Hecto

Pascal is the father of the Paparazzi project. He was the wizard of the computers, a talented "Alpiniste" and a great human being. On the web:

• (fr) Dead and ice-bound, La Dépêche, May 24th, 2010
• (en) The Paparazzi project loses its founder, lwn.net, May 25th, 2010
• (fr) Le club alpin de Toulouse en deuil, La Dépêche, May 25th, 2010
• (fr) Le corps de Pascal Brisset retrouvé 16 mois après sa disparition, La Dépêche, Sep 23th, 2011

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  Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 2005

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  Eglin AFB, Florida 2006

Translation of "La Dépêche" article from May 24th, 2010

Pyrenees : dead and ice-bound

A 43 year old Toulouse resident, Pascal Brisset, fell to his death on Saturday afternoon into a crevasse from the north face of the Vignemale Glacier, in the Hautes-Pyrenees.

A member of the Toulouse French Alpine Club, Pascal Brisset was participating in a glacier safety camp. With his fellow climbers he planned to stay overnight at the refuge "Les Oulettes de Gaube". The accident took place on Saturday afternoon around 15:00. A snow bridge collapsed under Pascal's weight. The climber's harness was not attached at the moment and he fell into the newly revealed crevasse.

The rescue team from Pierrefitte-Nestalas arrived on scene shortly after by helicopter.

The body of the climber was located 30 meters deep. The crevasse was only one meter large at the top and narrowed down to 20 centimeters.

The rescue team worked all Saturday afternoon and came back on Sunday morning trying to free the body. A very difficult task due to the narrow crevasse, and the fact that the body was already ice-bound. The rescue team tried everything including a jackhammer to break the ice gangue. The effort ceased at noon on Sunday due to the high risk of rock falls and a hazardous snow. "we had to quit working" said, yesterday, a member of the rescue team, disappointed.

Pascal Brisset will remain a prisoner of his ice coffin for now. In motion, the Vignemale Glacier should give the body back in a few months or years.

