Thierry Devaux
Encyclopedia
Thierry Devauxis born on November 16, 1959 in Bourg-en-Bresse
. He develops acrobatic bungee jumping
. His landing on the Statue of Liberty
was the feat that gave him a mainstream awarenesse designed several techniques to transform bungee jumps into sport field.
Jumping into space does not really interest Thierry Devaux beyond of his first jumps in 1989. He uses elastic cord to perform an aesthetical move akin. He performs 8 to 12 acrobatic jumps during two-hour training with the help of his Jumar
or with a winch to lift him up. Bungee jumping is an elite sport
and requires intensive training.
Bungee jumping is such a high sensation sport that one cannot cheat on oneself or on the others.
He admits that he is always afraid. He stated that "Frightening oneself" is stupid. The goal is to find the perfect balance between his enjoyment of weightlessness
with the reverse acceleration
effects, and his own, personal apprehensions.
He stopped counting his jumps after the thousandth one, after sixteen years of training.
Example of figures
Backward somersault
: three somersaults during the first fall and eleven for all the bounces.
Other figures: forward pike, reverse kick, forward spiral, one foot backward, etc.…
Thierry is tied around the pelvis, in the area nearest to his center of gravity
because figures performed with ankle attachments are not very interesting. The elastic rope is only 8 to 10 meters long in order to ensure a good ratio between catapult
effect and low weight.
Thierry used a dynamometer
and a variometer
as early as November 1988 to measure the distortion of an elastic rope, the various bounces and the forces that the jumper has to endure.
A climbing rope can accommodate a 30% stretch in case of a fall in order to avoid body trauma. An elastic rope typically stretches by a factor of 3.5~4.5 of its initial length (250~350%). Its tensile strength is in the order of 700%. The molecular nature of this elastomer explains these physical characteristics: its long molecules are stretching together like spaghettis. Rubber tree is the most productive latex
plant. This natural latex is used in textiles, sports, condoms… The larger part of the world production comes from Malaysia.
Medical aspects
Negative G-force
(pressure of the blood towards the head) is much more beneficial to the body than positive G-force (the blood runs toward the feet). Negative G-forces can be reached during bungee jumps during approximately a second when the jump is over a hundred meters high. These are less severe strains than those of some amusement rides in parks. The researches evidenced that the pressures on the vertebral columns are more important during the waist-attached jumps than the more centered jumps with ankle ties.
Risks and dangers
"Danger starts when you go past the risks".
All bungee jump accidents were the result of human factor: elastic cord ill suited to the weight or the height of the jump, untied jumpers, cuts from the rope near the elastic cord…
The strength of the bungee jump equipments are well beyond the accepted dynamic limits. There is almost no external risk. The remaining factor is the psychological one, which is the hardest to overcome at any height.
Pilot
Ex Vice-President of the Bungee Jumping Federation
Hervé Calvayrac, performed six figures from the second level of the Eiffel Tower
, at 115 meters.
from a cable car
of Val-d'Isère on the night of Alberto Tomba
's historic victory.
.
from Brooklyn Bridge
.
on the torch of the Statue of Liberty
on August 23, 2001, after taking off from New Jersey
. The goal of this landing was to perform three figures by directly climbing through his bungee. There were several confusions regarding the paramotor and the acrobatic jumps. Contrary to what some big US media reported, Thierry never parachuted.
In 1993, Thierry Devaux spent the night alone inside the Statue. He climbed all the way to the flame for a technical scouting. At 8.00 a.m., he met the only cleaning man allowed to polish the plated flame once a week since 21 years. The police was baffled and the matter was closed.
In 1994, after another night in the national monument, he was waiting inside the flame with a friend and 60 kg worth of equipment. He is denounced by accident by the shooting crew of an advertisement. The police took serious offence this time when finding him yet again inside the flame despite the increased security measures. A complaint was lodged but no case was made against him even seven years later. The matter was hushed up by the two parties and did not get media coverage.
He took off 1.7 km from Liberty Island
in November 2000, and during approximately one minute flew over the flame at mere centimeters under the load of his acrobatic gear and his rope, but could not land because of too strong winds. He finally jettisoned his bungee into the sea and landed in a golf course construction site in Bayonne, New Jersey
. The police let him go freely.
On August 23, 2001, after having taken off under a light breeze and having flown over the same seaway, he is in front of the flame at 9:15, but the wind had completely dropped for several seconds. The first approach is too high by 1.50 meter. After a second nightly aerial approach with a figure of eight at 21 km/h instead of 5–7 km/h, he landed flat but could not catch the torch barrier. He then stayed hanging four meters under the flame. He would not be able to perform the three acrobatics that he had prepared for seven years. He was too angered by the impossibility to perform that he forgot to abseil on his own, as was planned after the three jumps. He still blames himself today for not abseiling then.
