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Thierry Barbier | |
|---|---|
 Barbier in his SkyRanger ultralight aircraft | |
| Born | November 26, 1960 Paris, France |
| Died | March 14, 2016 (aged 55) Samburu County, Kenya |
Cause of death | Aircraft accident |
| Occupations | Aviator, photographer, journalist, filmmaker, writer |
| Years active | 1983–2016 |
| Known for | Earth Colors (Couleurs de la Terre) aerial documentation project |
Thierry Barbier (26 November 1960 – 14 March 2016) was a French aviator, adventurer, photographer, journalist, filmmaker and writer, known for long-distance expeditions by motorcycle and ultralight aircraft, his aerial photography, and his Earth Colors (Couleurs de la Terre) project documenting the world's landscapes, biodiversity and cultural diversity.[1]
Born in Paris and raised in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Barbier worked as a primary school teacher before leaving France in 1983 to teach in India under the coopération programme, a civilian form of French national service. This posting was the starting point for a series of long-distance journeys through Asia and Africa.[1]
He travelled extensively by motorcycle, including through India, the Himalayas, Tibet and Africa, documenting the trips as a photographer and reporter and collaborating with the Gamma photo agency.[1] His photography and reporting appeared in French publications including Paris Match and Le Figaro Magazine.[2]
In the following decades he expanded his travels to automobile, river and rail journeys before turning to ultralight aviation, eventually flying across dozens of countries in Europe, Africa and the Americas.[3]
Barbier and French journalist Pierre Creisson were killed on 14 March 2016 when his ultralight aircraft crashed near the Samburu National Reserve in Kenya, a death confirmed by French wire agency AFP and reported by several aviation outlets.[4][5]
Early life and teaching
[edit]Thierry Barbier was born in Paris on 26 November 1960 and grew up in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, in the Yvelines department.[1]
Barbier trained as a primary school teacher. In 1983 he left France for India to teach as part of the service national de la coopération, a civilian form of French national service, introduced in 1965, that could be completed abroad instead of compulsory military service.[1][6] During his posting there he began travelling around the country and into neighbouring regions by motorcycle, journeys he later extended through the Himalayas, Tibet and Africa.[1]
Travel and journalism
[edit]Barbier combined travel, photography and journalism throughout his early expeditions, riding by motorcycle through India, Tibet and Africa, and later crossing Africa again by motorcycle on his way back to France.[1]
Other journeys included a crossing from Canada to Chile in a Citroën Traction Avant, an expedition along the Congo River aboard a river convoy, and a Paris–Beijing rail journey.[1][3]
He worked as an independent reporter and photographer during these travels, supplying photographs to the Gamma agency.[1] His work was published in French magazines including Paris Match and Le Figaro Magazine, and was later shown at photography and travel festivals.[2]
Madagascar
[edit]Barbier later lived in Madagascar for several years, teaching at the French lycée in Antsirabé while developing his work as a photographer and traveller.[7]
In February 1999 he assembled a SkyRanger ultralight aircraft with friends in Antsirabé in under three weeks and used it to explore the island before flying it across Africa to France — the start of his aviation career.[3][7]
He subsequently returned to France and settled again in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, basing his travel and aviation activities there.[1]
Ultralight aviation
[edit]
Barbier became a licensed ultralight flight instructor, combining his interests in aviation, photography and travel.
