gus 1 #1 August 30, 2002 Whilst they were going through todays newspapers this morning on RI:SE (uk breakfast tv) I thought I saw flash of Felix Baumgartner planning to cross the channel on a Skyray..... Has anyone seen the paper in question, I didn't catch which one it was? Craig? GusOutpatientsOnline.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #2 August 30, 2002 Here's info from the Red Bull web site. Quote The 32-year-old Austrian athlete, is considered one of the greatest B.A.S.E jumpers in the world. His wish is to become the first or the only one to jump from places posing a high degree of danger for the practice of the sport. "I was the first to jump from the Christ statue and probably the only one, due to the difficulty and complexity of the action. Other people may be able to jump from "God's Finger", but I will always be the first," he says. He is already planning his next mission. The goal is to cross the English channel, with a carbon delta wing on his back. Starting at 9000 meters high, and flying at 250 KPH fast, it should take less than 10 minutes. No engine, just pure aerodynamics and his own skill. No mention whatsoever about why he's probably the only one that will ever jump from "God's Finger". Hmmm... Tom? Care to comment?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #3 August 30, 2002 I seem to remember that the jump is like 90 meters... or less. The video of it was way radical.. its on Headdown.net.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #4 August 30, 2002 Yeah, it was a way cool jump. Too bad nobody else is ever going to be able to do it again. He sort of burned the site for anyone else. Didn't make him too popular with most BASE jumpers at the time.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kinaa 0 #5 August 30, 2002 There is a movie of him from german tv on ftp. It says that the height of a jump from finger was 29 meters It was SL jump, and he used a crossbow to klimb on There is also a movie of him jumping a skyray, and attempt of plane drag with wingsuit. Pretty cool stuf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 25 #6 August 30, 2002 Quote QuoteThe 32-year-old Austrian athlete, is considered one of the greatest B.A.S.E jumpers in the world. Tom? Care to comment? I'm pretty sure that the only person who considers Felix to be one of the greatest BASE jumpers in the world is Felix. He's even a laughingstock among other Red Bull sponsored jumpers, who are, as a group, largely viewed with amusement by the larger BASE community. Red Bull basically sponsors whoever has made friends with their PR guys. BASE skill, knowledge and experience are completely irrelevant to their decisions. It'd be a bit like a group of 100 jump wonders getting Pepsi to sponsor them as the "greatest 4 way team of all time". Airspeed probably wouldn't even notice, and if they did, they'd probably just laugh. Someday, I'd love to show Felix the video of the Little Aussie (who is widely regarded as one of the greatest BASE jumpers in the world) throwing a double gainer from 180 feet. Or maybe the one where he flies a wingsuit between the guy wires of a TV tower. Or how about the new generation of tracking jumps, where (non-wingsuited) jumpers are out-tracking 65 degree slabs. I wonder what he'd say if he knew what the larger world of BASE was getting up to (he's not part of it at all, and I really doubt he keeps up on anyone else's achievements). Somehow, I think Felix would just laugh, and go back to doing his thing. He's good at his thing (marketing himself as the "God of the Skies" [his own term]), and you have to respect that. It's just that his thing isn't really BASE jumping. Still, he knows what he wants, and is vigorously pursuing it. I guess that's got to count for something.-- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BMFin 0 #7 September 2, 2002 Just curious , why is Felix not so popular among other BASE-jumpers ? Why is he a laughingstock ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #8 September 2, 2002 I believe Tom just covered all that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BMFin 0 #9 September 4, 2002 I just cot the impression that lotsa people is a bit jelous ?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skreamer 1 #10 September 9, 2002 Let me tell you some other things about this guy that Tom didn't cover : When he was out in South Africa he decided to do a bandit jump. He (or his sponsors Red Bull I presume) hired a helicopter and he did a hop n pop from '500 over a beach in Cape Town. How much shit do you think this caused for BASE jumping, skydiving and demo jumps in Cape Town? I am not a BASE jumper, but from what South African BASE jumpers and skydivers in Cape Town have told me he is not welcome back there. When posed the question "What do you want in your will?" Felix Bumgardner said that they must build a museum in memory of him. People could then pay money to come and see his BASE rigs and videos of him etc. I shit you not, I heard this first hand from the person who asked him the question (a fellow Red Bull jumper but not a twat). Anyway, I don't think another holiday to South Africa would be a sensible thing for this guy to do. Will Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Macaulay 0 #11 September 10, 2002 