He dreams to find his wings

Vincent Larin

Sunday, 23 July, 2017 08:00

UPDATE
Sunday, 23 July, 2017 08:00

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After having survived a fall of over 30 metres in a hang glider last week, a driver of the Laurentians has only one idea in mind: to find his wings.

“I’ve been extremely lucky, I will have no sequel, and, as soon as I can, I take the training,” says Stéphane Delisle, the dreamy look.

The fifty-year-old, however, is passed to two fingers of the death on the 14th of July last, when he had a fall of 100 feet in paragliding at mont Yamaska, which he describes as the “Mecca” of this sport in Quebec.

“I would have fallen 30 inches to a side and this is not the wing of my machine would be broken on the tree, but me,” said Stéphane Delisle.

This morning, he chose to take to the skies on the south side of the mountain, where the winds seemed to be the most favourable. Delisle is a veteran and has had more than 45 outlets by year since he started to practice this sport in 2004.

But then he just take off, a roll of air was pushed out on the mountain.

“As soon as I put my feet in the air, I knew that I was doomed to go I crashed,” he said. Immediately, a light came on, I had to do caught out by the wind.”

“I went down, the flight did not resume not, I was losing altitude, he said. I had a few seconds to think about what I was going to do.”

A fall of 100 feet

Device has first hit the top of a tree, which slowed, and then fell in free fall from a height of about 100 feet, to the ground.

Stéphane Delisle remembers having closed her eyes in anticipation of the shock. “I didn’t want to see it,” recalls the driver.

He remained unconscious for several minutes, hanging on the straps of his hang-glider, before that of paragliding pilots, who had seen the occurrence, did not come to his rescue.

“When they have undone my straps, I regained consciousness and I immediately wanted to go back to the top on the way, but they told me not to move, I had probably a back injury”, he explains. I knew it would be long before any relief arrives.”

The rescue operation lasted nearly 4: 30 a.m. since the rescuers had to go to the scene of the drama, in a remote area of the mountain.

The hang gliding of M. Delisle, who was worth about $ 12,000, is now a total loss.

Minor injuries

By chance, the man has suffered minor injuries and was discharged from the hospital the same evening.

A machinist by training, he expects to return to work as early as next week, even if it temporarily moves to the help of a cane.

The experienced pilot believes that the installation of the “vents” to indicate the direction of the wind could help prevent accidents like hers.

“It is a sport that carries a risk, but we always try to avoid them”, he explains.

He wishes to thank the firefighters from Granby and Saint-Paul-d’abbotsford who came to the rescue.