When Felix Baumgartner leaped from his capsule to begin his 128,000 meter high plummet to Earth the only real worry was what would happen if he entered a flat spin on the way down (well, that and his chute not opening, I suppose).. Anyone watching live yesterday would have seen him enter that flat spin…and then recover it brilliantly.
It was enthralling TV, but how do you think poor old Felix felt as he plunged to the ground at 833 miles per hour completely without control? Well, here, have a look:
That he recovered from that is testament to his skydiving skills. That he broke the following records is testament to him, to technology and to human endeavour:
- Highest Ever Skydive: 128,097 feet (24 miles)
- Highest Manned Balloon Flight: 128,097 feet (24 miles)
- First Man to Break the Sound Barrier Unassisted: 833mph
While these figures are all still to be verified, it’s generally accepted that these are pretty accurate – and pretty damn impressive. But still not as impressive as his recover from that flat spin.
Were you impressed by Baumgartner’s dive?