His first major ultralight expedition was the Madagascar-to-France crossing in his self-assembled SkyRanger, aircraft number 208, originally registered TA-E.[3][7] Between October 2000 and July 2001 he flew the aircraft over 18 African countries in 209 days on the Madagascar–France raid, an itinerary later painted on the fuselage and tail fin.[7] In an interview with the Fédération française d'ULM, Barbier said he had flown his first 50 countries with the SkyRanger before acquiring the first prototype of the Nynja, a faster development of the same aircraft.[8]
The SkyRanger was grounded in 2009 after a Paris–Dakar raid retracing the historic Aéropostale route via Saint-Louis, and was displayed for several years at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget. It was donated to the association Ailes Anciennes Toulouse in November 2014 and is now on permanent display at the Aeroscopia aviation museum in Blagnac, near Toulouse, suspended above the museum's Concorde.[7]
He went on to make a series of long-distance flights from France, including trips to Dakar, the Black Sea, Tunisia, Scandinavia, the Baltic states and the United Kingdom, before crossing the Atlantic and flying through the Americas, including a route between Ushuaia and Quebec.[3]
By 2013 he had flown over approximately 84–85 countries; that year's expedition took him from Quebec through Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Scotland and England back to France.[9][10] By 2015 he had flown over at least 87 countries.[11]
Earth Colors
[edit]Barbier founded the association Objectif Terre and developed the Earth Colors (Couleurs de la Terre) project, a long-term effort to fly around the world by ultralight aircraft while documenting the planet from the air.[1]
The project combined aviation, photography, filmmaking and journalism, documenting landscapes, wildlife and the cultures of the communities he visited, with the stated aim of raising awareness of environmental protection and biodiversity.[9]
His aerial photographs were exhibited at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget and presented at photography and travel festivals.[2]
In late 2015 he flew from France towards Djibouti as part of the project, an expedition of roughly 16,600 km over 38 stages and 34 days; his Nynja made an emergency landing after a fuel-quality problem and was later repaired.[3]
Writing and photography
[edit]Barbier published books based on his expeditions and produced films, photographs and travel reports, and gave presentations about his travels.[1]
His books included:
- Évasions : le Tibet, l'Inde et l'Afrique à moto — Éditions Les 7 Vents, 1990.
- L'Arche de Noé du grand fleuve — Éditions Planète Universelle.
- Carnet de vol : l'Afrique vue du ciel — Éditions Alternatives, Paris, 2005.[12]
The Festival Photo La Gacilly described Barbier as a photographer and explorer whose work appeared in Paris Match and Le Figaro Magazine, noting that during the 2000s he developed his aerial photography and the Couleurs de la Terre project.[2]
A three-part documentary, Thierry Barbier, un aventurier très discret, directed by filmmaker Christophe Guyon, covers his motorcycle expeditions, his move into ultralight aviation, and his later long-distance flights, with accounts from friends and fellow pilots.[13][14]
Final expedition and death
[edit]On 14 March 2016, Barbier and French journalist Pierre Creisson died when their ultralight aircraft, registered F-JSCZ, crashed near Kauro Airstrip in the Samburu region of Kenya. The Kenyan civil aircraft accident report named Barbier as the aircraft's owner and Objectif Terre as its operator.[4]
The death was reported by AFP and covered by French aviation media, which described Barbier as an experienced long-distance ultralight pilot who had flown over more than 80 countries.[5][15][3]
His funeral took place in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine on 29 March 2016.[3][5]
Legacy
[edit]Following his death, aviation and photography publications paid tribute to Barbier's career as a long-distance ultralight pilot, photographer and explorer.[3]
The Earth Colors project brought together his principal interests in aviation, photography, exploration and environmental awareness.[2] His first ultralight aircraft is preserved at the Aeroscopia museum near Toulouse.[7] His life and expeditions were later chronicled in a three-part documentary, Thierry Barbier, un aventurier très discret, made by filmmaker Christophe Guyon, drawing on accounts from friends and fellow pilots who knew him.[13][14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Thierry Barbier". Éditions Alternatives. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Thierry Barbier". Festival Photo La Gacilly. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Disparition de Thierry Barbier". AeroVFR. 15 March 2016.
- 1 2 Civil Aircraft Accident Report: NYNJA F-JSCZ (PDF) (Report). Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, Kenya. 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Thierry Barbier meurt dans un accident d'ULM au Kenya". Aerobuzz. 15 March 2016.
- ↑ "Service militaire". Encyclopædia Universalis. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Best Off Skyranger". Ailes Anciennes Toulouse. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- ↑ "ULM Info" (PDF). ULM Info (86). Fédération française d'ULM.
- 1 2 "Un tour du monde en ULM pour la planète". Le Parisien. 27 July 2013.
- ↑ "Objectif Terre - Les couleurs de la Terre (Interview Thierry Barbier)". A/R magazine. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- ↑ "ULM Info" (PDF). ULM Info (93). Fédération française d'ULM. September 2015.
- ↑ "Barbier Thierry — catalogue en ligne". Médiathèques des Instituts français du Burkina Faso. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Thierry Barbier, un Aventurier très discret - Épisode 1". L'Appel du Rotax. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Hommage à Thierry Barbier". AeroVFR. 6 March 2023.
- ↑ "Thierry Barbier meurt dans un accident d'ULM au Kenya". Air-Defense.net. 15 March 2016.
Category:1960 births Category:2016 deaths Category:French aviators Category:French photographers Category:French journalists Category:French writers Category:French explorers Category:Ultralight aviation