Timo Leonetti: One of the brightest stars

Timo Leonetti was one of the brightest young stars in the international paragliding scene. Only four years ago, aged just 17, he shot to attention in the international free-flight world when he flew six 400km flights in one season in Brazil.

Launching by tow from Assú his longest flight was 459km and was flown on 8 November 2020.  Flown early in the XContest season, which runs from October to October, it put him at the top of the XContest leaderboard – where he stayed for the rest of the year. Those big flights were enough for him to win the 2021 Serial Class competition and put him in second place overall. It was a remarkable debut for such a young pilot.

The big numbers in Brazil don’t do justice to the story of that first season, however. Over the course of a year he logged 79 flights, 30 of them longer than 100km. That included 11 200km flights, eight 300km flights, and the six 400km flights. He flew in the flatlands of Brazil, the mountains of the French Alps and along the rugged coastline of his home island, Corsica.

His next three seasons followed a similar pattern. In 2022 he logged 64 flights, including 13 100km flights, nine 200km flights, seven 300km flights – including huge triangles in the French Alps – six 400km flights and, the holy grail, his first 500km flight. He flew that, 535km from Assú on 4 October 202, right at the start of the season. Not surprisingly he again sat at the top of the XContest table for the rest of the year.

The 2023 season was even stronger: seven 100km flights; three 200km flights; three 300km flights; four 400km flights; and an amazing three 500km flights. Two (553km and 569km) in Brazil and one (562km) in South Africa, where he had gone on a towing mission to look at breaking the next obvious mark, 600km and a new world record.

His 2024 season started in a similar vein, with two 500km, 11-hour flights back-to-back. Foot-launching from Tacima in Brazil’s northeast he covered 531km. The next day, rather than suffer the long retrieve back to Tacima, he headed to the established launch at Quixada and, foot-launching again, covered 531km. Such distance in such style was unprecedented.

Logging flights in XContest is just for fun. There is no grand prize at the end of the year, certainly no money. It is literally a game pilots play against themselves and each other for the fun of it. It’s worth looking at Timo’s flight statistics to remind yourself not only how good he was and at what is possible given skill, ambition and a free mind, but also how much fun he was having.

Timo tragically died on 14 June following an accident during the French Nationals in Passy, near Chamonix, Mont Blanc. The accident, which was still being investigated at time of writing, caused a convulsion in the paragliding community and in the French competition world. The FFVL, France’s free flight federation, called a halt to all competitions in France for three weeks while the circumstances around the accident and the rescue were investigated.

Born in Corsica Timo was destined to become a pilot, and a good one. His parents, Alexandra and Stéphane Leonetti, both fly; as does his uncle, Olivier Leonetti. Brothers Stéphane and Olivier set up an adventure activity centre in Corsica in 1993 and pioneered paragliding, canyoning and skiing on the island. The name and mascot of their school, Altore, is the Corsican name for the bearded vulture, the biggest in Europe with a three-metre wingspan. A supreme gliding bird known for its behaviour of breaking bones by dropping them onto rocks, nine pairs of this critically endangered bird live on the island.

Timo grew up and into adventure from before he could walk. When the school closed for the season in October the family spent winters in northeast Brazil where his Dad flew professional tandems on the beach in Canoa Quebrada. Timo learnt to fly here when he was just seven-years old, using a special small wing. He learnt to thermal aged 11 on a 16m2 wing and made his first 12km XC at home in Corsica when he was just 13. By the time he was 16 he had already been on trips to Roldanillo, Colombia, flying 160km side by side with his Dad.

In 2021 he explained to Cross Country he knew his childhood was out of the ordinary. “I studied at home, with distance learning, and this way of living made it possible for me to be close to nature and to the sports I like.” He added: “My parents inspire me to always search for the joy of flying and life.”

At both of those things, flying and life, he seemed to excel. A natural born pilot with a flair for the air and a talent at other mountain sports too. “I’d like to work and follow the seasons,” he told us. “When the weather is warmer I can rock climb. When it’s cold, I can climb in the ice or snow. I am not sure about where I want to live. I just want to go wherever I like and stay for as long as it still pleases me, but I will always have my home in Corsica and in Brazil during the long-distance flying season.”

This article was first published in Cross Country 251