 1936, Captain Joseph Thoret creates in Challes the first school for mountain flight.
In 1934 the "Aéro Club de Savoie" replaces "Aéro des Alpes Françaises" and the training for pilots really starts.

The first monitor is Fernand Rogès followed by Després from 1936. In 1937 a section of "Popular Aviation" is joined with Mr Halotier as an instructor. The flights stop then in 1939 with the beginning of the World War II.

First flights

Despite the THORET's "School of the Movements" has a two-seater sailplane AVIA 20A since 1932, the first true development of gliding in Challes starts back in 1937. During a meeting, champion Eric Nessler stays in the air 25mn during his show and demonstrates the extraordinary potential of ridge soaring along the "Mont Saint-Michel" slope. In 1942, whereas the flights in motorplanes are prohibited, Aéro Club de Savoie, under the impulse of Michel Guyar as monitor, launches an alternative sailplane activity.

The club gets a gas generator based winch and some sailplane AVIA 11A and AVIA 1A, and people start learning gliding. Due to dynamic effects along the Mont Saint-Michel, the endurance flights appear very easily and other sailplanes like Castel 30S and Castel 242 are added to the fleet.
In November 1942 any civil flying activity is definitively stopped in France, but in Challes, 120 pilots could be trained and more than 2000 flights carried out. These results are impressive on the national level and, on a proposal from the leaders of the flying-club, at the end of the hostilities [WW II] it is decided to create a National Centre for Soaring to benefit from the fabulous aerological possibilities of the site.

Thus in 1945 a National Centre opens its gates in Challes. Its mission will evolve on the move. Initially in charge of the formation of the gliding instructors, training for motor plane pilots for the French Air Force is added as well as training of instructors. MM Lacasse, Peignat, Lahaye and Gourbeyre will successively head the management of the training centre.

The Chief-pilots will be MM. Guyard, Branciard, De Lasageas and Delparte and many instructors will become famous then. The National Centre, dedicated to motor plane, will close its gates definitely in 1976 and will be transferred to Grenoble-Saint-Geoirs.



Modern Gliding

Since the opening of the national centre and parallel with its activities, the Aéro Club de Savoie preserved a gliding section. Among its many pilots we are pleased to have the famous Daniel Barbera, inventor of the computer which bears its name.
In 1963, when the formation of the gliding instructors is transferred to the National Centre of "La Montagne Noire", the Aéro Club de Savoie's gliding section has the entirety of the sailplane activity in Challes.

In 1972, the Alpine Gliding Club of Annecy (CVVA) has to leave the Meythet airfield which is intended to become a commercial airport. Its members and gliders thus join their neighbours of the gliding section of Aéro Club de Savoie to form (March 17^th) the Savoyard Center of Alpine Gliding (C.S.V.V.A.). Pierre Garcin, who dealt already with the gliding section, is elected President of the new club. A permanent activity is launched with monitors Bonnardot and Chasseray and then Alain Carré.

In 1976, after the departure of the National Centre, the C.S.V.V.A. became the main user of the airfield. This freedom, as well as the economies generated by a comeback of winch usage to partly replace the tug planes, generates an even greater development, thus to reach the first French places as regards of the activity. This growth is done under the direction of Pierre Pellier, Chef of Centre from 1977 to 1996 and its successive assistants: Serge Mazoyer, Gilles Filloux, Henri Lamontagne, Richard Gouble and Christophe Huguenet.

Then P.Pellier left to a retirement and succession has been taken by Henri Lamontagne, assisted by Christophe Huguenet and Yvan Leray and about thirty voluntary instructors.

May 1st, 1999, another milestone is passed with the departure for retirement of Henri LAMONTAGNE and Christophe HUGUENET became the new chief-pilot of the centre. Christophe is the first chief-pilot directly issued from the internal formation of the club.

If the first sporting performances were established a few years ago: 300 kilometres in 1971, 500 kilometres in 1974, these cross-country flights are now currently realised by many Challes' pilots and visitors. Today a fleet of 45 sailplanes based in Challes realises each year nearly 200.000 kilometres for cross-country flights over the Alps.

In 1982, the best distance was 760 km towards the Gorges du Verdon (South of France) and the source of the Rhone river (in Central Swiss). In 1993, a flight of 936 km is carried out from Challes towards Austria and back.

In 1995, the limit is pushed to 1012 km and the flights towards Austria become more common than ever.

In 1998, a new stage was reached with a distance of 1100 km!!!

Translated from Jean-Noël Violette's French version
with the "help" of babelfish.altavista.com :-)
English native friends are welcome to help us correcting this text !!

Back to Welcome