From "La dépêche" 24/05/2010 08:43

Messages

Below are messages that have been exchanged through the mailing list or left directly here. This page is in free access ( you only have to create a wiki account ). Feel free to leave a comment or a message or a picture Pascal, thanks you for starting this project :) . Some time ago, i startet bein interested in UAV's, i've looked at all open source systems. And i don't like these with an Arduino or something like this. I thought there must be an professional system. Just something that is more than an Arduino or an ATMEGA2560. Then i found the Paparazzi Project. First i thought; oh shit, ARM chip, 4 layer pcb, so much code i don't understand. But after some days of reading i slowly realize how nice this project ist. And thats what i want to thank you for. Starting a open source Autopilot project/platform for so much purposes. I'll promise you I'll do my best to support your Project :) - Marius (Austria) Pascal, your work, your project has changed my life. To fly an autonmous plane was only a dream and it came true. It was a great pleasure to meet you at all the interesting places that this project brought us to, work together and have all the talks and chats. Will miss you and all that a lot - Martin (Germany) The only words that come out is a Thank you. While your work has been influential to me in ways that I can't even describe, while your project has made such a huge difference to so many people around the planet, it is your smile, warmth and character that I will remember the most. You will be missed. - Panos (Greece) So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near: "Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry." "It is your own fault," said the little prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you . . ." "Yes, that is so," said the fox. "But now you are going to cry!" said the little prince. "Yes, that is so," said the fox. "Then it has done you no good at all!" "It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields." by Antoine de St Exupéry - Poine (France) Pascal, we thank you for everything you teached us. We will never forget the feeling of our first night flights in Toulouse! - The TU Delft MAVlab Team (Netherlands) Pascal i will light a candle for you. I really cannot find any words to describe the magnitude of your contribution not only to the Paparazzi project but also to the spirit of sharing Knowledge for free. Good Bye my friend. - Chris Pascal, You were a great friend and role model to us all. Your incredible motivation, ingenuity, and generosity was inspirational and instrumental to the professional success of many of your followers. I, for one, could not have found my perfect job designing UAVs for Aerovironment if I had not met you and absorbed some of your tremendous knowledge. You have significantly shaped the direction of my life and will always remain a part of me. - Jeremy (USA) Paparazzi without Pascal would be like oil to water. Pascal, you showed patience without end, teaching someone new every day. You opened your home and your life to many of us without any thought of the cost. Without you and this project my life would be very different from where it is today, different and less fulfilling. You gave us all an amazing gift, do not worry we will not let it spoil. Thank you again, we all miss you! - Anton (USA) Not much to add, I only got the chance to meet you once and you wouldn't even let me buy you a beer! You truly embodied the idea of open source and as many have said above, the Paparazzi project had a significant role in my future career and education. Fly Free. - Gareth R Pascal, you were a kind & humble person and worked very hard on this incredible project. The glacier may have taken you from us but we will keep this great project going. - Mark G Pascal, thank you for everything. I have learn so much with you. I will do my best to continue your work. - Gautier (France) Pascal, thank you for everythin! I had the privilege to know you for 7 years. In my eyes you will stay as the one that was always willing to help and to give to others. You shared with me some of your passions, a part of your tremendous knowledge, and your kindness. I will never forget that. Merci Pascal. - Pierre-Selim (France) Pascal, I feel really lucky that I met you ! You were not only the best advisor that one can ever dream of, a perfect human being, but also a wonderful friend to me. After all years that you have dedicated for the project, I am totally sure that a part of you will ALWAYS fly with Paparazzi UAVs all over the world. There is so much things to say but... Thank you very much for everything Pascal ! I will miss you a lot... - Murat (Turkey) Pascal, thank you so much for each lucky minute I had learning from your experience and from your way as such a great human being. I stand together with everyone here to keep your great ideas flying and developing. You will always be with us and our little planes. Again, thank you very very much... - Gustavo Violato (Brazil) Really sorry to hear that, that is indeed sad news. Pascal has contributed a lot to the project and he will be sorely missed. Condoleances to his family. - Adam Spence Very bad news. My condolences to the family and those of you who really knew him... It would be difficult to fill the hole he leaves in the project, as he took care of a lot of things... - Roi Rodriguez I'm so sorry to hear about this tragedy. After receiving much help from Pascal and many other wonderful members of this community, a working set of Paparazzi aircraft has facilitated me in the completion of my Ph.D. dissertation defense, and in surveying the damage caused by the disastrous floods here in Nashville, TN. I bring with me significant embedded systems expertise, and experience in integration of PPZ into large scale aircraft, so I will be happy to contribute to whatever I can. My deepest sympathies to his family and to all those that knew him. - Adrian Lauf My deepest condolence to Pascal`s family and friends. Although he left us his work and dreams will live on... - Marko Thaler I wish to offer my most sincere condolences to Pascal's family, friends and colleagues on behalf of myself and other