LIHUE — A visit to Gerry Charlebois’ Facebook page reveals he had a favorite quotation — one the 55-year-old lived by and one that suited him perfectly. “We are a short time living and a long time dead, so get
LIHUE — A visit to Gerry Charlebois’ Facebook page reveals he had a favorite quotation — one the 55-year-old lived by and one that suited him perfectly.
“We are a short time living and a long time dead, so get off your ass and live every day like it might be your last!”
Charlebois did that, whether it was cruising the skies above Kauai or making those around a dinner table laugh. Those who knew him best say he will be remembered as generous and loving, the life of the party, and one heck of a pilot.
“Everyone who ever met Gerry remembered Gerry,” said longtime friend Andrew Doughty. “He wasn’t someone that you struggled to remember. With his giant personality and his giant heart, he left a lasting impression on literally every soul he touched.”
Charlebois and an unidentified passenger were killed Tuesday morning when Charlebois’ ultra-light aircraft crashed into a mountainside near Polihale Beach on Kauai’s Westside.
The aircraft was registered to Birds in Paradise, LLC, a motorized hang gliding school and tour company founded by Charlebois in 1990.
Charlebois began flying hang gliders in 1978. A year later, he started teaching the sport on Oahu’s North Shore, according to the Birds in Paradise website. Later, he won the Hawaii state hang gliding championship and went on to compete on the national and international circuit.
The rest, as they say, is history. And at the end of his life, Charlebois was considered among the world’s best hang gliding pilots, with upwards of 50,000 flying hours.
That’s more than 2,000 days in the air.
“He had more hang gliding hours than anybody in the world,” said Denise Sanders, who took her first flight in a hang glider with Charlebois in 2000, an experience she credits as the spark for starting her own company, Paradise Air, on Oahu.
According to the Birds in Paradise website, Charlebois was a Master Rated Hang Glider Pilot by the U.S. Hang Gliding Paragliding Association. Since his company began offering powered gliding in 1993, he logged more than 17,000 hours operating ultra-light trikes and shared the experience with more than 22,000 clients.
“He had so much time in the air that he was like the eye in the sky for the island,” said Doughty, who flew all over the Mainland with his friend of 20 years.
And much of Charlebois’ time above the island was captured in breathtaking photos and videos.
Friends and fellow flyers described the news of his death as “shocking” and “unbelievable.”
“Whatever happened to him yesterday had to have been insurmountable, because otherwise Gerry would have surmounted it,” Doughty said.
Kauai resident and longtime friend Angela Tillson agreed.
“We’re all in shock,” she said.
Tillson will remember her friend as young-at-heart, smart, fun-loving and always willing to help anyone.
“He had this infectious smile and spirit, and he was quite charismatic, very charming, the life of the party wherever he went,” she said. “And he loved Julie (Mann). Oh my gosh, his girlfriend — he loved Julie.”
Casey Riemer, general manager of Jack Harter Helicopters in Lihue, said Charlebois was the last person anyone ever expected to have a problem in the air.
“Gerry’s a great guy to have as a friend,” he added. “He’s a great aviator and an innovator in the world of hang gliding and ultra-lights. He’ll be sorely missed by the aviation community and by all his friends.”
Sanders described Charlebois as one of her best friends, larger-than-life, an ambassador for safety in the sky, with an unmatched sense of humor.
“He could make a funny out of just about anything,” she said. “He was always making smiles.”
In addition to his reputation as a pilot, Charlebois was one of the most published sport-aviation photographers in the world, with more than 60 magazine cover shots, according to his website.
In 1997, he was named photojournalist of the year by the U.S. Ultralight Association.
To share the beauty of his island home, Charlebois produced films capturing the scenery and marine life on and around Kauai, including “Epic Kauai” and “Extreme Kauai.”
Birds in Paradise was also featured on HDNet’s extreme travel show “Get Out!” and on the Discovery Channel, the Travel Channel and TV Land’s High School Reunion show, according to the Birds in Paradise website.
Charlebois loved Kauai. And island residents have made it no secret they loved Charlebois back.
“Gerry and Kauai are just synonymous,” Sanders said. “He loved that island. He loved everything about it.”
“He knew so many people on the island. I mean just an astounding number,” Doughty said. “I promise you he’s just going to leave a giant hole.”
• Chris D’Angelo, environmental reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or cdangelo@thegardenisland.com.
