105th anniversary of first intercontinental flight

(24 Sep 2017) LEADIN:
Tunisian aviation fans have been marking the 105th anniversary of the first intercontinental flight to Europe.
The event drew several paramotor pilots keen to promote their unusual sport.
STORYLINE:
It's a day of celebration at the aeronautical club in Utique.
Aircraft enthusiasts are marking the 105th anniversary of the first intercontinental flight between Africa and Europe.
French World War I aviator Roland Garros flew from Tunisia to Italy and arrived successfully in Rome.
The Tunisian Aeronautics Association is using commemorative events like this to encourage more interest in the sport here.
The organisations president, Soussia Habib, says earlier this year they held a rally on the routes of the Biskra Air Squadron, a unit that provided a postal service for the military across the Sahara.
Conditions today are a little cloudy with moderate south-westerly winds of 10 to 25 kilometres an hour - good for both ultralight aircraft (ULMs) and paramotors.
French pilot Sebastien Veillard is one of six people flying paramotors at the event.
And the historic flight of Roland Garros 105 years ago is on his mind.
"It's nice, we are on the track where he landed. He had to have landed 10 kilometres from here. So we are on his trail," he says.
He's showing off his flight skills to try and promote his hobby.
"There is a desire to discover paramotor activities, which are not very well known in Tunisia," he says.
And it's not a sport limited to the young. Pensioner Ali Barouni is a big fan of the air-bound pass time.
"The essential thing is your strength allows you to carry this equipment and run," he says.
"I started at the age of 59. Now I am 66 and I will continue. There are people who are 80 years old and who practise it."
Today's event has brought Ezdine Jaabiri back to his homeland. The Tunisian expatriate lives in Switzerland where he uses the landscape to fly paramotors.
"We fly, we brush the mountains, it's normal. We look for the ascending air currents to make thermals required for full flight. This was our engine," he says.
"The advantage now is that we have an engine on the back. It blows to push us. Then, the combination of a paraglide and an engine gives us the option to go where we want."
In tennis, the stadium where the French Open is played is named after Garros.


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