Euro Heli Series: Flottemanville-Hague-France – 27-29 june 2025

Location & atmosphere

I had never experienced this before: the accommodation of this French model club is truly extraordinary! The HMAC club in Hague, home of F3A World Champion Christophe Paysant Le Roux and the talented Arnaud Poyet, is impressive in every way. Both have been successful in F3A and F3C races for many years, respectively, and Arnaud is also active as a pilot in F3A. Arnaud was again present during this EHS edition, which he co-organized. A total of 14 international pilots participated. At the first EHS of the year in Denmark, not a single Belgian was present, due to personal circumstances with each of us. This time in France, I absolutely wanted to be there, after the long winter break.

Thursday 26 June – Foggy start, warm welcome

Unfortunately, the weather forecast for today was correct: drizzle until after noon made training almost impossible. But don't worry – some club members gave me an extensive tour behind the scenes of their association. What a special club, where togetherness, helpfulness, but also technical expertise are central. The club has a fully equipped workshop with numerous tools, sanitary facilities and even showers. It does come with a serious price tag: according to the information, the building would have cost around €800,000, financed by the municipality – logical, given the link with the nuclear activities in Hague.

Friday 27 June – Fog, tension and pizza

The day started foggy and wet again, so that training the F program literally fell into the water. Fortunately, the fog cleared in the afternoon and we were able to complete a first round of the P-program. I was tenth on the list and clearly felt the tension. Unfortunately, I was missing one figure, which gave me a zero – something that upset me for a while. I ended the day with 149 points. Fortunately, the evening became more fun: the club treated us to a pizza evening, fully sponsored. A nice end to a tough day.

Saturday 28 June – Progress at last

The planned start at 9 am was again postponed by fog, but this time it remained dry. After a hesitant start by two pilots, another break followed. It was only around 3 pm that the weather became sufficiently stable and we could continue. In the end we flew two P-rounds on this Saturday. I felt a lot more relaxed and got 211 and 213 points – a nice progress and something I was very satisfied with. The banquet started at 8 pm, just after the last flight of the day. Perfect timing!

Sunday 29 June – Nice ending

Finally a bright morning! The organization decided to fly one P and one F lap instead of two F-laps. Because I hadn't been able to train much on the F-program, I dropped a few places in the rankings. Still, I scored 210 points in the P-round, which underlines my consistent level. I close this EHS with a good feeling and congratulate the top three:

🥇 Arnaud Poyet

🥈 Remi Romagnan

🥉 Ronald Van Lent

Reminiscing & looking ahead

After the award ceremony, the majority immediately left for home, but I stayed for a while to explore the area with Joerg Roessner. On Tuesday I will leave for Velzeke.In name of all participating pilots I would like to express my great thanks to the club and its many dedicated employees. The smooth organization, the hospitality, the delicious food and the good care make this EHS edition an unforgettable memory. A special thank you goes to Arnaud, for his initiative and dedication to making this possible in France.

Remarkable: low turnout

Striking this year is the limited turnout: only 14 pilots in France and 11 in Denmark. In total, there are only three EHS games this year instead of the usual five. But I am already looking forward to our own organization of the EHS in Lichtervelde (Bleriot) from 12 to 14 September, where 18 pilots are already registered!

With sporting greetings,

Guy Vanderschelden