Graham Dickinson lived a thrilling life. And it appears it ended doing what he loved, wingsuiting.
Last Thursday, the 28-year-old’s body was found on a cliff in the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in the central province of Hunan.
“I live to fly and to explore the heavens every possible day I can.”
On Wednesday Dickinson had posted a photo of the mountain on his Facebook page, along with a smiling emoji and the comment, “feeling like he is dreaming.”
Now friends of the Canadian adventurer are filling social media with loving tributes and fond remembrances and some degree of acceptance at the news of his death.
Graham Dickinson was widely regarded as one of the best in the world at the sport known as wingsuiting, This involves athletes jumping from high places and gliding to the ground in aerodynamic body suits that make their wearers look like flying squirrels.
Dickinson was best at terrain flying. This is when the flyer moves in terrifyingly close to mountain cliffs, buildings, trees and the ground. Several examples of his flights are documented on video and easily available on the Internet.
“Certainly knew this day would come but no less gutted that it’s here,” Glen J. Kilpatrick posted on the World Wingsuit League’s Facebook page.
“I think many of us already knew in a way that he was going to die soon, since his flights were closer and crazy day by day,” Jose Montero wrote. “It was a matter of time.”
Dickinson began the flights with parachuting but quickly moved to wingsuiting. He describes what drove him in his bio with the World Wingsuit League:
“Human beings have been obsessed by the idea of flight, and imagined themselves flying among the clouds, and soaring like birds,” he wrote. “The mythology of many cultures abounds with gods and kings borne through the air; the power of flight was often attributed to gods. In this day and age we have the tools and technology to be able to fly and some people have no desire — I personally cannot fathom this concept.
“I live to fly and to explore the heavens every possible day I can.”
Dickinson was in China alone with a mission to scout and develop new jumping exit points. On Wednesday, January 25th, he was reported missing by friends. Local search and rescue personnel found his body the next morning.
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