followers of the Paparazzi Project in New Zealand. He will be sorely missed. - Stephen L Hulme (New Zealand) I am so sorry to hear this sad news. In the US, friend or coworkers often contribute for a flower arrangement for the funeral. Is this being done? Thanks, Pascal, for all you have done and may your work live on through those you have helped. - David Carlson This is shocking news. We are heartbroken here, our condolences to Pascals family, and the entire Paparazzi group. Pascal was indeed a special person. I met him, and some of the other ENAC members at MAV 08. To me, it was a dream come true, to meet Pascal and the group. We even went flying in the evening together. Pascal has always been there to help and assist, I don't think we would be doing what we do, or reached the stage we are at if it weren't for Pascals help. I cant come to terms with this loss. From now on, every flight we fly is dedicated to Pascal. - Uttam Chandrashekhar (India) I am really sorry to hear this. Pascal was a great friend and I know he helped alot of people including me. We will remember him. - Roman Krashanitsa (Ukraine) My deepest condolences to Pascal's family and friends. I went online and saw the article about the accident after seeing the Wiki this AM. I am speechless as well. I feel the world has lost someone special. - David Conger (USA) I am really shocked by this news. Thank you, Pascal for knowlege you shared with us. Whitout you and this project I could not have found my great job, growed from my hobby. You newer denied assistance, thank you for all. - Andrew Saenko (Russia) My Deepest condolences to Pascals family, its shocking to hear this. Although, i did not have the fortune to have met him personally, in many ways he has been instrumental in me building and flying a UAV. His dedication and helpfulness to all has inspired me and will always be remembered whenever my little plane flies with paparazzi. - Prashanth Thankachan This is great loss to all. He was a kind & humble person. The glacier may have taken him from us but we will keep this great project going. - Mark Griffin So sorry to hear such a sad news, we have lost such an intelligent person. My deepest and sincerest condolence to Pascal's families and friends. I still remember how kindly he was for answering my questions and helping me to make progress on the Paparazzi project. The only thing I could do is making my best efforts to let our UAV equipped with Paparazzi autopilot win again in this year's competition as the best memorial for him. - Long Di Hi All, I am very sad to ear this bad news. I met the paparazzi team once at the EMAV in Garmish Partenkirchen. Condoleances to his family. - Martial Châteauvieux (Germany) It is very sad and shocking to hear that. Paparazzi has been a greatest project for me ever. I can not express my sadness with word……. my sincerest condolences for all Pascal’s friends and families. - Chen Kuo (Germany) This is a terrible news. My most sincere condolences to Pascal's family and friends. Although, i didn't know him personally, I miss him already as I appreciated his help for my paparazzy set-up. I explored deeply the code of the ground station, and started doing some OCAML. I can be of some help for the ground station part, but it is clear I won't be performing as fast as Pascal as i am still beginner in OCAML. - Guillaume Sanchez (France) I am shocked and sad to read of the abruptly death of Pascal. My deepest and sincerest condolence to Pascal's families and friends. I will keep him in my mind as kind and helpful person. - Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinrich Warmers (Germany) Like so many others here, flying robots is a dream and your brainchild was what let me see that dreams can be a reality. For that I will be forever grateful and indebted to you. I remember the first time I flew on autopilot; putting a plane in the air and having it fly itself seemed almost magical. But it was the hard work that you took the pains to share with the world that made it possible. Your talents were unmatched and the world is poorer now without you. Your welcoming spirit is something that I will not soon forget. We grieve at your sudden departure and our hearts go out to those who knew you best. - Paul Pascal, thank you for all your help and inspiration. I'm very glad I met you and will always remember the time working, flying and hiking with you. - Felix Ruess (Germany) Pascal, so sad and terrible to hear this. As for many others on this page, you changed my life. We will never forget you as you will always fly with us. - Christian Lindenberg (Germany) From the very few contacts I had with Pascal, I was really unable to miss the gentleness and kindness he shows in every act. He was helpful, simple, generous and sincere.Even for a stranger asking for a few hints about a mountain hike, he took plenty of time to give me his best tricks and advice. I really feel that, to everybody he met, his absence is going to be a great loss, and lasting sadness. I feel really sad today, and I send all my condoleances to his family. - Raïlane (France) The rare intelligence, kindness and humility of Pascal Brisset made him a precious man to meet. He has been, and still will be, a tremendous inspiration to some of my close friends who worked with him and whose life was forever changed to the better. Nature has now called him back, to the heart of the moutains he loved with passion. May he rest in peace and may time ease the pain of those who knew and remember him. Fly on Pascal ! - David Paquet (France) Pascal, thanks for everything we shared together. Your incredible knowledge and your stupid jokes. Your feet on the ground your head towards the sky. Five years of great memories all over the world. A part of you will fly with us, forever... Your friend. - Michel (ENAC Team - France) Pascal, you were my friend and my CS guru for so many years. I owe you everything. Life will never be the same without you. I miss you so badly. - Nicolas Barnier (Toulouse, France) You were wisdom and kindness embodied. I'm very glad you believed in me the way you did. Computer science at the ENAC will never be the same without you. - Caroline Becker (Toulouse, France) You made a