Sky-diving off Eiffel Tower...
 

I am going to Paris in October to sky-dive off of the Eiffel tower. Yes, I realize it's illegal, however, so far I have done this on famous monuments in other countries and have, so far, managed to elude capture. <BR> <BR>I don't bring this up to brag, but merely in the hopes that someone out there is familiar with French law. Due to the fact that others have done this before me, I understand that the French have really started coming down hard on the perpetrators. Chances are I won't get caught (it is simply too easy to get far away from the tower in a short period of time with the right equipment and know-how)however, if I do, I would like to know what penalties/fines I could potentially face. Thanks. <BR> <BR>P.S. For obvious reasons I am unable to use my real e-mail address.

This reminds me of the Frenchman, Terry Do, who was recently attempting to land his paraglider on the torch of the Statue of Liberty, but his sail became ensnared in the torch and he was left dangling high in the air. <BR> <BR>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2001Aug23.html <BR> <BR>Libertie, Egalitie, Fraternitie...and Wacky Aerial Stunts! :~)

2001 06-25: Man Parachutes From Eiffel Tower <BR>Man Parachutes From Eiffel Tower <BR>The Associated Press <BR>Monday, June 25, 2001; 2:53 p.m. EDT <BR> <BR>PARIS –– A French parachutist was detained after he jumped from the top of the Eiffel Tower to win a bet, police said Monday. <BR> <BR>The 38-year-old Paris man was arrested early Sunday. He had jumped from the third and uppermost floor around 1 a.m., sailing down to land smoothly near the foot of the tower. He was immediately detained by police. <BR> <BR>The parachutist, whose identity was not revealed, entered the tower while it was open to the public and hid after closing time. <BR> <BR>Police had not decided whether to press charges. <BR> <BR>The third floor of the Eiffel Tower is 940 feet above the ground. The total height of Paris' best-known landmark is 1,056 feet. <BR>______________________ <BR> <BR>Probably someone here who is a lawyer may check if this is correct: <BR> <BR>France's laws are based on a Napoleonic code, which means that everything that is not expressly prohibited by the law is allowed, right? So that means that there should be a law that specifies that you may not jump from public monuments, right? Maybe you could also get jailed for "endangering bystanders" or something like that. <BR> <BR>The area is heavily policed, so you will most probably get caught. <BR>

Yes, I know of Terry. What he was attempting was sheer lunacy! To try to land on such a small object with those types of crosswinds is nuts! And while what I am attempting may seem like lunacy to others, I only need land on the ground to be successful (of course I must first get off the tower but, quite frankly, that will not be difficult). <BR> <BR>Donny

Hope that chute is made of kevlar. Gendarme don't mess around anymore.

Well, bonne chance, Donny! <BR> <BR>I saw a guy bungy jump off the Eiffel Tower once...but it was just in a movie, <I>An American Werewolf in Paris</I>**. :~) <BR> <BR>** Nowhere near as good as its predecessor, the dark comedy <I>An American Werewolf in London</I>.

Thanks Capo! I completely agree with your commments on the two "Werewolf" movies. The first one is classic: the second, truly disappointing. <BR> <BR>Thanks also to Jean Valjean. I have seen this article also, however, the reason I do not anticipate this problem is due to the fact that, a) I have a very "special" chute and, b) at an altitude of 940 ft., all I need is a 10mph wind to carry me 3/4 mile away from the tower (the wind averages 25-30 mph at that altitude on the tower so, chances are I will land well over a mile away).

Oh, obviously, as I'm sure Parisian gendarmes regularly read Fodors to take down names like yours. Who knows, I think you're full of it. Not that some wackos don't do this, I know they do but the odds that you will elude capture and get far away dragging a parachute behind you are zero. Everyone who's done this has been arrested, haven't they? You say you know so much about this, so then you ought to know exactly what the penalties were for all those people you claim you know who've done this and all this "understanding" you have, shouldn't you. That's the contradition in your post. I don't know, it would be some fine for trespassing I suppose, I guess they could throw in something for endangering the public or something. I would guess somewhere below US$1000.

Christina, <BR> <BR>I don't blame you for your skepticism. No, I don't believe gendarmes regularly read this site, however, one can never be too careful. And, no, I don't claim to know any of the people who have tried this sort of thing before but only to have read the articles about them. Unfortunately, almost universally in all of the articles, they fail to say exactly what actions were taken against the party--and when they do, they are all different. <BR> <BR>As for getting away, the chute I use is extremely fast, small and lightweight. What this means is that it's easy to hide (both before and after) and very easy to both put on and remove. Hence, it takes me a good distance from the jumping point and is easily removed and hidden until, at which time, I can come back and retreive it. <BR> <BR>Anyway, I appreciate your comments (and your healthy skpticism) and look forward to any other advice you or anyone else might proffer. <BR> <BR>Donny

Dear Donny,

I found your post extremely interesting. I was wondering whether you have already made your attempt to sky-dive off the Tower or if you still have to do so.

I've been managing an Italian website about the Eiffel Tower for a couple of weeks now and I am very much interested in hearing more about your story.

My website has a very nice blog with unconventional stories about the Tower, so a blog post on your sky-diving experience would be perfect.

If you are interested in seeing your story published on my Italian website you can contact me at [email protected] and I will give you more information about that!

I hope to hear from you soon.

Keep on rocking,

Laura

Laura - Donny had plans to do this 11 years ago. It's unlikely he will see your post.