David Copperfield’s flying illusion

David Copperfield performs a flying levitation created by John Gaughan that is considered by both magicians and laymen to be the world’s finest. After his acrobatic flight around the stage, the audience suspects he may be suspended on wires, so Copperfield has spinning hoops passed over him to disprove this. He then floats inside a covered acrylic glass box to convince them otherwise. He selects a female volunteer from his audience and flies with her in a fashion similar to Superman carrying Lois Lane. The illusion sometimes ends with a falcon named “Icarus” grasping Copperfield by the wrist and flying off stage with him.

The performance is accompanied by an orchestration called “East of Eden Suite” by film composer Lee Holdridge, originally written as the theme music for the 1981 miniseries East of Eden.

Method

The performer is supported by a pair of arrays of several fine wires that remain invisible to the viewing audience. The wires are less than 1mm thick, but can support 100kg each. The wire arrays are mounted at the hips, near the human center of mass, to a harness worn under the clothing. This creates a balance point facilitating a wide range of movements while suspended. The wires are attached to a complex computer-controlled rig above the stage that maintains the tension in each, and keeps each array of wires perpendicular to the viewing audience. During the later phases of the performance, two hoops are used simultaneously, which aids the deception as the hoops do not come into contact with the gear. Rather, each ring is brought flush to the wires before being twisted under Copperfield. In the glass box demonstration, the top of the box is threaded between the two sets of wires in a vertical position, before being rotated ninety degrees and lowered into place. The wires remain in place while the performer is in the glass box, passing through crevices between the lid and the sides. Since the box limits movement, and he is only able to rotate on one axis, he stays side-on to the front of the audience throughout this part of the performance. When flying with a volunteer, he holds her in front of him, and she does not come into contact with the set-up.

The equipment used in this illusion was patented (patent 5354238) by illusion designer John Gaughan in June 1993. To date, no other performer has developed a device that creates the same effect and, as a result, the illusion remains unique to David Copperfield performances. The illusion itself is not currently in the touring stage show of David Copperfield.

Related Post: Copperfield’s Laser Illusion

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