Skytrek, April 29, 2019 - Half of the civilian helicopters in the world are sold by France. Yet, no French pilot or helicopter had never done a complete World Tour.
Corentin Larose and Samy Da-Dalt, a French entrepreneur and a French athlete, decided to rectify this situation: they launched the Skytrek project. On June 18th, they will take off from Paris and start their westbound expedition with two Guimbal Cabri G2.
The Guimbal Cabri G2 is a two-seater helicopter made in France, manufactured in Aix-en-Provence. It is the least polluting and the quietest certified helicopter in the world.
The trip will consist of 80 legs covering 39,000 kilometers, and lasting 275 flight hours. The route was carefully designed to cross the most beautiful places and landscapes of the fourteen countries visited.
The pilotes use to say "this is not yet another circumnavigation, this is a world tour": the helicopter won't be their goal, it will be their mean to discover places, meet people and live stories.
Among other stories, they will be trained to survive at sea with the French Navy, they plan to overfly Greenland, to sleep on a haunted island inhabited by wolves and bears, or land on a US aircraft carrier in Texas.
Dressed, protected, trained, insured, financed, hosted, fed, supported, by innovative French companies, Corentin and Samy will share their adventure, sometimes in live, thanks to their on-board cameras and their drones.
A circumnavigation by helicopter is not a World’s first (even if the number of laureates can be counted on the fingers of one hand). However, a World tour in such light helicopters is a first time, and is similar to crossing the Atlantic ocean on a small raft.
One World record, two first times in French history
First helicopter circumnavigation using biplace helicopters (FAI world record)
First helicopter circumnavigation by french pilots
First helicopter circumnavigation on french branded helicopters
Key figures
1 world record
2 pilots
2 helicopters
14+ countries
80 legs
275 flight hours
39 000 kms (21 000 miles)
Route
France → United Kingdom → Denmark (Faroe Islands) → Iceland - Greenland → Canada → United States → Russia → Belarus → Poland → Czech republic → Germany → Luxembourg → Belgium → France
Calendar
May, between 22nd and 24th - HUET training with the French Navy at CESSAN
June 18th, 2019 - Public takeoff - Héliport d’Issy-les-Moulineaux - Paris
June 19th, 2019 - 2nd public takeoff - SIAE - Le Bourget
July, between 22nd and 28th - Public landing - Airventure - Oshkosh
June/July/August 2019 - Circumnavigation
August 2019 - Public landing - Héliport d’Issy-les-Moulineaux
Pilots
- Corentin Larose : Software architect and entrepreneur, Corentin Larose founded or participated in the foundation of several leading startups based on algorithms of its design. His passion for aeronautics began around 13 when he built his first model glider. Subsequent industrial production included, in addition to many gliders designed by himself, aircrafts and a helicopter.
In 2001, Corentin Larose made his first flight in glider, driven by his friend and instructor, Sebastien Revolat, he will fly very quickly throughout France, especially in the Alps on a wide range of gliders. In 2004, Corentin Larose started flying planes, the chance of meetings will allow him to fly on fabulous machines such as the DC3 or the CM170 Fouga-Magister he regularly pilot at California City CA, he owns his own IFR certified aircraft, a Cirrus SR 22 G3.
Fascinated by the mechanics of the helicopter since adolescence, Corentin Larose made his first round of blades in June 2009 on Alouette II, since he passed all the qualifications available to a private pilot, he owns his own helicopter, a Robinson R44 Raven II. He meets Samy Da-Dalt in 2017, the helicopter circumnavigation project will soon be born from their friendship.
- Samy Da-Dalt: The desire to fly has always been present for Samy Da-Dalt, he however didn’t access to his dream before adulthood.
Living at the foot of the Pyrenees, close to the childhood home of Corentin Larose, he will have the chance to practice skiing very young, especially in competition.
The discovery of paragliding at age 19, another form of skiing, will respond to his frustration during the summer. The flight will now be at the center of Samy's life.
His competitive spirit exercised in paragliding between 1997 and 2005, before he realized that his pleasure laid more in flight and learning, in all its forms. He is therefore looking for new ways to explore the sky: pendulum ULM in 1997, paramotor in 1998, hang glider in 2002, parachuting in 2004, multi-axis ULM in 2006, his favorite discipline, plane in 2006, ULM autogire in 2009, glider in 2010 and finally ULM helicopter for which he is instructor.
Samy and Corentin Larose met each other in 2017, their common passion for helicopters will quickly generate a true friendship, which will give birth to this project helicopter circumnavigation.
Helicopters
Guimbal Cabri G2 - Two-seater training helicopter.
Crew: 1 pilot
Certified two-seater helicopter
Payload 160kg
Cruising speed 80kts (150km/h)
Autonomy 380Nm (700km) increased to 490Nm (900km)
Max. altitude 13.000ft (4000m)
The Guimbal Cabri G2 is the least polluting and the quietest certified helicopter in the world.
All of the carbon dioxide emitted by the operation (travel, training, shipping) will be fully compensated through a partnership with a forest management company.
While seemingly obvious, the team's commitment to not leaving any garbage behind in this expedition is worth mentioning, not being a standard, far from it, in the practices of extreme sporting expeditions.
sponsors: ACR-ARTEX: survival gear, FLARM: instrumentation de vol,
Foreflight: logiciel de vol, Impac Ingénierie: sponsor financier,
Spidertracks: tracker en vol, Stephan/H: flight suit, Survitec Group: survival gear, Takima: website, Ubigi: 3G/4G data around the world
Our partners: Aéro-Club de France, CESSAN - Marine Nationale, Helipaddy, Helipass, Sécurité Civile, Wingly
Corentin Larose and Samy Da-Dalt, a French entrepreneur and a French athlete, decided to rectify this situation: they launched the Skytrek project. On June 18th, they will take off from Paris and start their westbound expedition with two Guimbal Cabri G2.
