Rise of the Bird Men

Details

Genre: Documentary, Adventure, Sport, Short

Year: 2020

Runtime: 25 minutes

Logline

Told by the people who built and flew the early suits, Rise of the Bird Men traces wingsuit flying from the first birdmen through its 1990s revival to the suits made available to the wider skydiving community.

Synopsis

The first birdmen stitched fabric between their arms and legs, hoping to do more than fall. Their attempts in the 1950s ended in fatal accidents, and the idea largely disappeared. Decades later, Patrick de Gayardon returned to it with a new design. After seeing him fly, Jeannoel began drawing patterns, sewing, and testing his own wingsuits. Robert Pečnik studied footage of Patrick’s flights and made a suit of his own, with Stane Kranjc alongside him for the first jumps.

Rise of the Bird Men tells this history through the people who built and flew the early suits. It follows Robert as he takes wingsuits beyond a small circle of jumpers: refining the designs for production, visiting drop zones, and developing instruction for people learning to fly them. This is the story of the pioneers that brought raw, unpowered human flight out of the dream realm and made it possible for everyone.

" Perhaps flying has always signified escape — a future free from the world’ s weight. These are the impossible dreams of humanity. But for the bird men, the pioneers of wingsuit flying, Daedalus’ dream became a reality."

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