Yves Rousseau is a French inventor and aviator credited with multiple ultralight aircraft FAI world records. He has received international recognition for his 13 years of work on human-powered

ornithopter An ornithopter (from Greek ''ornis, ornith-'' "bird" and ''pteron'' "wing") is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Designers sought to imitate the flapping-wing flight of birds, bats, and insects. Though machines may differ in form, th ...

flight. Rousseau attempted his first human-powered flight with flapping wings in 1995. In 2005, Rousseau was given the Paul Tissandier Diploma, awarded to those who have served the cause of aviation in general and sporting aviation in particular, by their work, initiative, devotion or in other ways. After having made oscillate the wings of a

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

, Yves mounted his patented flapping mechanism on a 'Vector' ultralight airplane and on 20 April 2006, at his 212th attempt, he succeeded in flying a distance of 64 metres, observed by officials of the Aero Club de France. Unfortunately, on his 213th flight attempt, a gust of wind led to a wing breaking up, causing the pilot to be gravely injured and rendered

paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural ...

. Rousseau patented a few ultralight aircraft, including the wheeled prone ultralights Pulcim 220, the Pulcim 521 and a foot-launched

powered hang glider A foot-launched powered hang glider (FLPHG), also called powered harness, nanolight, or hangmotor, is a powered hang gliding, hang glider harness with a internal combustion engine, motor and propeller (aircraft), propeller in pusher configuratio ...

harness called Relax 220.Yves Rousseau marketed aircraft
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World records

References

External links

Images of flights

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rousseau, Yves Year of birth missing (living people) Living people French aviation record holders