We are delighted to have been part of the world's largest event for ultralight aviation in France again this year! We have summarized our impressions for you here.
Arrival
Fully loaded with great gear and plenty of provisions, three UP employees, Chief Designer Franta Pavlousek and CEO Christian Rönning, set off on their journey. It's an 11-hour drive from the UP headquarters in Garmisch (Germany) to St. Hilaire (France).
Weather
Perfect! Sunny, flyable... except for a few hours during dismantling, when it poured with rain. But without a little mud in the parking lot and a friendly tractor tow service, it wouldn't have been a real Coupe Icare.
Testival
We were here for the first time with our full range of demo gliders. Represented by Guillaume Gensse, the UP distributor for France and owner of Plume Distribution. The gliders were eagerly loaned out and flown. A complete success! We would like to be back again in 2026.
Expo
For the second time, we had our stand in the “Barish” tent in the same location in aisle H. New this year were our large-format backlit advertising banners. They were well received. We will fine-tune things for next year and, in addition to the coffee machine, we will definitely bring a couch.
New products
Two new UP paragliders were announced for 2026: TORRE, a two-liner for the C category, and K2 5, the successor to our popular tandem. Both models are currently in the final phase of certification and are scheduled to be available in the spring. Pre-orders are already being taken.
Team spirit
Next to the obligatory pizza dinner for the team, it is definitely a highlight to be able to enjoy a quiet hike & fly together in the morning before the hustle and bustle of the trade fair begins. Several colleagues took advantage of this opportunity.
Networking
Coupe Icare brings people together across borders. In addition to many new faces, we also had visits from old acquaintances. Among them were team pilots Alex Fluri (Switzerland) & Theresa Schmidt (Austria), Jonas Hribernik (Go2Fly flight school / Austria), Hans Ecker (Kilb flight school / Austria), David Díez (Parapente Pirineos flight school / Spain), Rob Sporrer (Eagle Paragliding flight school / USA), Christian Cid (Flymarket dealer / Chile) and last but not least: Ed and Verity (Cross Country Magazine / UK).
Conclusion
Every year, it's fun to be part of Coupe Icare! We would like to thank the organizers and all our international partners and guests who visited us there. We look forward to seeing you next time! If you don't want to miss any news from UP in the meantime, we recommend following us on social media—for example, Instagram—or subscribing to our newsletter.