Gerard David Francais Interview Philippe Boutry

Gerard David     Where do you live? I live in Paris right now, but I was born in Lyon where I spent 30 years of my life.   When did you move to Paris? I moved to Paris 15 years ago.   I understand that you're an instructor for mountain and glacier. Is that climbing? No, it's for aircraft. I fly Piper Cubs, PA 18, in the mountains in a type of flying we call Alpine flight. That means we land on glaciers at 10,000, 11,000, 12,000 feet in the French Alps. It's a very special technique. It's not like landing in snow like at North American airports where pilots land on flat snowy fields during winter periods. We really land uphill in the mountains on the snow on glaciers. It's very marvelous when you land on a very sunny, early morning of March or late February with fresh snow and a sunrise. It's absolutely fantastic. It's a very special technique and a fantastic pleasure for a pilot.   You are an instructor about this technique? Yes, absolutely.   What type of pilots come to you for this instruction? Generally, to practice this kind of flight you have to be both a pilot and a mountaineer because you have to know very well the snow conditions, the wind conditions, and you have to be very aware of topography and geography. Nothing resembles more to a valley than another valley. It's a very, very special kind of flight and a very special kind of pilot. In France, we only have maybe a total of 70 or 80 pilots currently practicing this type of flight on a regular basis.   Are there comparisons between Alpine Flying and this transatlantic attempt? Not really, except for the survival conditions. When you land on a glacier at 13,000 feet in winter, if something bad happens the conditions could be very severe. The only comparison is the survival techniques we might have to use if something goes wrong during this flight. But, the flight technique is a completely different challenge.   What preparations have you made in the event of an emergency during the flight? We have on the helicopter all the survival equipment normally used in this type of operation, like pilots and crew and passengers do for offshore work in the North Sea. For example we have a survival raft, a satellite emergency locator, food, and water. We also have a GPS satellite system to plot the position where we should be if we would have to land in the ocean.. We are wearing a very special new type of survival suits with new fabrics - the lightest they can make - because the duration of the flight influences wearing such a survival suit so we ordered very, very light ones, specially made for this flight.   What is the longest flight that you have flown before this one? As a pilot, I generally fly long flights. I very often cross the Atlantic in private aircraft on my way to the big air show in Oshkosh. I also flew a lot of King Airs from Wichita to Paris over the last 20 years. The longest flight I've made as a pilot was in 1994 when I and a pilot ferried the TBN 700 that flew direct from New York to Paris in 10 hours 54 minutes. I flew this aircraft myself from Paris and I flew Paris to New York with just one stop in Reykjavik, Iceland. My longest flight during that trip was from Reykjavik to New York. It was 9 hrs 15 minutes of flight. As a private pilot I have flown helicopters for 13, 14, 15 hours in a day with landings to refuel. I have never flown such a long flight as this trip, because it simply wasn't possible. We expect the total duration of our flight in L'Esprit d'Intertechnique 1997 as between 23 hours, 45 minutes of flight. If, as we are expecting at this time, we encounter head winds, the flight could take 32 or 33 hours to get to Paris. It is a long, long flight.   What do you think will be the hardest part of the flight? Probably the last leg, because at this time both of us will be very tired and we have to be very vigilant not to sleep. We must be sure that our arms and hands answer our brain and we must also be very aware that our brain is giving good orders to our hands and arms. That will be probably be the most difficult part in terms of physical endurance. In terms of aeronautical technique, the most difficult part of the trip will probably be the refueling at the second ship and the third ship because the weather forecast shows a low pressure system - not really very active, but active at longitude North 50. This system is just a little south of our route and we could encounter strong winds - for us it could be very rough and if the sea is too high, it will be a real problem to refuel, so that is at this time our main concern.   What you will spend your time doing during this long flight? First of all, I will help Philippe with radio communication. We have prepared navigation together so I will survey the GPA and VOR as long as we have VOR. I will also prepare, because that's the most important, for upcoming refueling stops. I am sure we will not have any time to relax on this flight. We hope to rest a little in steps of 30 to 40 minutes and I hope that everything - the weather, the helicopter, and people on the ground will allow us time to rest, but I'm not sure at this time.   Why did you want to fly on this helicopter attempt? When I had the idea it was about 10 months ago. My idea was to create a world first, because when you are a pilot - and not a very young pilot - it's interesting to plan something that nobody else has ever done. There's a special kind of feeling of being the first to do something. The second idea was to demonstrate that a single engine helicopter with this new refueling system could fly longer than typical helicopters. Instead of flying 3 hours, a single engine helicopter can fly very long distances thanks to an inflight refueling system that is very flexible, very easy to operate. I also wanted to change the minds of people operating helicopters or even flying in passenger helicopters. To change some common misperceptions about helicopters is important to us.   When did you decide you wanted to fly? At this time I was a 17 year old student. I wasn't really a journalist, but to get some money I was writing at a local newspaper in Lyon, in the south of France. One day the editor-in-chief sent me to the a press event of an airclub in Lyon, just receiving a new Oster aircraft. I was invited to board the aircraft and I was so afraid when I had to fly that day. Of course, as a journalist I cannot refuse and say that I am ill - completely ill and afraid. So, after this flight I decide to learn to fly to avoid such a fear in the future.   How have you prepared yourself physically for this long flight? As a professional pilot I am very careful. I pay attention to diet, to alcohol and to bad foods and cholesterol, so I think I was not too badly prepared already. At this time with the doctor helping us to prepare, we have paid more attention to what we eat, to what we drink - just tea and water. Philippe Boutry is in the same situation as I am. As pilots, we are very aware of our physical conditions because every 6 months we have a medical examination and we have to pass these in order to continue to fly.   Do you have a family? Yes, a wife and 2 children. My daughter lives in Houston. She is studying American law and she wants to become a lawyer.   What does your family think about you flying on this historic flight? With my family I encountered a kind of "flop" because I did not succeed in interesting them to learn to fly. Many, many times I suggested to them that they learn to fly, either my son or my daughter, but they have not been interested in learning. Still, they are interested in what I do and I'm sure they are very happy and proud of their father.   What was the first helicopter that you flew? Bell G-47. I learned on this helicopter.   What do you like best about flying helicopters? It's the magic concept of the flying carpet. It's an old, old dream to fly a carpet. It's a flying living room and it's absolutely fantastic to fly - magic, really magic.   I'm also an airplane pilot. It's completely different. An airplane for me is a way of transportation. It's a pleasure, especially in Alpine flight, but normally I fly King Airs or TBN 700s to move. It's a marvelous way of transportation, but to get to some place from another place, the helicopter is completely different - it's a kind of total pleasure.   What would you like to say to the world watching, reading and listening to this great adventure? We just expect that people not only people involved in aeronautics, but also the general audience will be interested in following a world first because in our times it's difficult to create a world first. This kind of world first is not only a technical performance, it's an aeronautical performance. I hope they will be interested after watching this flight in asking questions about how people and helicopters can fly 24 hours or more.   Is this the most exciting thing that you've attempted in your life? At this time, yes.   Thank you very much Mr. David and I wish you the best of luck and a fantastic flight.