lot, and so much still to be done. Hopefully you transmit your passion to all of us. - Xavier Paris (Toulouse, France) I met the talented geek and the nice guy two years ago but I discovered the climber only five days before his death. Too short a time to have had the pleasure of climbing with him. Thank you for your work, Pascal! Thank you for your kindness! I will miss you. - Sébastien Dinot (Toulouse, France) Merci à Pascal Brisset pour ses bons cours dispensés pendant ces deux années années et demi d'école. Merci de m'avoir consacré du temps. Merci pour tout! La filière informatique ne sera plus la même sans votre présence. - Alice de Guillebon (Toulouse, France) The news of Pascal's death was a shock. We are admirative for the capacity Pascal had to give reality to a large project, and manage many events around it. He was also a particularly kind guy, involved in sharing his knowhow. Pascal will stay in our memories as a father of Paparazzi, which was the base of our work. Our condolence to Pascal's family and all the ENAC team. - Luc Carpentier (THALES Team) The depth of your knowledge, the ease with wich you gave it to others, and the passion we could see in you are mind blowing. Thank you for those years and the path this set me and so many others on. As some would say ... So long, and thanks for all the fish. - Olivier Revelin (Toulouse, France) You were my teacher, the man who give me the passion to computer sciences, the man who help others whatever the subject was : studies, drones, robots ... I will miss you. - Nicolas Wullens (Toulouse, France) Thank you for all the knowledge you shared with us during those years at the Enac, thank you for your disponibility, thank you for everything. - Amandine Audouy (Paris, France) A little shocked to hear this news. Pascal, thanks for your help, especially your patience, when I emailed you for questions. We will never forget your spirit, passion, and kindness as a leader of the Paparazzi project. May you rest in peace. - Haiyang Chao (OSAM-UAV Team) Generations of talented minds owe you a lot more than a few hours of class or a hint on a problem... they owe you passion, curiosity, a hunger for knowledge and intellectual elegance... you cannot imagine how I feel proud to have been one of your students. My condoleances to your family. - J.-B. Rivat (IENAC engineer, Bangkok, Thailand) Thank you for your steady kindness and your passion for teaching... Thanks a lot. - Sarah Prat (Toulouse, France) It's such a shock to learn what happened... Pascal was my teacher back in 1994 / 1996, he learnt me so much things I continue to use today... His kindness and his expertise were such that future generations of students will miss him without even knowing it. My condoleances to the family. - Sebastien Brunot (Paris, France) You were such a dear friend, so bright and kind. A man of few words but only the good ones, always willing to help and so wholehearted. Such a huge loss for all of us ... Miss you badly, Bye Pascal ! - 74473 (France) It's been more than 20 years since we met as PhD students in Rennes. You were a really clever guy, and a great human being, too... In spite of the distance, we continued to share programming pearls from time to time. I was following the great job done on paparazzi, in which I was contemplating jumping into for doing environmental surveys. I hope the project will continue, that's the best thing we, as a community, can do to keep your memory around. So long, Pascal, my best friend on Earth! -Serge (Rennes, France) A lot of thanks my dear teacher and colleague for all the work you did. Bye Pascal. - Mohamed-Ali (Toulouse, France) Antoine introduced me to Pascal when we started toying around with the Paparazzi project. I remember he always showed a lot of patience with our bad hobyist hack. Pascal was extremely smart, but the most important memory I will keep is that of a kind man, able to listen to others. For me, he is not gone, and I hope that the Paparazzi community will be able to continue what he so amazingly started. - Philippe (France) Tragic news!...Sincere condolences to your family and friends. Thanks a lot for your sympathy and availability. May you rest in peace... - Sébastien Calvary (Toulouse, France) I am very sad at hearing these news. Condolences to his family and all the Paparazzi team. - Juan López (Barcelona, Spain) How sad. Like many, I can hardly realize that this tragic news is true. I know Pascal since so many years, first as a teacher, then as a colleague. He inspire so deeply my perception of computer science. Pascal was a man of charisma. He was very involved in every task he make. We must take inspiration from his example and particularly his willingness to share and to always do the best we can. With his living, the ENAC suffer a terrible loss. My think are now (after his family) to the ENAC computer science team and the Paparazzi team. I wish they continue his work as well as has he will have done, with his example in mind. - Charles-Edmond Bichot (Lyon, France) Dear Pascal. I was your PhD advisor, but very soon I felt with you like with a colleague, and a friend. You had great ideas, and this unique capability of expressing them with calm but convincingly. Soon, you became my advisor on outdoor activities, and this changed my life. Things I never before dreamed of became possible. I remember these long night walks in the nature during which we talked about our open problems, testing ideas, computing in the dark, and sometimes finding the great idea; no light, no pen, no paper, only your calm voice. I was to give a lesson last tuesday, but I could only talk of you to the students and give them my testimony. - Olivier Ridoux (Rennes, France) I was very sad to hear of Pascals accident. I was really glad that there is somebody like Pascal, working so hard for the Paparazzi-Project. My most sincere condolences to Pascal's family, the Paparazzi-Team and his friends, we've lost a great man. - Christoph Niemann (Bremen, Germany) I really enjoyed my time at ENAC where I met and worked with Pascal, he was a friendly and tremendously talented person. My condolences to his family, friends and colleagues at ENAC. - John Stowers (New Zealand) It has really