July 31, 2003
Falling... with style
Some mentioned Icarus, but my first thought was... Buzz Lightyear: "To infinity, and beyond!"
An extreme sports fanatic was celebrating yesterday after successfully flying across the English Channel without any power, using a carbon fibre "wing". Felix Baumgartner jumped from a plane into the freezing air 33,000ft above Dover to become the first man to cross the Channel in an unpowered flight.Posted by Alan at July 31, 2003 11:11 PMThe journey took six minutes and 22 seconds, with crowds, including journalists from across Europe, on hand to greet him as he landed near Calais.
Mr Baumgartner, 34, from Austria, began the free-fall flight at a speed of about 220mph before slowing to about 135mph. After opening his parachute, he made a crunching landing at Cap Blanc-Nez, near Calais, in France. He had glided 22 miles across the Channel wearing a specially-adapted suit with the carbon fibre wing attached to his back.