SIDEBOX:

David Barish at the St Hilaire FestivalGuest of honour and president of the jury of the film festival, David Barish delighted everybody he met with his modesty, his kindness and his limitless curiosity. He plunged into many passionate discussions with Gin Seok Song (Gin Gliders), Xavier Demoury (Nervures) and Jean-Louis Darlet (The Cage). When flying tandem with Sandie he immediately asked to fly it himself and was eager to fly again the following day and play with some thermals. Sandie commented "I was very flattered to fly with him. He flew the tandem until the last turn of our approach. On the drive back back up again we talked about skiing in Chamonix, where I am from. One day, he got lost in the fog skiing the Vallée Blanche!" Ever available, he gave interviews and press conferences, and had even brought his high aspect ratio prototype for a few inflations and to ask the opinion of other manufacturers. Xavier Demoury knew the pedigree of David Barish and his Sailwing: "I didn’t think it could fly. It seemed crazy. But David, he made it fly 20 years in advance of everybody else. The long lines, ripstop material, the deformation of the material under the pressure between interior and exterior; his work enabled us to arrive to where we are today. He is a true inventor. As for us, we are only improvers! When I see him, I tell myself that I still have 30 good years ahead of me. It’s reassuring! Outside, David and Gin opened up their gliders. Gin admired David’s incredible wing, with an aspect ratio of 8, and its two rows of lines with pyramid cascades. On the brand new Boomerang prototype, David studied the little plastic rods which reinforce the leading edge, designed for high speed using the accelerator