Felix Baumgartner to Cross the Channel -- Press Release

[quade 3]

SUDDENLY it ALL becomes clear!

It's not about skydiving at all!

It's about making a bar bet!

Oh, and as for all of the hype -- remember this is a PRESS RELEASE and not actually news.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK2.story&STORY=/www/story/07-25-2003/0001989344&EDATE=FRI+Jul+25+2003,+12:49+PM

Quote

Extreme Skydiver Felix Baumgartner to Cross the Channel
-- Follow the Action at Intertops.com

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- It's one of the last great
feats in the history of mankind -- to jump out of a plane over England and fly
across the English Channel to France! This is not the first such feat taken on
by 34-year-old Felix Baumgartner with the support of Intertops.com. This
Austrian is the most daring skydiver in the world -- he doesn't only jump out
of anything that flies, but also from tall buildings, towers and bridges. He
holds the world record for the lowest jump -- from less than 100-ft from the
Christ statue in Rio -- and also for jumping from the highest building in the
world, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, approximately 1500-ft high.

At the end of July, Felix and his team will be setting up their camp on
the northern French coast. They will then be waiting patiently for optimal
weather conditions. The earliest possible date of Channel crossing is July 30.
Baumgartner has to leave the airspace between England and France before
4:30 p.m., or he could be in conflict with international air traffic.

Felix will then take off in a transport plane and jump out of at a height
of around 30,000-ft over the white cliffs of Dover. At this height, the
temperature is around -90 degrees Fahrenheit. Felix will have a parachute and
a small aerodynamic wing strapped to his back, which he will use to glide the
21 miles to the French coast -- which will take approximately 7 minutes. He
will only survive the first minutes of his flight in the "death-zone" by using
a personal oxygen system. When he is just a few hundred meters above the
ground, he will deploy his parachute and make a conventional landing. If he
doesn't make it to dry land, he will be fished out of the water by the
emergency services.

Felix is a perfectionist -- this is very much apparent in the choice of
his partners, where each complements the other perfectly. Intertops.com, the
leading sportsbook and casino on the internet, and Felix know how to weigh up
risk. His other partner Red Bull energy drink is well-known for "giving you
wings". Intertops.com is offering a range of interesting bet offers for this
feat ...

Will Felix Cross the Channel?
Felix Baumgartner will cross the channel on wings -667
Felix Baumgartner will NOT cross the channel on wings +350

Will Felix' average speed be higher than the average speed of this year's
German Formula 1 Grand Prix winner from Hockenheim, Germany?
Felix faster -10 km/h -120
German Grand Prix winner faster +10 km/h -120

About Intertops.com
Intertops.com (http://www.intertops.com) is the Internet's first and
largest sports betting site that also offers a full range of online casino
games and more than 200 betting options daily. Incorporated and fully licensed
in St. John's, Intertops.com uses state of the art software solutions and
works with world leaders in electronic commerce in order to provide
traditional betting and gaming elements in a secure online environment. With
the Web's lowest deposit and minimum bet requirements, Intertops.com makes the
online betting experience fun and exciting for novice players and serious
bettors alike.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[spidermonky 0]

Quote

...the "death-zone"...

Is this a technical term??

[quade 3]

Well, if you're going to point out the funny phrases, why not start with the first sentance, "It's one of the last great feats in the history of mankind -- to jump out of a plane over England and fly across the English Channel to France!"

They're right. It's the right up there with curing AIDS and cancer, landing a man on Mars . . .

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[ryoder 1,390]

Quote

Quote

...the "death-zone"...

Is this a technical term??

Yes, it is a mountain-climbing term.
Any time you are above 20,000 feet w/o a pressure suit,
you have a limited amount of time until you die, even if you
are breathing oxygen.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[quade 3]

Actually, the pressure suit required altitude is closer to 63,000 feet MSL.

See http://www.batnet.com/mfwright/30Kjumps.html and specifically see http://www.batnet.com/mfwright/spacesuit.html.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[ryoder 1,390]

http://www.island.net/~dcdreams/k2article2.html

"The climbers were now within the "Death Zone", the elevation above 7,500metres where the human body is no longer able to adapt to the conditions and a person begins to die from oxygen deprivation. "


We aren't talking about a brief exposure.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[quade 3]

Quote

. . . and a person begins to die from oxygen deprivation.

Quite different than the requirement for a pressure suit however.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Tonto 1]

I thought it was 24000 ft. That's what it was in John Krakauers "Into thin air"

Incidently - we all have a limited amount of time before we die - even if we're at home tucked up in bed - and on oxygen. Its called a lifetime.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[Yoshi 0]

Quote

This
Austrian is the most daring skydiver in the world

whew! I am glad we cleared that one up... and I thought it was my first time jumper static line student 2 weeks ago!!!