He waited the arrival of two ropeless submariner police officers for more than half an hour. The police then organized a "perp walk
" to the boat at 3.30 pm. Thierry did not say a word until 9.30 pm, after the end of the evening news. During the afternoon press conference, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani stressed the heroism of the NYPD. The next day, the two police officers were put under TV silence following a phone call from their superiors, a few second before their group interview Contrary to what has been stated, the judges allowed Thierry to remain free in the State of NY. Following September 11, Judge Eaton sorted out all the confusions and decrees the judgment in favor of Thierry. The charge of deterioration of the Statue were not upheld, and he was fined $7,065 for the paramotor landing.The judge asked that the fine be covered by the auction of the equipment. The media has overshadowed Thierry's message against anti-personnel mines.
Bourg-en-Bresse
Bourg-en-Bresse is a commune in eastern France, capital of the Ain department, and was capital of the former province of Bresse . It is located north-northeast of Lyon.The inhabitants of Bourg-en-Bresse are known as Burgiens.-Geography:...
. He develops acrobatic bungee jumping
Bungee jumping
Bungee jumping is an activity that involves jumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord. The tall structure is usually a fixed object, such as a building, bridge or crane; but it is also possible to jump from a movable object, such as a hot-air-balloon or helicopter, that...
. His landing on the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
was the feat that gave him a mainstream awarenesse designed several techniques to transform bungee jumps into sport field.
Personal
Main SpiritJumping into space does not really interest Thierry Devaux beyond of his first jumps in 1989. He uses elastic cord to perform an aesthetical move akin. He performs 8 to 12 acrobatic jumps during two-hour training with the help of his Jumar
Jumar
An ascender is a mechanical device used for ascending on a rope. One such device is a Jumar, named after the Swiss factory which developed the first tool for sale in 1958. The device's name also leads to the term Jumaring for the process of using such a device...
or with a winch to lift him up. Bungee jumping is an elite sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
and requires intensive training.
Bungee jumping is such a high sensation sport that one cannot cheat on oneself or on the others.
He admits that he is always afraid. He stated that "Frightening oneself" is stupid. The goal is to find the perfect balance between his enjoyment of weightlessness
Weightlessness
Weightlessness is the condition that exists for an object or person when they experience little or no acceleration except the acceleration that defines their inertial trajectory, or the trajectory of pure free-fall...
with the reverse acceleration
Acceleration
In physics, acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with time. In one dimension, acceleration is the rate at which something speeds up or slows down. However, since velocity is a vector, acceleration describes the rate of change of both the magnitude and the direction of velocity. ...
effects, and his own, personal apprehensions.
He stopped counting his jumps after the thousandth one, after sixteen years of training.
Example of figures
Backward somersault
Somersault
A somersault is an acrobatic exercise in which a person does a full 360° flip, moving the feet over the head. A somersault can be performed either forwards, backwards, or sideways and can be executed in the air or on the ground...
: three somersaults during the first fall and eleven for all the bounces.
Other figures: forward pike, reverse kick, forward spiral, one foot backward, etc.…
Thierry is tied around the pelvis, in the area nearest to his center of gravity
Center of gravity
In physics, a center of gravity of a material body is a point that may be used for a summary description of gravitational interactions. In a uniform gravitational field, the center of mass serves as the center of gravity...
because figures performed with ankle attachments are not very interesting. The elastic rope is only 8 to 10 meters long in order to ensure a good ratio between catapult
Catapult
A catapult is a device used to throw or hurl a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices—particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. Although the catapult has been used since ancient times, it has proven to be one of the most effective mechanisms during...
effect and low weight.
Jumps
TechniqueThierry used a dynamometer
Dynamometer
A dynamometer or "dyno" for short, is a device for measuring force, moment of force , or power. For example, the power produced by an engine, motor or other rotating prime mover can be calculated by simultaneously measuring torque and rotational speed .A dynamometer can also be used to determine...
and a variometer
Variometer
The term variometer also refers to a type of variable transformer or an instrument for measuring the magnitude and direction of a Magnetic field....
as early as November 1988 to measure the distortion of an elastic rope, the various bounces and the forces that the jumper has to endure.
A climbing rope can accommodate a 30% stretch in case of a fall in order to avoid body trauma. An elastic rope typically stretches by a factor of 3.5~4.5 of its initial length (250~350%). Its tensile strength is in the order of 700%. The molecular nature of this elastomer explains these physical characteristics: its long molecules are stretching together like spaghettis. Rubber tree is the most productive latex
Latex
Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...
plant. This natural latex is used in textiles, sports, condoms… The larger part of the world production comes from Malaysia.
Medical aspects
Negative G-force
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
(pressure of the blood towards the head) is much more beneficial to the body than positive G-force (the blood runs toward the feet). Negative G-forces can be reached during bungee jumps during approximately a second when the jump is over a hundred meters high. These are less severe strains than those of some amusement rides in parks. The researches evidenced that the pressures on the vertebral columns are more important during the waist-attached jumps than the more centered jumps with ankle ties.
Risks and dangers
"Danger starts when you go past the risks".
All bungee jump accidents were the result of human factor: elastic cord ill suited to the weight or the height of the jump, untied jumpers, cuts from the rope near the elastic cord…
The strength of the bungee jump equipments are well beyond the accepted dynamic limits. There is almost no external risk. The remaining factor is the psychological one, which is the hardest to overcome at any height.
