By : Karen Diamond

1998
Overall World Aerobatic Champion
Men's World Champion - First Free Programme
Men's World Champion - Unknown Compulsory
Programmes
Men's World Champion Team

Patrick Paris began flying when he was 171/2 years old as a student in the French Air Force. He first flew the French-built Cap 10. "I was inspired by some airshows and some movies on the `Patrouille de France' as well as some books concerning the beginning of aviation", says Paris. "I was surprised by the feeling of freedom when I did my first maneuvers, as well as the feeling of ordering the aircraft what to do in all directions and all trajectories".

When he reached the level of Chief Instructor, Patrick decided to join the "Equipe de Voltige" where he met Coco Bessiere. Bessiere late became the 1990 World Aerobatic Champion and has been the French Team trainer since 1990. Patrick first competed at the national level in 1980, and three years later entered his first international competition at the 1983 European Aerobatic Championships (EAC) in Vienna. He competed in Bekescsaba, Hungary in 1984 at his first WAC and placed 14th out of 48 pilots in the Men's Championship. Slovakia was his eighth World Championships.

To Patrick, the time it has taken him to become the World Champion has been long, but he now believes it was a worthwhile wait. He feels he was lucky to practice a lot while he was in the Air Force. Because of that, technically he felt he was ready to become one of the top five WAC pilots since 1998.

"Something was missing for me to become a World Aerobatic Champion, because since '88, I was twice at 4th place and twice at the 2nd place ('90 and '96)", Patrick says. "I realized from year to year that something was wrong in my preparation even if I tried psychology, yoga and so on … it was not enough. In 1997 I started to study Neurolinguistic Programation", he says, "and by making a mix of all these approaches of mental preparation, I realized that I finally had the feeling I was now ready to win and that I wanted strongly to win".

"Since 1984, I though that was my main objective in this part of my life", Patrick says. "I realize now that it was like a special way with many steps, trails, mistakes and new trails; and in fact I am happy that it took me a long time to become World Champion because I learned a lot on me and on others. It is, in fact, like an intricate way as you can find in Oriental philosophy".

"Of course", Patrick says, "I am also happy that, since 1991, Mr Schneider from Breitling trusted me and had confidence in me". Paris believes media and spectators should be part of the sport, but that the current WAC format is too long and boring for the public to watch 80 pilots fly the same program without smoke, music and camera-on-board.

"I do believe that this sport should become more popular if we want to keep our sponsors and to get new ones for young pilots, and that goes automatically through the media and spectators", he says. "During the three years of the Breitling World Cup, it was very interesting to see the public and media so enthusiastic with flight synchronized with music. That means this sport can become very popular".

Paris flies a French-built CAP 232 and says it has the best combination of shape, size, sound and look among all the others. Besides flying, he enjoys skiing, mountain biking, tennis, music, theatre and Kyudo, a martial Japanese art using a bow and arrows.