Biography of Patrick De Gayardon

Icarus: Science and audacity

January 23, 1960
April 13, 1998
Patrick De Gayardon de Fenayl was born in Oulins, near Paris, on January 23, 1960. Spend a peaceful childhood at his grandparents. He studied for eleven years in the convent of the Marian fathers in Lyon, he graduated from high school, then attended the Faculty of law. Before discovering skydiving practice different sports including windsurfing, golf, tennis and skiing. In 1980, in 20 years, Patrick De Gayardon debuts in parachuting. Since 1984 practice base jump, a discipline whose particularity is launching from base stations: Patrick leaps off skyscrapers, towers and bridges. His passion is the freestyle: accomplishes outstanding three-dimensional figures in freefall. It is champion of France in 1985 and in 1988 free fall; became vice world champion in 1986 in the same specialty. In May 1989, Patrick is one of the first pioneers of a new discipline that will make him famous worldwide, Skysurfing, which consists of achieving during freefall with a snowboard attached to their feet, all the figures of Alpine skiing and surfing classic. In 1991 gets a second place in the Championship of France for the specialty "flying team". The following year he became a member of the "Sector No Limits team" and in the same spring launches into base jump from the top of the Angel falls in Venezuela, the highest waterfall in the world (979 meters). Also in 1992, in October, he launches into freefall over Bordeaux from a height of over 11700 metres. In 1993 Patrick De Gayardon rushes from a helicopter in Sòtano de Las Golondrinas, the enormous natural canyon of Mexico. The difficulty of the enterprise lies in the times: Patrick opens his parachute only after being penetrated in the vast pit, deep 376 metres and a width from 63 to 49 metres. The company that he is the protagonist in April 1994 when it launches from 3200 metres in a Skysurfing on the North Pole. The November 14, 1995 launches from 12700 meters in the skies of Moscow and sets a new record for launch from great heights without oxygen respirator. Then in 1996 he won the first World Championship of Skysurfing, organized by the International Aeronautic Federation. By 1997 Patrick De Gayardon dedicates all his time to the project "Fight" for the study, development and testing of a wingsuit, of his own invention. In the previous three years had studied the flight of a unique species of squirrels in Madagascar, which fitted with a thin membrane that connects the front legs, back and tail, they glide from tree to tree. The first prototypes of the suit date back to 1994 and the first experiments in 1996. The particular suit is equipped with three wing surfaces stitched directly to the body of the suit itself, to fill the space created between the arms, body and legs spread apart; formed by a double membrane, this swells during the fall creating an effect. With this wingsuit free fall horizontal navigation speed is 140/150 kilometers per hour. The maximum speed is 180 km/h; the vertical speed of 90 km/h. With a fall of 35 degrees and with a body tilted forward to 20-25 degrees, we obtain that the horizontal displacement is greater than the vertical. The evidence of Patrick De Gayardon led to unimaginable results: leap from 4000 meters is able to move horizontally about 6 kilometers in just over two minutes: the horizontal advance is therefore much more than vertical. Ultimately we can speak of Planar flight, and in a nutshell, the ability for humans to fly. With this enterprise Patrick De Gayardon became the man capable of making alive the legend of Icarus. With parasailing, intuition, studied and experienced personally, was able, during a free fall without a parachute, to return on the same plane from which, kilometers higher up was launched. As well as Malagasy squirrels jump from a tree landing on another after a flight, so Patrick De Gayardon was launched with the suit, as the plane flew its own angle of descent; and the Frenchman's first approached the aircraft, then we came back. In April 1998, Patrick is located in Hawaii to experience some special performance improvements wingsuit. It's Monday, April 13, when during a workout, in the parachute opening mechanism applied to suit, appears a problem: Patrick De Gayardon died tragically. The following day, in Italy, la Gazzetta dello Sport devoted its back cover to this modern hero: along with a gorgeous color photos depicting Patrick flying in the blue sky, the following sentence appeared: "there are men who with their inventions have changed our way of life. Others, to dream".
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.