Seriously. Look at that guy. Then look at Dwayne. Now look back again! Now how did those fajitas get there? - Mac Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 73 #12 September 16, 2002 Felix was on Dutch TV 2 days ago. His name is now......."Red Bull Mystical Felix" He base-jumped from a helicopter at about a 1000 ft above a (over a thousand people) crowd, and pulled at a couple of hundred feet (300?) and landed in between the audience i a small clearing.. Looked verry cool, but also dangerous (especialy for the crowd below him)... I'll try and put the video online later this month..JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ernokaikkonen 0 #13 September 16, 2002 >He base-jumped from a helicopter at about a 1000 ft Okay.... But as far as I'm conserned you don't BASE jump off aircraft. BASE jumping is fixed-object jumping. Aircraft are not fixed. (leaving the pun open for the obvious punch-line) Erno Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jiggs 0 #14 September 20, 2002 Dwayne I presume?"Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cpoxon 0 #15 August 14, 2003 QuoteHe base-jumped from a helicopter at about a 1000 ft above a (over a thousand people) crowd, and pulled at a couple of hundred feet (300?) and landed in between the audience i a small clearing.. Exit looks a bit higher than 1000ft but the opening does look low. Strange how there is no ground footage of that. What did your country's Skydiving and Aviation authorities have to say about the jump? QuoteI'll try and put the video online later this month.. streaming video (captured and uploaded to ftp://ftp.skydivingmovies.com/public/BASE/s3-01item20.asf) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ManBird 0 #16 August 14, 2003 Um... if it's from a helicopter, it's not a BASE jump."¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pbla4024 0 #17 August 14, 2003 God of sky said it's BASE jump, so it must be basejump. Fido Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skreamer 1 #18 August 14, 2003 Craig never said it was and Erno pointed out this wasn't a BASE jump almost a year ago. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ManBird 0 #19 August 14, 2003 Sorry, didn't notice that this was an old thread."¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skreamer 1 #20 August 14, 2003 QuoteWhat did your country's Skydiving and Aviation authorities have to say about the jump? BTW this is the same stunt he pulled over a beach in Cape Town (only he didn't bother getting permission that time) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kevin922 0 #21 August 14, 2003 QuoteQuoteWhat did your country's Skydiving and Aviation authorities have to say about the jump? BTW this is the same stunt he pulled over a beach in Cape Town (only he didn't bother getting permission that time) well he obviously got the okay from the pilot, that's all that mattered right? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skreamer 1 #22 August 14, 2003 Quotewell he obviously got the okay from the pilot, that's all that mattered right? Yeah, who gives a fuck about all those local skydivers in Cape Town who want to do demos (and actually get permission for them). As long as Felix looked cool and got lots of nice footage for his sponsor that is all that matters right? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kevin922 0 #23 August 14, 2003 QuoteQuotewell he obviously got the okay from the pilot, that's all that mattered right? Yeah, who gives a fuck about all those local skydivers in Cape Town who want to do demos (and actually get permission for them). As long as Felix looked cool and got lots of nice footage for his sponsor that is all that matters right? Exactly! glad we could agree Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 73 #24 August 14, 2003 QuoteQuoteWhat did your country's Skydiving and Aviation authorities have to say about the jump? BTW this is the same stunt he pulled over a beach in Cape Town (only he didn't bother getting permission that time) And what makes you think he bothered to get permission for the stunt he pulled in holland No paperwork filed for a demo or low-pull (pulling below 2500 ft is ILLEGAL in holland, when skydiving from an airplane) and don't even think of what could have happened had his chute snivelled or malfunctioned. He would have taken a few people with him...JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohanW 0 #25 August 15, 2003 KNVvL (skydiving authority) only has authority over its members. If you're not a member, they can not and do not assert authority and therefore responsibility. The aviation authority (RLVD or whatever they're called now) doesn't regulate jumping, they leave that to the KNVvL. Which works as long as (almost) all jumps are made under KNVvL auspices. Strictly speaking, pulling below 2500' is not illegal as long as you are not a member of the KNVvL (if you were, you'd have to adhere to their rules). If every jumper in the Netherlands (or even just a significant number) quit the KNVvL and started a 'bandit' DZ, the aviation auth would feel obliged to start regulating skydiving itself. Which might be worse than the KNVvL doing it. Compare FAA vs. USPA, anyone?Johan. I am. I think. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites