New York "Fearless Felix" Baumgartner has jumped 2,500 times from planes and helicopters, as well as some of the highest landmarks and skyscrapers on the planet — the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro, the Millau Viaduct in southern France, the 101-storey Taipei 101 in Taiwan.
Life & Style | Leisure
Fearless Felix aims to go supersonic
Skydiver to jump from 37km above Earth to break the sound barrier with only his body
- AP
- Published: 00:00 March 17, 2012
- Image Credit: EPA
- ‘Fearless Felix’ Baumgartner
He's also leapt face-first into a pitch-dark, 189 metre-deep cave in Croatia — his most dangerous feat yet, he says, but soon to be outdone.
This summer, Baumgartner hopes to hurtle toward Earth at supersonic speed from a record 37 kilometres up, breaking the sound barrier with only his body.
He made it more than halfway there during a critical dress rehearsal on Thursday, ascending from the New Mexico desert in a helium balloon and jumping from more than 21km up.
The record so far is Air Force test pilot Joe Kittinger's jump from 102,800 feet — 31.3km in 1960.
"I like to challenge myself," Baumgartner, 42, explained in a recent interview, "and this is the ultimate skydive. I think there's nothing bigger than that."
More from Leisure
More from Life & Style
Life & Style editor's choice
-
Weekend style: stylish stuff hitting UAE stores
In pictures: Spanish summer style, huge sunglasses and more
-
Breakup might be easier with sad music
Just got dumped? Researchers say melancholic music could cheer you up
-
Angelina Jolie, the BRCA mutation and me
A first-person account on what’s it like to live with a lifetime risk of developing breast cancer
-
Back to school: Learning Arabic in 20 days
Can British expat Jamie Goodwin pick up a new language in a month? Follow his progress
-
Boy’s dream of being a top cop is fulfilled
Boy suffering from thalassaemia goes on a police patrol as a captain and issues traffic fine
More Lifestyle stories
- 9 motivational fitness tools
- ‘Putting your child on diet is abuse’
- How to make your 50s and 60s enjoyable
- Universal Orlando now pricier
- Meet the first Emirati female chef
- Abu Dhabi Police clamp down on witchcraft
- Gourmet Oriental fusion
- Weekend style: stylish stuff hitting UAE stores
- Cereal flavours move out of the box
- A bite of the world’s best restaurant
- Hot chicken takes over Nashville
- Lankan Buddhists get ready to celebrate Vesak
- Google Glass marks paradigm shift in technology
- Inside a pagoda in Dubai
- Highlight of the week: Jal Neti
- Bharat Thakur’s Himalayan Challenge – Week 6: Jameel
- Seek solace in sarod at Madinat Theatre
- Bling to help you stay cool in the summer
- Yoga for immunity part 3
- Bharat Thakur’s Himalayan Challenge – Week 6: Wajih
- Shaikha Manal, readers to help baby in trouble
- Q&A genetic influences on breast cancer risk
- Angelina Jolie, the BRCA mutation and me
- Breakup might be easier with sad music
- Cycle rickshaws still hold sway in Bangladesh
- Two new openings at Souk Al Bahar: Japanese and Mexican
- Dubai’s Happy feet
- Global warming: Will it ever slow down?
- Water way to lose weight: Man sheds 30 kg
- Avoiding the sun could cause bones to weaken