The Guimbal Cabri G2 is a two-seater helicopter made in France, manufactured in Aix-en-Provence. It is the least polluting and the quietest certified helicopter in the world.
The trip will consist of 80 legs covering 39,000 kilometers, and lasting 275 flight hours. The route was carefully designed to cross the most beautiful places and landscapes of the fourteen countries visited.
The pilotes use to say "this is not yet another circumnavigation, this is a world tour": the helicopter won't be their goal, it will be their mean to discover places, meet people and live stories.
Among other stories, they will be trained to survive at sea with the French Navy, they plan to overfly Greenland, to sleep on a haunted island inhabited by wolves and bears, or land on a US aircraft carrier in Texas.
Dressed, protected, trained, insured, financed, hosted, fed, supported, by innovative French companies, Corentin and Samy will share their adventure, sometimes in live, thanks to their on-board cameras and their drones.
A circumnavigation by helicopter is not a World’s first (even if the number of laureates can be counted on the fingers of one hand). However, a World tour in such light helicopters is a first time, and is similar to crossing the Atlantic ocean on a small raft.
One World record, two first times in French history
First helicopter circumnavigation using biplace helicopters (FAI world record)
First helicopter circumnavigation by french pilots
First helicopter circumnavigation on french branded helicopters
Key figures
1 world record
2 pilots
2 helicopters
14+ countries
80 legs
275 flight hours
39 000 kms (21 000 miles)
Route
France → United Kingdom → Denmark (Faroe Islands) → Iceland - Greenland → Canada → United States → Russia → Belarus → Poland → Czech republic → Germany → Luxembourg → Belgium → France
Calendar
May, between 22nd and 24th - HUET training with the French Navy at CESSAN
June 18th, 2019 - Public takeoff - Héliport d’Issy-les-Moulineaux - Paris
June 19th, 2019 - 2nd public takeoff - SIAE - Le Bourget
July, between 22nd and 28th - Public landing - Airventure - Oshkosh
June/July/August 2019 - Circumnavigation
August 2019 - Public landing - Héliport d’Issy-les-Moulineaux
Pilots
- Corentin Larose : Software architect and entrepreneur, Corentin Larose founded or participated in the foundation of several leading startups based on algorithms of its design. His passion for aeronautics began around 13 when he built his first model glider. Subsequent industrial production included, in addition to many gliders designed by himself, aircrafts and a helicopter.
In 2001, Corentin Larose made his first flight in glider, driven by his friend and instructor, Sebastien Revolat, he will fly very quickly throughout France, especially in the Alps on a wide range of gliders. In 2004, Corentin Larose started flying planes, the chance of meetings will allow him to fly on fabulous machines such as the DC3 or the CM170 Fouga-Magister he regularly pilot at California City CA, he owns his own IFR certified aircraft, a Cirrus SR 22 G3.
Fascinated by the mechanics of the helicopter since adolescence, Corentin Larose made his first round of blades in June 2009 on Alouette II, since he passed all the qualifications available to a private pilot, he owns his own helicopter, a Robinson R44 Raven II. He meets Samy Da-Dalt in 2017, the helicopter circumnavigation project will soon be born from their friendship.
- Samy Da-Dalt: The desire to fly has always been present for Samy Da-Dalt, he however didn’t access to his dream before adulthood.
Living at the foot of the Pyrenees, close to the childhood home of Corentin Larose, he will have the chance to practice skiing very young, especially in competition.
The discovery of paragliding at age 19, another form of skiing, will respond to his frustration during the summer. The flight will now be at the center of Samy's life.
His competitive spirit exercised in paragliding between 1997 and 2005, before he realized that his pleasure laid more in flight and learning, in all its forms. He is therefore looking for new ways to explore the sky: pendulum ULM in 1997, paramotor in 1998, hang glider in 2002, parachuting in 2004, multi-axis ULM in 2006, his favorite discipline, plane in 2006, ULM autogire in 2009, glider in 2010 and finally ULM helicopter for which he is instructor.
Samy and Corentin Larose met each other in 2017, their common passion for helicopters will quickly generate a true friendship, which will give birth to this project helicopter circumnavigation.
Helicopters
Guimbal Cabri G2 - Two-seater training helicopter.
Crew: 1 pilot
Certified two-seater helicopter
Payload 160kg
Cruising speed 80kts (150km/h)
Autonomy 380Nm (700km) increased to 490Nm (900km)
Max. altitude 13.000ft (4000m)
The Guimbal Cabri G2 is the least polluting and the quietest certified helicopter in the world.
All of the carbon dioxide emitted by the operation (travel, training, shipping) will be fully compensated through a partnership with a forest management company.
While seemingly obvious, the team's commitment to not leaving any garbage behind in this expedition is worth mentioning, not being a standard, far from it, in the practices of extreme sporting expeditions.
sponsors: ACR-ARTEX: survival gear, FLARM: instrumentation de vol,
Foreflight: logiciel de vol, Impac Ingénierie: sponsor financier,
Spidertracks: tracker en vol, Stephan/H: flight suit, Survitec Group: survival gear, Takima: website, Ubigi: 3G/4G data around the world
Our partners: Aéro-Club de France, CESSAN - Marine Nationale, Helipaddy, Helipass, Sécurité Civile, Wingly
See also |
Guimbal Cabri G2
Two Robinson R66 Helicopters Fly Around the World
ForeFlight State of Oregon 
