He flew over the Arcachon basin at 220 km/h with his wingsuit. Vincent Descols, quadruple world champion in this discipline, experienced for the first time at full power the E-Wings project, led by his own company Skyvibration and a Landes start-up Shield Robotics, specializing in military drones.
At the beginning of June, the two companies indeed gave full measure to their project, which consists of hanging four electric turbines under the wingsuit, to allow it to fly faster, longer, further. “In a classic wingsuit, the flight time is around one to two minutes, with the electric turbines we can double it to travel up to 16 kilometers, i.e. twice as much as without the engines”, explains Anthony Gavend , president and founder of Shield Robotics.
Four turbines with a thrust of 15 kg each
The two men have been working on E-Wings for a little over a year. “Until now, we had tested the turbines at 50%, 70% and 90% of their capacity, continues Anthony Gavend. In Arcachon it’s the first time that we’ve made them work at 100%, and it’s been a success. »
Technically, Shield Robotics and Skyvibration opted for a system of four turbines with a thrust of 15 kg each, for a total weight of around fifty kilos, hung under the wingsuit. “Vincent Descols is already practicing the wingsuit in tandem, with a person hooked under him, so we started with the same attachment system”, explains Anthony Gavend.
ShieldRobotics, “pioneer of electric flying”
It was the quadruple world champion who came to find the start-up based in Saint-Geours-de-Maremne, after seeing a propulsion system but thermal. “He wanted the same thing, but in electric, summarizes Anthony Gavend, who defines his company as “pioneer of flying electrics” and himself convinced that it is necessary “to demonstrate the reliability of these systems. »
To do what ? “To offer new sensations to speed lovers”, he says, but also to “establish military partnerships. The 34-year-old startup, who is already developing drones capable of carrying heavy loads for the army, explains that E-Wings will interest “elite units that need to fly for a while, and in silence. »