Les Ailes de la Liberté
Crossing the English Channel
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Crossing the English Channel- from July 20 to 26, 2009, attempt to cross the English Channel by paraglider with an eagle
To pay tribute to "The Wonderful Flying Fools" who dreamed of imitating the bird and flying over the Channel, Jacques-Olivier and Sherkan launch themselves into a challenge equal to the centenary of the first English Channel crossing.
On July 25, 1909, Louis Blériot, responding to a challenge proposed by a newspaper, took off aboard an incredible "flying machine", in a crazy bet at that time: to link Calais to Dover, a distance of 37 fm, by air.
FLYING was their dream, to emulate the birds their goal, to win the freedom of movement, the Holy Grail ... ready to anything to be the first to reach England, they have forever marked the history of aviation. Without claiming to want to join the pantheon of heroes of the conquest of the air, it seems fair to Jacques-Olivier to pay tribute to them by performing, on the occasion of this centenary, the first flight with an eagle above the English Channel.
After Mont Blanc, Sherkan will this time face a considerable challenge: following Jacques-Olivier over more than 37 km with only the strength of its wings. No opportunity to land, impossible to turn back because of wind and a flock of seabirds not necessarily happy to see an eagle of this size invade their domain.
A considerable challenge to match the feat achieved 100 years ago.
A sport and environmental bet
For Jacques-Olivier and his team of pilots, it is simply a first. Crossing the English Channel by paraglider has never been achieved. No engine, only the wind and the technological performance of the sails will allow the flight not to turn into an unpleasant swim.
It is also amusing to note that 100 years of technological advances have brought man nearer to the bird because it is no longer an engine that propels them but the wind, air and sun ... This harmony between man, nature and animal will be the only pledge of success of this expedition.
Beyond the performance of this flight, Jacques-Olivier and Sherkan seek to attract public attention concerning the alarming state of the world's oceans: pollution, ever increasing maritime traffic, overexploitation of certain species of fish and coastal changes