Michel Fournier (adventurer)
Encyclopedia
Michel Fournier is a French
adventurer and retired Air Force
colonel. He has been involved in planning attempts to break freefall jumping height records, but has yet to be successful in carrying out an attempt. He was born in Treban
(Allier
), in the Auvergne
region of France
.
However, his parachuting experience was disputed by Patrick de Gayardon
and the magazine Paramag. No official institution has ever confirmed one of his titles.
Fournier was scheduled to carry out the Grand Saut (Big Jump) project in May 2008, which would have seen him ascend to 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) in a balloon and freefall 34 kilometres (21.1 mi) to earth before opening his parachute at 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to go. In the process he was expected to attain a speed in freefall faster than the speed of sound, and reach speeds upward of 1000 miles per hour (1,609.3 km/h). His freefall was expected to last 15 minutes. If successful, this would have broken records previously held by Joseph Kittinger
, who set the previous parachute record by jumping from 31333 metres (102,799 ft) in 1960 (with a small parachute for stability) under Project Excelsior
; and Roger Eugene Andreyev from the Soviet Union
, who jumped from 24483 metres (80,325 ft) in 1962, setting the longest free fall record.
The jump was expected to take place over the plains of Saskatchewan
, Canada
. After several delays due to weather, the attempt was made on 27 May 2008, but the balloon detached from its capsule as it was being inflated and floated away. Another attempt was made on 16 May 2010 which was unsuccessful due to the skydiver's reserve parachute deploying inside the capsule during a pre-launch test while the balloon was being filled.
The next attempt was announced for May 2011, delayed until August and then apparently postponed to 2012.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
adventurer and retired Air Force
French Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
colonel. He has been involved in planning attempts to break freefall jumping height records, but has yet to be successful in carrying out an attempt. He was born in Treban
Treban
Treban is a commune in the Allier department in central France.-Population:...
(Allier
Allier
Allier is a department in central France named after the river Allier.- History :Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais.In 1940, the government of Marshal...
), in the Auvergne
Auvergne (région)
Auvergne is one of the 27 administrative regions of France. It comprises the 4 departments of Allier, Puy de Dome, Cantal and Haute Loire.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not...
region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Parachuting experience
According to the French version of his own biography, Michel Fournier claims to have a total of more than 8700 jumps in 2011, including a French record of height in freefall at 12,000 m.However, his parachuting experience was disputed by Patrick de Gayardon
Patrick de Gayardon
Patrick de Gayardon was a French skydiver, skysurfer and a BASE jumper.De Gayardon was famous for pushing the boundaries of skydiving. He was one of the first people to develop the unique style of skysurfing, in which skydivers use a snowboard to make aerobatic maneuvers...
and the magazine Paramag. No official institution has ever confirmed one of his titles.
Le Grand Saut
Fournier has attempted to make record breaking freefall jumps on three occasions. In 1998, the French space agency chose Fournier to conduct a record jump to test the ability of astronauts to survive reentry without a space craft. This project was quickly canceled. In 2003, Fournier attempted his first privately-financed jump but the balloon ripped while being filled. The New York Times reports that Fournier has spent "nearly $20 million" on his two private attempts.Fournier was scheduled to carry out the Grand Saut (Big Jump) project in May 2008, which would have seen him ascend to 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) in a balloon and freefall 34 kilometres (21.1 mi) to earth before opening his parachute at 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to go. In the process he was expected to attain a speed in freefall faster than the speed of sound, and reach speeds upward of 1000 miles per hour (1,609.3 km/h). His freefall was expected to last 15 minutes. If successful, this would have broken records previously held by Joseph Kittinger
Joseph Kittinger
Joseph William Kittinger II is a former Command Pilot and career military officer in the United States Air Force. He is most famous for his participation in Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior, holding the records for having the highest, fastest and longest skydive, from a height greater than...
, who set the previous parachute record by jumping from 31333 metres (102,799 ft) in 1960 (with a small parachute for stability) under Project Excelsior
Project Excelsior
Project Excelsior was a series of high-altitude parachute jumps made by Colonel Joseph Kittinger of the United States Air Force in 1959 and 1960 to test the Beaupre multi-stage parachute system...
; and Roger Eugene Andreyev from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, who jumped from 24483 metres (80,325 ft) in 1962, setting the longest free fall record.
The jump was expected to take place over the plains of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. After several delays due to weather, the attempt was made on 27 May 2008, but the balloon detached from its capsule as it was being inflated and floated away. Another attempt was made on 16 May 2010 which was unsuccessful due to the skydiver's reserve parachute deploying inside the capsule during a pre-launch test while the balloon was being filled.
The next attempt was announced for May 2011, delayed until August and then apparently postponed to 2012.
See also
- Felix BaumgartnerFelix BaumgartnerFelix Baumgartner is a skydiver and a BASE jumper. He is renowned for the particularly dangerous nature of the stunts he has performed during his career...
- Joseph KittingerJoseph KittingerJoseph William Kittinger II is a former Command Pilot and career military officer in the United States Air Force. He is most famous for his participation in Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior, holding the records for having the highest, fastest and longest skydive, from a height greater than...
- Cheryl StearnsCheryl StearnsCheryl Stearns is an American skydiver. Stearns is noted for having won the Bronze Medal in Women's Overall Individual Style and Accuracy at the XXV World Parachuting Championships in Japan in 2000...
- Steve TrugliaSteve TrugliaSteve Truglia is a stunt coordinator, stunt performer and Action Unit Director in the UK. He is also an experienced Television Presenter and Actor, having trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School. He is a registered Full member of the UK Equity Stunt Register as a Stunt Co-ordinator, and has been...
External links
- Le Grand Saut project official website