Others
National Ski InstructorPilot
Ex Vice-President of the Bungee Jumping Federation
Eiffel Tower
On October 27, 1991, Thierry Devaux, along with mountain guideMountain guide
Mountain guides are specially trained and experienced mountaineers and professionals who are generally certified by an association. They are considered experts in mountaineering.-Skills:Their skills usually include climbing, skiing and hiking...
Hervé Calvayrac, performed six figures from the second level of the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
, at 115 meters.
Olympic Games
On February 1992, Thierry, with mountain guide Alain Ledoux, performed a series of nine figures during 1992 Winter Olympics1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
from a cable car
Cable car
A cable car is any of a variety of transportation systems relying on cables to pull vehicles along or lower them at a steady rate, or a vehicle on these systems.-Aerial lift:Aerial lifts where the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable:...
of Val-d'Isère on the night of Alberto Tomba
Alberto Tomba
Alberto Tomba is an Italian retired alpine ski racer. He was the dominant technical skier in the late 1980s and 1990s. Tomba won three Olympic gold medals, two World Championships, and nine World Cup season titles; four in slalom, four in giant slalom, and one overall title...
's historic victory.
Golden Gate Bridge
On June 1992, with his life-long coach Martine Giroud and following an ill-prepared attempt, Thierry made six figures 90 meters above the Pacific from the Golden Gate BridgeGolden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
.
Brooklyn Bridge
On June 1993, following thirteen reconnoiters inside the metal structure and with the help of mountain guide and spelunking instructor Simon Destombes, he performed eight jumps above the East RiverEast River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
from Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
.
Statue of Liberty
Thierry landed a paramotorParamotor
Paramotor is a generic name for the propulsive portion of a powered paraglider . It consists of a frame that combines the motor, propeller, harness and cage...
on the torch of the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
on August 23, 2001, after taking off from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The goal of this landing was to perform three figures by directly climbing through his bungee. There were several confusions regarding the paramotor and the acrobatic jumps. Contrary to what some big US media reported, Thierry never parachuted.
- 1st Attempt at the Statue of Liberty
In 1993, Thierry Devaux spent the night alone inside the Statue. He climbed all the way to the flame for a technical scouting. At 8.00 a.m., he met the only cleaning man allowed to polish the plated flame once a week since 21 years. The police was baffled and the matter was closed.
- 2nd Attempt at the Statue of Liberty
In 1994, after another night in the national monument, he was waiting inside the flame with a friend and 60 kg worth of equipment. He is denounced by accident by the shooting crew of an advertisement. The police took serious offence this time when finding him yet again inside the flame despite the increased security measures. A complaint was lodged but no case was made against him even seven years later. The matter was hushed up by the two parties and did not get media coverage.
- 3rd Attempt at the Statue of Liberty
He took off 1.7 km from Liberty Island
Liberty Island
Liberty Island is a small uninhabited island in New York Harbor in the United States, best known as the location of the Statue of Liberty. Though so called since the turn of the century, the name did not become official until 1956. In 1937, by proclamation 2250, President Franklin D...
in November 2000, and during approximately one minute flew over the flame at mere centimeters under the load of his acrobatic gear and his rope, but could not land because of too strong winds. He finally jettisoned his bungee into the sea and landed in a golf course construction site in Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
. The police let him go freely.
- 4th Attempt at the Statue of Liberty
On August 23, 2001, after having taken off under a light breeze and having flown over the same seaway, he is in front of the flame at 9:15, but the wind had completely dropped for several seconds. The first approach is too high by 1.50 meter. After a second nightly aerial approach with a figure of eight at 21 km/h instead of 5–7 km/h, he landed flat but could not catch the torch barrier. He then stayed hanging four meters under the flame. He would not be able to perform the three acrobatics that he had prepared for seven years. He was too angered by the impossibility to perform that he forgot to abseil on his own, as was planned after the three jumps. He still blames himself today for not abseiling then.
He waited the arrival of two ropeless submariner police officers for more than half an hour. The police then organized a "perp walk
Perp walk
A perp walk, or walking the perp,The term "perp" is short for "perpetrator", and is commonly used by police departments for those they arrest. It is legally inaccurate since the arrested individual's guilt has not been judicially established at that point...
" to the boat at 3.30 pm. Thierry did not say a word until 9.30 pm, after the end of the evening news. During the afternoon press conference, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani stressed the heroism of the NYPD. The next day, the two police officers were put under TV silence following a phone call from their superiors, a few second before their group interview Contrary to what has been stated, the judges allowed Thierry to remain free in the State of NY. Following September 11, Judge Eaton sorted out all the confusions and decrees the judgment in favor of Thierry. The charge of deterioration of the Statue were not upheld, and he was fined $7,065 for the paramotor landing.The judge asked that the fine be covered by the auction of the equipment. The media has overshadowed Thierry's message against anti-personnel mines.
External links
- http://www.rapsodia.fr/reportages/v/fr/Par_theme/action_et_aventure/Sports_insolites/elastik_man_-_thierry_devaux/ Rapsodia Agency photos coverage