Every September, air enthusiasts meet in Saint-Hilaire du Touvet to compete in the Icare Cup Sept. 16-19.

Each year is a bigger and better spectacle with hang-gliders, paragliders, microlights, paramotors, wingsuits, and even paper planes. The world's best pilots from the Air Force Acrobatic team will put on a show of sky acrobatics.

Participants in the carnival will compete by inventing the most unusual flying objects, which in the past have included lifeboats, hippotpotami, and the reconstrucion of the Henri Fabre's seaplane.

Another highlight of the event will be Vincent Saffioti and his model aircraft club. The major of the helicopter base for Civil Security in Grenoble will expose his version, a model of the original, in the Model Aircraft Making Salon. His "Canard" is nearly two metres long.

Animations and workshops also surround the event. Entrance to the festival is €5-15.

Saint-Hilaire du Touvet is located in the Rhone Alpes. This region is made up of seven different areas: Ain, Ardeche, Drome, Isere, Loire, Rhone, and Savoie Mont Blanc. The Savoie Mont Blanc area spans beautiful lakes, peaceful landscapes, and untouched nature reserves, such as Lake Aiguebelette and the Vanoise National Park, both of which offer an abundance of hiking and cycling trails.

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