been a shock to learn about this accident. Thanks for everything you teached us and for the way you teached it. My thoughts are with his family - Charlène Badina (Paris, France) Deep sadness and sorrow for all who have met Pascal, have followed his courses or have worked with him. He was our brillant and nice teacher in 1995. I was one his students at the ENAC, and learned so much science from him. Today I have prayed for his soul to rest in peace and calmness ... like the man. "Yalla nala Yalla yeureum té kharé leu aldiana, Amine", in senegalease. - Demba NIANG, IENACS95 (Paris, France) I first exchanged messages with Pascal in 2003. Pascal was so brilliant, so passionate and so decent. He had me started on my first Paparazzi project in no time. For this I will always be in his debt I have just started a new Paparazzi project and was looking forward to renewing old aquaintances. This news has come as a terrible shock. I only knew him slightly and that was an honour, but I can't imagine what it is like for those of you priveledged enough to know him well. It must leave a huge hole in your lives and for this I am truly sorry. - Eric Parsonage (Adelaide, Australia) Pascal was one of the great teachers that I've met at the ENAC. I will remember above all his calm, patience and kindness during the long hours he devoted to pass on his infinite knowledge in computer science. I didn't know him very well but I would like to thank him for all and I wish him the best for the long and great journey he is about to begin ... - Bertrand Huron, IENACS02 (Paris, France) Pascal was always willing to help SUPAERO students and I with our mini UAV projects. He always amazed us with his capability to write code and sort out the mistakes we did faster than it took us to explain the problem. Beyond that, I'll remember his calm, patience and kindness. I'm sure that Paparazzi will go on thanks to his tremendous work. - Boris Bataillé, ISAE (Toulouse, France) I didn't know Pascal professionally, only in a social context so for me Pascal was a whole education involving music and film. If it wasn't eccentric DVDs by Peter Greenaway that I was introduced to, it was a very amusing novel in English about salmon fishing on the Yemen, Vincent Delerme, Benabar, Philip Glass...I found Pascal a fascinating person because he had very particular tastes so it was always interesting talking to him. I will remember him as a discreet and calm man with a great sense of humour, a wonderful laugh and, despite my understanding so little of his field, someone obviously brilliant. I feel very privileged to have spent so much time with such a wonderful and amusing personality. Someone with so much influence on so many people in different capacities can not fail to continue to inspire. - Naomi Rivière (Toulouse, France) I regret that I never had the opportunity to actually meet Pascal. Even so, he was always generous with his advice and support answering every question I ever asked. He was a truly talented, gifted, gentleman with enormous patience and will be sorely missed. Thanks Pascal for all of your help! - John Koches (Michigan, USA) I am shocked to hear about Pascal's tragic death. We worked together 1992-94 at ECRC, and I remember him as a firendly, quiet, very bright person with a special smile. Part of his work at ECRC made him an important figure in the development of the programming language CHR. We will always remember him. - Thom Fruehwirth (Ulm, Germany) Pascal will living in our heart forever. - hfhwz (nanjing, china) I never had the priviledge of meeting Pascal but I am very thankful for the hughe contribution he has made to the Paparazzi project and the Open Source community. Paparazzi is one of the most fascinating Open Source projects and a large part of it is thanks to Pascal. Thank you Pascal. - Bu5hm4nn (Hessen, Germany) It is difficult to believe things like that happen, those are really sad news to me. I did not take part on the Paparazzi project, however I remember him as a very bright and helpful teacher. My condolences to family and friends. - Eduard Torres (Bournemouth, UK) I want to talk with you in my own language: پاسکال عزیز... تا قبل از دیدن این صفحه از خودم میپرسیدم "چه کسی ایده راه اندازی چنین پروژه ای رو داده و با این کار چه خدمتی به بشریت کرده" تا به این صفحه رسیدم... از اینکه در بین ما نیستی متاسسفم اما نام تو همیشه با نام پاپارازی گره خورده و یاد تو همیشه با کسانیست که این پروژه را دنبال میکنند... پاداش تو با یگانه خالق هستی است و کلمات توان تشکر از تو را ندارند... یادت گرامی - Farzad (Tehran, Iran) Pascal's sister has asked to post the following Bonjour, Nous avons pu lire tous les messages (notamment sur Paparazzi) de témoignages, d'amitié, de condoléances venant du monde entier... Nous en sommes très touchés. Nous y découvrons ce que Pascal faisait, ce qu'il était dans sa vie au quotidien. Nous ne savions pas tout çà...Nous aimerions pouvoir répondre à tout le monde, mais malheureusement nous ne savons pas comment faire. Pourriez-vous le faire pour nous avec le message suivant : "Merci à vous tous pour ces témoignages si touchants sur Pascal et pour vos condoléances. La douleur est lourde, mais l'espérance est grande en lisant que chacun continuera la route ouverte avec Pascal par ce qui constituait une de ses passions... Où que vous soyez vos pensées pourront se tourner vers lui les samedi 29 mai (TOURS) et dimanche 6 juin (TOULOUSE) où 2 cérémonies d'hommage seront données... De tout coeur avec chacun." Ses parents, soeurs, belles soeur, frères, beaux frères Cordialement Geneviève BRISSET EMONET Hello We have been very touched by all your messages coming from around the world. We discover in them what Pascal was doing in his everyday life. We didn't know all that. We would like to thank everyone with this message : "Thank you to all of you for these moving messages and condolences. The pain is overwhelming but the hope remains in reading that you all want to keep Pascal's passion flying...Wherever you are, may your thoughts be for him on Saturday May, the 29th (TOURS) and Sunday June, the 6th (TOULOUSE) where there will be two gatherings as a tribute to Pascal...Wholeheartedly" Pascal's parents, sisters, sisters in law, brothers, brothers in law