Nicolas Galy was a French wingsuit flyer who was known for his daring and spectacular flights over the Alps. He was one of the pioneers of the sport, having started wingsuit flying in 2004. He was also a professional skydiver, BASE jumper, and paraglider instructor.
He had over 10,000 jumps to his credit, including more than 1,500 wingsuit flights. He was considered one of the best wingsuit flyers in the world and had won several competitions and awards for his skills.
Nicolas Galy Was an Energetic Wingsuit Daredevil
Nicolas Galy has been passionate about flying since he was a child. He started skydiving at the age of 16, and soon became addicted to the thrill of freefall. He learned to fly various types of parachutes, including canopy piloting, accurate landing, and formation skydiving. He also became interested in BASE jumping, which involves jumping from fixed objects such as buildings, antennas, bridges, or cliffs. He made his first BASE jump in 2002, and quickly progressed to more challenging and technical jumps.
In 2004, he discovered wingsuit flying, which was a relatively new and experimental sport at the time. He was fascinated by the idea of flying like a bird, and decided to try it himself. He bought his first wingsuit from BirdMan International, one of the first manufacturers of commercial wingsuits. He practiced extensively in the skydiving environment, before attempting his first wingsuit BASE jump in 2005.
Nicolas Galy soon became one of the most proficient and experienced wingsuit flyers in the world. He flew over some of the most iconic and scenic locations in Europe, such as the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Eiger, and Verdon Gorge. He also traveled to other continents to explore new sites and challenges, such as Angel Falls in Venezuela, Table Mountain in South Africa, and Tianmen Mountain in China.
He participated in several wingsuit competitions and events, both in performance and acrobatic disciplines. He won the first edition of the World Wingsuit League (WWL) Grand Prix in China in 2012, which was a race between 16 of the world’s best wingsuit flyers through a narrow valley. He also won the Red Bull Aces race in California in 2015, which was a four-way slalom course between pylons suspended from helicopters. He was ranked among the top 10 wingsuit flyers in the world by the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale), the governing body of air sports.
He was also involved in several media projects and collaborations, such as documentaries, films, commercials, and stunt work. He appeared in the Discovery Channel series “Human Bird”, which followed his adventures around the world. He also worked with renowned filmmakers such as Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Luc Besson. He was sponsored by several brands and companies, such as Red Bull, GoPro, Squirrel, Lazer Helmets, and Adrenalin Base.
Quick Info
| Name | Nicolas Galy |
| Profession | Wingsuit flyer, skydiver, BASE jumper, paraglider instructor |
| Birth date | in 1978 |
| Age | 44 years |
| Birth place | Toulouse, France |
| Death date | July, 2018 |
| Death place | Julian Alps, Slovenia |
| Cause of death | Wingsuit accident |
| Age at death | 40 years old |
| Net worth | $50,000 (estimated) |
| Education | Master’s degree in mechanical engineering from INSA Toulouse |
| Children | None |
| Height | 1.80 meters (5 feet 11 inches) |
| Weight | 75 kilograms (165 pounds) |
He Died When He Was Only 40
Nicolas Galy Skydiver was born in 1978, in Toulouse, France. He died in July, 2018, in Julian Alps, Slovenia. He was 44 years old when he passed away.
Nicolas was born and raised in Toulouse, a city in southwestern France. He grew up in a family of aviation enthusiasts, as his father was a pilot and his mother was a flight attendant. Sources shared that had a brother named Julien, who also became a skydiver and wingsuit flyer but still confirmation about his brother name and details are yet to be met.
He attended the Lycée Saint-Sernin, a high school in Toulouse, where he excelled in mathematics and physics. He then enrolled in the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA), a prestigious engineering school in Toulouse, where he graduated with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.
He started skydiving at the age of 16, after being inspired by watching a video of Patrick de Gayardon, one of the pioneers of wingsuit flying. He joined the Parachute Club of Toulouse, where he learned the basics of skydiving and met other enthusiasts. He soon became addicted to the thrill of freefall and the beauty of flying.
His Good Karma Finally Brought a Reald Truth of His Death In Front of The World
A terrible accident claimed the life of Nicolas Galy in July 2018, when he smashed into a plane’s wing moments after he jumped from it. The tragedy happened in the south of France, near Bouloc-en-Quercy, where Galy was taking part in a skydiving event hosted by a local school.
Galy was a world-class wingsuit flyer, who had started the sport in 2004. He had done more than 10,000 jumps, including over 1,500 wingsuit flights. He had soared over some of the most amazing and difficult places in Europe and beyond, such as the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Eiger, Angel Falls, Table Mountain, and Tianmen Mountain. He had also won many competitions and prizes for his wingsuit flying, such as the World Wingsuit League Grand Prix in China in 2012 and the Red Bull Aces race in California in 2015.
On the day of his final jump, Galy was the first of two skydivers who left the single-engine Pilatus plane at a height of about 4,000 meters (13,000 feet). He was wearing a wingsuit, which is a special suit with fabric between the arms and legs that allows the wearer to glide through the air like a bird. He was supposed to fly away from the plane and follow a set course over the valley below.
However, something went horribly wrong. The pilot of the plane, identified only as Alain C, 64, did not follow the proper protocol and descended quickly after releasing the skydivers. He did not keep track of their positions and assumed he was clear of them. He also did not communicate with them or brief them before the jump.
As a result, he caught up with Galy as he was flying in his wingsuit. The left wing and a strut of the plane hit Galy with tremendous force, severing his head from his body. His emergency parachute then opened automatically, and his corpse landed in a field. The whole tragedy lasted only 20 seconds.
The pilot was charged with manslaughter for his negligence and errors that caused Galy’s death. He denied any wrongdoing and claimed that Galy did not follow the expected course and should never have been on that course. He also said that he thought Galy was further south and parallel to the plane. He defended his flight path as reasonable and said that this was the tragedy of his life but he was not at fault.
However, the prosecution argued that Galy was the only one who obeyed the rules without negligence on that day. They also revealed that the pilot had an invalid license due to some medical restrictions that he violated. They asked for a 12-month suspended sentence for him and a fine of more than $10,000 for his employer.
The verdict in the trial is expected in November. Galy’s death shocked and saddened his family, friends, and fellow wingsuit flyers. He was remembered as a talented, passionate, and generous person who loved flying and life.’
He Was A Family Man
Nicolas Galy was married to Anne-Laure Galy (careermotto.in will later confirm his wife name), a French journalist and writer who shared his passion for flying and adventure. They met in 2005 at a skydiving event in France, and got married in 2010 in Las Vegas. They had no children.
Galy’s parents were Jean-Pierre Galy and Marie-Claude Galy. Names of his parents are unconfirmed to careermotto.in. Both retired from the aviation industry. His father was a pilot for Air France, and his mother was a flight attendant for Air Inter. They supported their son’s passion for flying and were proud of his achievements.
Nicolas had one brother named Julien Galy, who was also a skydiver and wingsuit flyer. They were very close and often flew together. Julien Galy survived his brother by two years, before he also died in a wingsuit accident in Switzerland in 2020.
Always Kept Himself Fit In Order to Dive From Heights
Nicolas Galy was 1.80 meters (5 feet 11 inches) tall and weighed 75 kilograms (165 pounds). He had a slim and athletic build, with brown hair and blue eyes. He had several tattoos on his arms and chest, including a birdman logo on his left arm and a wingsuit design on his right arm.
