Visitors from Heaven – New Edition

Completely rewritten, enriched with new illustrations and unpublished stories, this edition offers the only manual specifically designed for pilots of paragliders, hang gliders, rigid wings, microlights, balloons, etc. It also constitutes an excellent introduction for glider pilots before tackling more technical works, and offers airplane pilots valuable supplements on local aerology, turbulence, mountain flying and the conditions specific to French skies. Finally, it is also aimed at kitesurfers, as long as the topics covered concern them.

For the first time, the atmospheric sky is explored from the perspective of a pilot on foot or at low speeds flying in the lower layers. Designed as a true guide, the book combines theoretical explanations, illustrated with photos and diagrams, with numerous practical tips. A detailed index and a comprehensive glossary facilitate the search for specific information.

One of the book's great originalities lies in the emphasis given to testimonies and flight stories : they show how essential experience and weather culture are to air sports. Alongside the scientific approach to the small-scale atmosphere, the author conveys empirical meteorology, the fruit of years of observation and practice. Throughout the pages, the entire history of ultralight aviation unfolds: equipment evolves, techniques change, but the sky always imposes the same challenges.

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

Author: Hubert Aupetit, a high-level scientist and pilot for several decades, has explored the skies at the controls of all the aircraft mentioned in this book, in France and internationally.