France's RSA Rally
Don Berliner
Overview
The Rassemblement du Réseau du Sport de l'Air (RSA) is French for the equivalent of the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual fly-in — in other words, the Oshkosh of France. It's much smaller than Oshkosh, which means everything is within reach rather than overwhelming in size and complexity. In a single day you can see all the airplanes, chat with locals and visiting enthusiasts from other countries, and sample restaurant-quality food that is neither fast nor greasy.
The Field
The RSA Rally, which dates back to the late 1940s, is now firmly established at the airport near Moulins, about 160 miles southeast of Paris. The field is wide and flat and largely free of the heavy traffic that can interfere with casual joyrides and demonstrations of aircraft taking off short, climbing steep, and landing short.
Like Oshkosh and other big American fly-ins, the rally is full of bright colors and intriguing shapes lined up in rows.
Aircraft on Display
Airplanes of many types are represented:
- Very new and very old
- Very small and not-quite-so-small
- Wooden, metal, and fiberglass construction
Clusters of enthusiasts work their way up one row and down the next, pausing every few yards to inspect variations in wheel pants, cowling inlets, canopy frames, propeller tips, wing-root fairings, and even aileron hinges.
Hangar and Vendors
Inside the immense hangar that serves as headquarters, flea market, and commercial display area, the aisles are crowded all day. Vendors sell and display a wide range of items, including:
- Lapel emblems and jacket patches
- Books and magazines
- Flight manuals
- T-shirts and caps
- Used airspeed indicators
- Exotic satellite navigation devices
One simple wooden stand serves quality champagne in fluted glasses, a reminder that this is, after all, a French fly-in.
Language and Communication
The prevailing language is French, but enough English is spoken — or at least marginally understood — to make communication possible. English is the official language of the world's air traffic control systems, so most pilots can manage a few words.
International Presence
At Moulins, aircraft come not only from all parts of France but also from other European countries, including:
- Norway
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Austria
- Germany
- Denmark
- Luxembourg
To tell an aircraft’s origin you can read the initial letters of national license numbers (F for France, D for Germany, I for Italy, etc.) or recognize small flags painted on tails. With the European Community becoming a reality (at the time), national differences were already getting blurrier; several home-builts carried the EC emblem — a ring of gold stars on a dark blue background.
Home-Builts and Trends
Most of the aircraft are French. Among home-builts, many are versions of the Jodel, recognizable by the upturned outboard sections of their wings. Since the first single-seat Jodel D.9 Bébé appeared in 1948, hundreds of variations have followed: two-seaters and four-seaters, taildraggers and tricycle gear, those with obscure French engines and those with well-known American Lycomings and Continentals. Factory-built Jodel developments can be barely distinguishable from home-builts.
The French often stick with ideas they like, while Americans more frequently design new aircraft to replace last year’s models. Jodels and a host of descendants of the 1935 Flying Flea pepper the flight line and give Moulins a special look.
At the same time there is a clear drift toward more modern — often American — designs. Mixed in with the all-wood low-wingers you might see:
- Rutan VariEzs and LongEZs
- Glasairs
- Lancairs
These advanced, efficient designs have attracted many otherwise loyal French builders.
Modeling Opportunities
As at any fly-in, the RSA Rally is an excellent opportunity to find unfamiliar aircraft worth modeling. You can photograph and measure to your heart's content; most owners are flattered by the prospect of a scale model of their airplane. A polite request is usually enough, and offering to share photographs of the full-size airplane and your finished model helps win over even the most hesitant pilot.
When It's Held
The 1992 RSA Rally was held the fourth weekend in July, so it can be assumed future fly-ins will take place at the same location and around the same time of year.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
