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The launch of the Ultimate Air Challenge (UAC) has been announced for the summer of 2026. This major European ultralight aircraft race will combine navigation, endurance and strategy, in the spirit of the great aerial adventures of the 1980s.

The event's ambition is clear: to create genuine popular enthusiasm around ultralight aviation and to introduce the richness of our sport to a new audience. Much like the Vendée Globe for sailing, the Ultimate Air Challenge aims to highlight the spirit of adventure, freedom and discovery that drives ultralight pilots.

Through its European scope and the diversity of territories flown over, this adventure also seeks to rekindle the love of air travel and encourage pilots to step out of their comfort zone for a truly unique experience.

Around forty pilots will need to fly over as many checkpoints as possible scattered across Europe, freely choosing their own route and stopovers. The course could cross up to 20 European countries.

Two categories will be offered:
– Unlimited : designed for the highest-performance fixed-wing ultralights, up to 600 kg maximum take-off weight.
– Adventure : open to weight-shift trikes, autogyros, light helicopters and lighter fixed-wing ultralights, in a spirit more focused on exploration and adventure.

For this inaugural edition, the rules have been deliberately simplified to prioritise the spirit of adventure, accessibility and the pleasure of long-distance flying.

The Ultimate Air Challenge will take place from August 1, 2026 to August 8, 2026, departing and finishing at Chambley (LFJY). Since not all checkpoints can be completed in a single week, pilots will need to devise their own strategy based on weather, range and pace.

The stated goal is to make the Ultimate Air Challenge a major popular event dedicated to light aviation and European aerial adventure.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Sébastien Loeb, a legend of motorsport, nine-time world rally champion and aviation enthusiast. A helicopter pilot for many years, he has recently turned to ultralight aviation, drawn by a more direct, more free and equally committed approach to flying.

In this interview, he shares what attracted him to the discipline and offers his perspective on the Ultimate Air Challenge: a new kind of aerial adventure that pushes the boundaries of traditional ULM. More than just a race, the UAC is a European challenge of navigation, autonomy and strategy where pilots build their own route, manage weather, fuel and decision-making with complete autonomy. A week of flying, thousands of potential kilometres across Europe, and a single ambition: to fly well, fly smart and push your own limits.

A vision of flying that resonates particularly with Sébastien's journey: performance, precision, adaptation and a love of challenge.

A team based in Chambley has announced the launch of the Ultimate Air Challenge (UAC) next summer—a "continental microlight flying competition focused on navigation, endurance, and strategy", inspired by the spirit of the Grande Course or the London-Paris ULM races of the early 1980s.

Around forty pilots will compete to overfly as many of the 40 checkpoints as possible, following a free route of their own design—choosing their own paths and stopovers. The journey will span Europe, potentially crossing the following countries: Germany, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, United Kingdom, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.

This "long-distance aerial challenge" will feature pilots competing in two aircraft categories:
– Unlimited: Unlimited: For the highest-performing microlights and "manufacturer teams," limited to multiaxis with a Maximum Authorized Take-Off Mass (MTOM) of 600 kg.
– Adventure: Adventure: For trikes, rotorcraft (autogyro and helicopter), and multiaxis, with a more "exploratory and narrative spirit" and a MTOM of 400–500 kg (FAI standards).

Even on two-seater aircraft, all flights must be solo. Around forty pilots are expected, with routes potentially crossing 20 European countries and totaling approximately 50 hours of cumulative flight time.

Qualifying rounds are scheduled from July 25 to 31, 2026, in Chambley (LFJY, France), featuring three flights: an endurance test with full fuel tanks to maximize range, a navigation challenge within a predefined corridor including at least one landing in a country bordering France, and a precision landing test.

“The goal is to make this race as popular as possible with the general public.”

The qualifying results will determine the starting order for the Ultimate Air Challenge, taking place from August 1, 2026 to August 8, 2026, with departure and arrival at Chambley. Since all checkpoints cannot all be overflown within the 7-day timeframe, pilots will need to develop a strategy based on weather forecasts to optimize their flight time.

The race must be completed without external assistance, with each pilot navigating fully autonomously while complying with all regulations and necessary authorizations (border crossings, language requirements, etc.) in each country—without administrative support from the organizers. The final rules, in English, will be released at the end of February 2026. Participation will require membership in the UAC association and a FFPLUM license (temporary for foreign pilots).

The organizing team includes Pierre Legreneur as Race Director (previously involved in the last ULM World Championships in Chambley) and Georges Humeau, former Secretary General of the FFPLUM and organizer of the MULM in Blois. "The goal is to make this race as popular as possible with the general public," with extensive media coverage through live reports, a dedicated studio, social media, onboard videos, and more.

The UAC aims to "open light aviation to a wider audience, showcasing flight, technology, self-transcendence, and the beauty of Europe from the sky." This will be the first edition of an event destined to become one of the major gatherings in European light aviation.

This article is based on an original publication by AEROVFR.
Read the original article on aerovfr.com