-yoshi

_________________________________________
this space for rent.

[chuteless 1]

Through years of HALO research and jumping, I believe that over 40,000 ft ASL, one should have at least a partial pressure suit, and over 50,000 ft, a full pressure suit.

Ive done at least 4 jumps ocver 30K, the highest just short of 37000 ft, and using oxygen ao them all.For the highest, I was prebreathing for 1/2 hour before takeoff.

If I ever would have gone higher than 37000, I would have used a partial pressure suit, mainly on the legs, and torso.

I'll bet Baumgartner doesnt make it all the way to France. Its a very interesting idea, but I think he would have to be a lot higher than 30K to start the flight .

[quade 3]

Quote

I'll bet Baumgartner doesnt make it all the way to France. Its a very interesting idea, but I think he would have to be a lot higher than 30K to start the flight .

It -will- be interesting, but only from a schadenfreude sort of perspective.

I'd also be -very- interested in seeing any GPS tracking data he has regarding the actual flight to prove where he actually exited and deployed. I mean, does it count if he makes it but deployed at say, 15,000 feet?

My guess is that without a significant tailwind, he's going for a swim either way.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[winsor 186]

Quote

Through years of HALO research and jumping, I believe that over 40,000 ft ASL, one should have at least a partial pressure suit, and over 50,000 ft, a full pressure suit.

Ive done at least 4 jumps ocver 30K, the highest just short of 37000 ft, and using oxygen ao them all.For the highest, I was prebreathing for 1/2 hour before takeoff.

If I ever would have gone higher than 37000, I would have used a partial pressure suit, mainly on the legs, and torso.

I'll bet Baumgartner doesnt make it all the way to France. Its a very interesting idea, but I think he would have to be a lot higher than 30K to start the flight .

My highest is something like 23,500 feet out of Mullins' plane.

One's blood boils at something like 64,000 feet, but you'd surely get bent well below that altitude. You first.

He can make it if he maintains a nominal 3.7:1 glide ratio from 30 k, to include the canopy flight portion. If he has really honking tailwinds (often available at altitude) and substantial throw from the aircraft pointed at France on exit, perhaps in a slight climb at as high a speed as he could handle, he can make it.

I jump for fun, and this would not appear to qualify.


Blue skies,

Winsor

[chuteless 1]

After posting the earlier reply, I have given this proposed jump some serious thought. If you figure ( rounding off the numbers) he is going to jump from 6 miles high over England, and he has 21 miles to go, that means he has to go more than 3 miles across for every mile he drops.

Depending on the size and weight of the "small" wing attached to his back, I dont think he can make that kind of horizontal flight ( unless it turns out to be a hang glider).

At 37K, I had a 117 MPH wind, which blew me four miles east and 2 miles south of exit point.

Even wind similar winds, Baumgartner would have a hard time covering three across for 1 down.

With this wing, could he possibly attain a track position, or would the wing prevent it?

I hope you will keep us informed about this Quade, I for one would appreciate it very much.

[riggerrob 558]

It is scary to think how many of mankind's greatest achievements started as bar bets!

I expect his glide ratio to suffer in the rarified atmosphere above 15,000 feet.

Looks like the boy is REALLY going to need a tailwind.

[QuickDraw 0]

Quote

Felix will have a parachute and
a small aerodynamic wing strapped to his back, which he will use to glide the
21 miles to the French coast

Is this the skyray we're talking about here Quade ?

-- Hope you don't die. --

I'm fucking winning

[quade 3]

I -believe- it is a SkyRay variant with slightly longer wings.

For the World Stunt Awards I -believe- he used a "standard" sized one.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[quade 3]

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=428543

So, in this article he says it's a 6-foot wing.

Was he really the first person to BASE Petronas?

Quote

Skydiver prepares to attempt first unassisted flight across Channel
By Charles Arthur, Technology Editor
29 July 2003


An Austrian skydiver plans to become the first person to fly unassisted across the Channel, by jumping from an airplane at the same altitude as Everest with a carbon-fibre wing to help him steer.

The wing will be discarded when he reaches 1,000ft so that he can deploy his parachute.

If 34-year-old Felix Baumgartner succeeds, he will take just 10 minutes to cover the 22-mile (35km) horizontal distance between Dover and Cap Blanc Nez in Calais - though he will have covered slightly more because of his vertical fall of roughly six miles.

The jump, which will require perfect weather, is being planned for the coming weeks; Mr Baumgartner and his team are already camped on the northern French coast, waiting for the right conditions. The earliest that they could start would be tomorrow, although forecasts of rain and cloud have put off the start until Thursday or Friday.

Mr Baumgartner said he was not scared of the jump. "I don't get off on the fear - but it's fear that makes something like this so desirable in the first place, so you can't ignore it."

An assistant said: "He needs the visual element to steer, so he can't jump if there are clouds."

