Visitors from the Sky: 2026 Edition - A Book About the Weather

Visitors from the Sky – New Edition

Completely rewritten and enriched with new illustrations and previously unpublished accounts, this edition offers the only manual specifically designed for pilots of paragliders, hang gliders, fixed-wing gliders, microlights, and hot-air balloons… It also serves as an excellent introduction for glider pilots before moving on to more technical works, and offers airplane pilots valuable insights into local aerology, turbulence, mountain flying, and conditions specific to the French skies. Finally, it is also intended for kite flyers, as the topics covered are relevant to them.

For the first time, atmospheric conditions are explored from the perspective of a pilot flying on foot or at low speed in the lower layers of the atmosphere. Designed as a comprehensive guide, the book combines theoretical explanations—illustrated with photos and diagrams—with numerous practical tips. A detailed index and a comprehensive glossary make it easy to find specific information.

One of the book’s most distinctive features is the prominence given to firsthand accounts and flight stories: they demonstrate just how essential experience and weather literacy are to air sports. Alongside a scientific approach to the atmosphere on a small scale, the author shares empirical meteorology, the result of years of observation and practice. As the pages turn, the entire history of ultralight aviation unfolds: equipment evolves, techniques change, but the sky always presents the same challenges.

Translated into several languages, *Les Visiteurs du ciel* has become an essential classic.

Author: Hubert Aupetit, a distinguished scientist and pilot with decades of experience, has explored the skies at the controls of all the aircraft mentioned in this book, both in France and abroad.