Patrick de Gayardon

[billvon 2,384]

(originally posted by skydiverek/shunkka)

I have found some good articles about, in my opinion, the greatest skydiver ever...

Here they are:

http://www.bpa.org.uk/skydive/pages/people/gayardon.htm

http://home.nordnet.fr/~paramag/archives/n132/article/article-us.html

http://skydive.tv/patrick.htm

Anyone has more links?

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http://utenti.lycos.it/chicco30/id29.htm
if u know italian

[GravityGirl 0]

Thanks Bill.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[Unstable 8]

Thanks Billl! It's a good read!

=========Shaun ==========

[piisfish 135]

some other french are also great, Loic for sure and also sieur Eric Fradet

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[skydiverek 54]

Here is one more link form the original thread - a 42,000 feet jump without oxygen...

http://www.afn.org/skydive/usenet/1995/dec/0488.html

Truly amazing!

[ThighMan 5]

How did he pass away? I remember something about making a modification to the rig. Any info?

Airborne
Blue Skies, No Wind
Feet and Knees Together

[skydiverek 54]

I have noticed many junger jumpers recognize the name "Patrick de Gayardon", but do not really know who it is in their skydiving videos. Well, here is some info:

Patrick is credited with inventing skysurfing and wingsuit flying the way we know it today... You can also see him in these skydiving videos (referenced from paragear.com):

- "Traveling 1": radical and advanced styles of freestyle with Bruno Gouvy and Gayardon

- "Traveling 2": Patrick de Gayardon showing off his skills in this first ever skysurfing movie

- "Traveling 3": Patrick de Gayardon skyskiing

- "Antigravity": tandem skysurf with Patrick de Gayardon over Tahi

- "Crosswind": tandem skysurf over Hawaii (just a couple of seconds of footage). This jump was actually the last successful one of his... He died on the next one, same morning.

Excellent article here:
http://www.para-net.org/paramag/archives/deug/wingGB.html

Some pics:
http://www.poxon.org/Craig/Skydive/PatrickDeGayardon/canyon.html

Blue Skies, Patrick!

[skydiverek 54]

Quote

How did he pass away? I remember something about making a modification to the rig. Any info?

Scroll 90% down here:

http://home.nordnet.fr/~paramag/archives/n132/article/article-us.html

[skydiverek 54]

His last jump...:

http://starbulletin.com/98/04/14/news/story7.html

[billvon 2,384]

From Kevin922:

http://www.flybirdman.com/vid/wingsuit_gayardon1.rm - I want to do this one day!

http://www.flybirdman.com/vid/wingsuit_gayardon02.rm - other basic footage.

[GraficO 0]

http://www.robharris.org/eternalflame.htm

GraficO

GraficO

"A Mind is a terrible thing to taste."

[skydiverek 54]

Couple more:

http://www.para-net.org/paramag/archives/deug/tallardGB.html - English

http://www.para-net.org/paramag/archives/deug/introdeug.html - French

http://www.para-net.org/paramag/archives/deug/fradet.html - French

[piisfish 135]

can we stop with all these articles on Deug. read them yesterday, and get to imagine all that.
Was nearly crying, specially with this pic of Adrian Nicholas in the middle of bananatrees, just besides Deug's body...

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[skreamer 1]

Quote

- a 42,000 feet jump without oxygen...

And he did it in Russia in November!

There are so many stories about the guy, like the time he jumped the Angel Falls with his Stiletto because he had lent his BASE rig to someone else.

Definitely the greatest skydiver ever in my book too.

[skydiverek 54]

8 years ago... BSBD.

Some of the links above stopped working. Here are the current, working links. The rest above still works. Check it out!

http://www.para-mag.com/archives/deug/wingGB.html

http://www.para-mag.com/archives/deug/tallardGB.html

http://www.para-mag.com/archives/deug/introdeug.html

http://www.para-mag.com/archives/deug/fradet.html

[Rookie120 0]

I had to meet Patrick when I got stationed in Hawaii in '97. What an amazing man to just sit back and listen to some of the stories he had to tell. I only had about 30 jumps at the time but I knew the way people acted around him that he was a true "Skygod". Although he never had the attitude of some of the self proclaimed ones. Still to this day I remember the first and only time I ever seen someone do a tandem skysurf. The board to my eyes was inconceivable. Could somebody actually control that big Kahuna board? If the hands of someone like Patrick the impossible became reality. The day of the accident I had a day off from uncle sam so I decided to go play in the air a few times. Back then Skydive Hawaii and PISC you had to hussle to get on loads because there were so many people trying to enjoy the beauty. I was on the ground standing next to Maddog and I was trying to find them in freefall. Maddog found them and I finaly got a glimpse of Patrick at around 1,000agl. You could see some lines and stuff trailling behind but about 500agl I had to look away. then the inevitable happened. I was just hoping a miracle had happened. Then the word came that "He was gone". How could this be? A legend in so many eyes. A mentor, in my eyes the man who knew it all. What were my chances of living to see 40 when I only had 30 jumps and this man had over 10,000!. The days followed and the mood was quiet. People didnt want to talk about it but it was on there mind. I was scared shitless on my first jump after the accident. Things slowly got back to somewhat normal after some time and healing. Still to this day I wonder were we would be at with the technology if this wonderful man had not left us so short in his life. You still are not forgotten.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[shunkka 0]

thanks bill to start this thread
fly free patrick

-------------------------
"jump, have fun, pull"

[freeflysoul 0]

Quote

...Was nearly crying, specially with this pic of Adrian Nicholas in the middle of bananatrees, just besides Deug's body...

Me too! It's so sad to think Adrian too is not still with us...

3,2,1,C-YA!!!
V.
BASE #1075 / BMI #I-002 / PFI #042 / EGI #104

[Mike111 0]

Very nice articles, showing how much of an inspiration he was to all of fus.

Thanks for posting.

[shunkka 0]

a french Tv made a very impressing documentary after patrick died... interviews with adrian nicholas, patrick flying wingsuit in grand canyon, very very good documentary

anyone have it?

-------------------------
"jump, have fun, pull"

[skydiverek 54]

Quote

thanks bill to start this thread
fly free patrick

I started it 2 years ago

• Quote

[Lok 0]

http://www.lastrefuge.co.uk/images/html/imax_skydive/image_html/IMAX_skydiving02.html

http://www-leibniz.imag.fr/ATINF/Gilles.Defourneaux/Deug/deug.html

http://www.starduststudios.com/Skydiving.htm