To avoid air traffic he will jump at 4am. The air temperature will be so low, at about -55C, that he will need both a heated suit and his own oxygen supply.

The key to his survival as he travels at more than 120mph will be controlling the angle of the carbon-fibre wing strapped to his back. "It's like driving a Formula 1 car: the equipment is extremely sensitive and quite delicate, which means any small problem very quickly becomes a huge one."

The wing measures 6ft (1.8m) across and weighs just a few kilograms. Mr Baumgartner has been on test runs where he was strapped to the wing on top of a Porsche car and driven around at high speed.

Mr Baumgartner is the first man to have jumped from the 1,500ft twin Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the world's tallest building.

The Austrian reckons his feat would most closely mirror that of Louis Bleriot, who flew across the Channel in 1909 in an aircraft that he had built himself.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[feuergnom 22]

so felix is on the news again and he's drumming for publicity... or is it just red bull as his sponsor that gets nervous after years of waiting for that thing to happen?
anyway: hope everything will turn out good even if he doesn't make it from coast to coast

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666

[base689 0]

Quote

Was he really the first person to BASE Petronas?

At least, he claims to be the first. We do not have evidence if Felix was really the first off Petronas or not. In the end, it is NOT a technically difficult jump, it is only difficult to get to the roof without a permit!!!

About Channel crossing. Let me do few calculation. If he gets out at 6 miles - 10 km of altitude and has to cover horizontally 21 miles - 34 km, and supposing he is going to open the parachute very close to ground, it means that in his 10 km down he must cover 34 km horizontally, which means that his wingsuit/rigid wing/whatever MUST have an efficiency of 3.4, each meter you fall down, you travel 3.4 m horizontally. Full stop.
I dunno if this is an efficiency achievable, even by using a 6 ft - 2 m rigid wing. Sound quite impressive anyway. If Felix's staff claims they are about to make it, probably this means that they have manufactured a rigid wing with an efficiency that at least approaches 3.4, perhaps something less than that, hoping that the forward speed of launch off the aircraft and the favourable winds up there help to bridge the gap to get an overall efficiency of 3.4.
But at this stage, it is not anymore a personal skydiving achievement, it is much more an achievement of skydiving technology: provided that it exists a rigid wing capable of an efficiency of 3.4, any good and experienced skydiver, after having done few tens of jumps off an aircraft to best fly the rigid wing, plus having the money to hire an aircraft capable of dropping you off from 10 km of altitude, plus the money neccessary to buy/hire the required oxygen equipment, is capable to do the achievement.
A quick note to the "thin air effect" mentioned by someone in ealrier post: thin air up in the sky does NOT affect in any way efficiency of wings: if efficiency is 3.4, it is 3.4 everywhere in the sky, both at 10 km of altitude and at 1 km of altitude. Thin air does affect air speed indeed, meaning that at 10 km of altitude you travel (both horizontally and vertically) much faster than you would at 1 km of altitude.
Not being jealous of Felix, but once there exists such a 3.4 efficiency rigid wing, anybody (=any expert skydiver with 1000-2000-3000 skydives) can repeat the jump, under the right meteo conditions.
Just my 0.02 €.

Stay safe out there
Blue Skies and Soft Walls
BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

[Remster 24]

Quote

Was he really the first person to BASE Petronas?

I'll ask Martin next time I make it to Atmosphair... he might know....

Remster

[ManBird 0]

In terms of indicated airspeed (which is what matters here), a 3.4:1 glide ratio is achievable with a SCREAMING tailwind in a wingsuit, but probably not the Skyray (which he is using). In my Skyflyer 3, if I'm going for the best glide ratio, my airspeed is about 90 - 94 MPH, and fall rate is around 44 MPH. On days where the uppers around 45 - 65, I can fly with the wind and get up to a 4:1 glide ratio. My glide ratio based on true airspeed goes up to 2.3:1, but is definitely much higher, and I cover WAY more ground, when there's a strong tailwind. So it's not impossible. I just hope that he doesn't make, and that someone else does. The last thing he needs is further ego inflation.

"¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯"

Click

[base689 0]

Quote

On days where the uppers around 45 - 65, I can fly with the wind and get up to a 4:1 glide ratio.

