Patrick de Gayardon

Patrick de Gayardon de Fenoyl was born the January 23rd 1960 with Oullins and died the April 13rd 1998 with Hawaii.

Before discovering the Parachuting, this athlete of 1.88 m and 84 kg practices the Golf, the Planche with veil, the Ski and the Tennis.

Registered at 11 years, with the College of the Mariaux Fathers, in Lyon, it obtains the vat which enables him to enter to the Faculty of Law. At 20 years, after some jumps carried out within the army, it begins in sporting parachuting: since then, it carried out more 12 000 jumps. Champion of France of freefall in 1985 and 1988, it is second with the championships of the world of 1985. In 1984, he discovers the fall “Freestyle” ( freefall with figures ) and the Base jump ( jump since fixed bases such as bridges, buildings or cliffs ).

With his friend Franck Konrad, it jumped since the highest water fall of the world: the Salto Angel (979 m), with the Venezuela.

In 1989, he invents the discipline which will return it celebrates, the Sky surfing.

In 1992, it joined the TEAM Sector and it conquers the world records of jump of high-altitude without breathing apparatus on October 16th (11 700 m). November 14th, 1995, it again beats the record above Moscow (12 700 m, with -55°).

Then, in 1994, Patrick de Gayardon de Fenoyl invents a new concept of flexible wings attached to the body of the parachutist, between his arms and his legs. Their principle of operation is similar to that of the boxes of a parapente: while being engulfed in the boxes, the relative air gives a profile and a rigidity to the wing, which enable him to generate a bearing pressure…

Thanks to its wings, it can follow a trajectory to 45°, and thus move. Nevertheless the parachute remains essential to land, because its speed of flight is of 180 km/h.

The wings do not cease progressing, and in 1998 Patrick de Gayardon de Fenoyl reaches from now on slopes close to those which borrows the Columbia shuttle while returning on Earth (smoothness of 1,8 against smoothness 2 for Columbia).

Released of a plane, it succeeds in going up in the cabin one minute later. A cascade that the parachutists more aguerris tried to make a success of, in vain, since 40 years.

With more than 12.000 jumps to its credit, it is one of the largest parachutists of the moment.

He dies the April 13rd 1998 during an accident during the turning of a film with Hawaii.

Clem Sohn

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