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Skydiving Across the English Channel

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the 101st-airborne-becoming-jealous dept.

loonix_gangsta writes "Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian, has become the first person to skydive 35 km (22 miles) across the English Channel. Wearing a jumpsuit with a large carbon fin strapped to his back he reached speeds of up to 360 km/h. The whole flight took approximately 14 minutes. The newsitem is being covered by the BBC, SkyNews and CNN."

3 of 323 comments (clear)

  1. Skydiving? by jason.hall · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can it still be called skydiving in this case? Looks more like he was just the external payload for a small glider! Still, looks like fun.

  2. Speed reached ... ? by RayOfLight · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's funny how both Sky News and BBC say the speed reached is 220 mph and how CNN says it's 200 km/h. Hmm... someone's obviously got it wrong. ;-)

    But then again, who (here) is to notice this discrepancy. ;-) It'd require READING ALL THREE ARTICLES.

  3. Re:Moneypenny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not a special effect?
    I am a skydiver with 900 jumps, and I have 60
    jumps on the Birdman wingsuit, which is used in the movie.

    1. There is no building on this planet tall enough
    to leap from and glide 3 miles with a wingsuit.

    2. In the movie you see them running across roof
    and then jumping, while wearing conventional
    suits. Then their suits "magically" sprout
    wings a moment after the jump. You CANNOT run
    wearing a wingsuit; You can only waddle.

    3. It is apparent from your post that you got your
    information from that USA Today article which
    has been the subject of much ridicule among
    skydivers on www.dropzone.com forums.
    Incidently, no one can verify that Jolie has
    ever made a jump, despite her claims.