Yes, I believe and agree with your data. To go from 2.3:1 "within" the air to 3.4:1 with respect to ground, you have to increase of 50% the value of your indicated air speed ("within" the air mass) through tail wind. When you are flying at 90 MPH "within" the air mass (indicated air speed), you need to get a 133 MPH true speed with respect to ground: i.e., you must have a 43 MPH tail wind. You fly horizontally within the air at 90 MPH (indicated air speed), the air mass (=wind) travels at 43 MPH, so in the end you are travelling horizontally with respect to ground at 133 MPH true speed.
43 MPH wind: a very very high wind!!!!!!
And granted that somewhere up there you get such a 43 MPH tail wind, how on earth can you have "guaranteed" such a 43 MPH tail wind throughout the 21 miles horizontally and throughout the 6 miles vertically?!?!?!?!?!?
I am not a super metereologist, but that very strong wind is very unlikely to exist on such a wide area (volume of air, I would say...).
But granted that Felix is NOT using a Skyflier but a rigid wing, Skyray type, his speed (horizontal and vertical, but for the "wind" gain only the horizontal speed matters) would be higher than the 90 MPH you get with a Skyflier, so needing a tail wind much stronger than the above 43 MPH wind: in the end, if your efficiency in zero wind conditions is 2.3, to get up to 3.4 of efficiency, you must have a tail wind that is 50% of your horizontal indicated airspeed.
Anyway, if Felix's staff is not just crazy, I guess that the main component of such achievement is to wait for the "once in a lifetime" meteo conditions that would allow him to get the 3.4 efficiency required to complete the plan.

Quote

I just hope that he doesn't make, and that someone else does. The last thing he needs is further ego inflation.

On this point, I am 101% with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay safe out there
Blue Skies and Soft Walls
BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

[quade 3]

http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/258423.htm

Quote

'Birdman' prepares to fly across channel

A 34-year-old Austrian mechanic hopes to become the first man to cross the English Channel by his own wing-power when he is dropped from an aeroplane 9000 metres above the port of Dover at dawn on Thursday.

Skydiver Felix Baumgartner will be wearing an aerodynamic suit fitted with a six-foot carbon-fibre wing for the 35 kilometre glide to Cap Blanc-Nez on the French coast, which is expected to last seven minutes.

He will have special breathing apparatus for the high-altitude start of the flight, where the air is thin and temperatures are as low as -50 degrees centigrade. At the end he will be travelling at 200 kilometres per hour and will unleash a parachute at around 1000 metres.

The mission has been named Icarus 2 after the mythical figure who came to grief after flying too near the sun, which melted the wax holding together his wings.

Baumgartner has a long track record of daredevil jumps. He has leapt from the statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur - the tallest building in the world - and the top of a mountain in Baffin Island, in Canada.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[QuickDraw 0]

He did it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3112095.stm

-- Hope you don't die. --

I'm fucking winning

[lazyfrog 0]

jeudi 31 juillet 2003 - 8h06
Un parachutiste autrichien réussit la traversée de la Manche en chute libre

Photo non datée de Félix Baumgartner en chute libre
[© AFP/Archives Off]
CALAIS [AFP] - Un parachutiste autrichien équipé d'un aileron en carbone a réussi jeudi matin la traversée en chute libre des 34 km de la Manche entre Douvres (Grande-Bretagne) et Calais (Pas-de-Calais) après un saut à 9.000 mètres d'altitude.

Felix Baumgartner, 34 ans, a sauté d'un avion à 06h09 à la verticale de Douvres puis a chuté pendant une dizaine de minutes à une vitesse de plus de 200 km/h, avant d'ouvrir son parachute à environ 1.000 m au dessus du Cap Blanc-Nez, à l'ouest de Calais, où il s'est posé à 06h23.

Le parachutiste de l'extrême -qui a décollé de Calais à bord d'un bimoteur Skyvan- a utilisé une assistance respiratoire au début de sa chute et revêtu une combinaison spéciale à une altitude où la température est inférieure à -50°. Les contrôleurs aériens lui avaient octroyé un créneau d'une demi-heure - de 05h45 à 06h15 - pour qu'il puisse réaliser son exploit.


Félix Baumgartner vérifie son équipement mercredi
[© AFP Philippe Huguen]
Pour obtenir un déplacement horizontal maximum lors de sa chute et franchir ainsi la trentaine de kilomètre de mer, Felix Beaumgartner avait fixé sur son dos un aileron triangulaire aérodynamique en fibre de carbone d'une envergure de 1,80 m.

"Toutes les conditions étaient réunies pour ce saut. Je me suis senti comme un oiseau. Malgré quelques problèmes de cordage et une toile qui s'est déchirée, l'expérience a été fantastique", a déclaré l'Autrichien peu après son atterrissage.

L'Autrichien volant, qui préparait depuis trois ans ce pari de traversée de la Manche baptisé "Icare II", a indiqué sans les préciser qu'il avait déjà d'autres projets en tête.

L'homme, ancien mécanicien automobile, a réalisé divers exploits de saut en parachute, depuis le Christ de Rio (le saut le plus bas, 29 mètres), depuis les tours jumelles de Kuala Lumpur (451 mètres), ou depuis un mont de l'île canadienne de Baffin dans la mer (1.500 mètres).


******he did it in french... ;-)

----------
Fumer tue, péter pue
-------------
ourson #10, Mosquito Uno, CBT 579