Episode 39- Antoine Laurens and a Lifetime of Life Lessons

Antoine Laurens on the Sierra Vol Biv in 2012- see the full video here.

Antoine Laurens began flying in 1992 when he was just seventeen years old. He’s lived a life of adventure and flying has been a way of life for the last two and half decades. One of the world’s great vol-biv pilots Antoine crossed over a 1,400 km route of the Himalayas (the film trailer of the “Himalayan Odyssey” can be seen here) and was part of the small team I joined in 2012 when we flew from the south end of the Sierra range to the Oregon border. He guides vol-biv trips in the Alps and in the Himalayas with the Himalayan Sky Safaris team (Eddie Colfax, Jim Mallinson, and John Sylvester); is one of the best Waga pilots I’ve ever seen; has flown thousands of tandems; and thousands and thousands of hours without a single accident. Antoine’s experience around the world, passion for adventure and his incredible passion for free flight is infectious and his thoughts on improvement, training, safety, vol-biv, top-landing strategies, landing in strong wind, planning and a LOT more are lessons we can all learn from regardless of our level. A special interview with a special friend and mentor, please enjoy this episode with Antoine!

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Show Notes:

Antoine recounts how he learned in 1992 and having his first “incident” which made him realize the importance of ground handling
Becoming an instructor and getting into guiding and tandems
Travels in India and discovering vol-biv and the flying possibilities of the Himalayas
Antoine recounts his 44 day vol-biv of the Himalayas – nearly 1400 kilometers
Where to do your first vol-biv, and skills you should have before your first trip. Gear, attitude and skill level are discussed.
We recount the accident with Brad Sander and lessons learned from the Sierra bivvy
How to maintain the passion
The most common times for accidents in most pilots level and how they can be avoided
Going with a guide- why you should really consider doing flights with experts
Tandems- are there downfalls?
The problem with flying- you cannot stop, so you are committed!
Toplanding strategies and strong wind strategies- identifying the right time to land and the importance of patience
Landing in strong wing (landing downwind strategies)
Mentioned in this episode: John Sylvester, Eddie Colfax, Jim Mallinson, Nick Greece, Eric Reed, Brad Sander, Oriol Fernandez, Toby Colombe.