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PULSING ELECTRONIC MUSIC
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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I think instinctually,
when you’re standing
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00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:15,367
on the edge
of a cliff,
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00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,500
you’re faced with two
different sides of your mind.
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00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:21,667
First of all,
all humans
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00:00:21,734 --> 00:00:24,801
are naturally afraid
of heights.
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00:00:25,067 --> 00:00:29,601
Second of all, all humans
kind of dream of flying.
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00:00:30,434 --> 00:00:33,001
Fear is your friend,
fear keeps you alive.
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00:00:33,033 --> 00:00:37,967
Fear makes you check
your chute again and again.
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00:00:38,567 --> 00:00:41,368
You know, your heart’s pounding,
you can almost hear your heart.
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00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:43,268
You’re completely living
in that exact
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00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:45,067
present moment
and it’s very addicting
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00:00:45,133 --> 00:00:46,834
to be that in tune
with your body
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00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,320
and everything around you.
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00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:53,559
So you’re sitting there
and it’s like, it’s wrong,
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00:00:53,599 --> 00:00:57,559
but at the same time,
you want to do it.
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00:00:57,599 --> 00:00:59,080
The dream
of human flight
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00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:00,440
is overpowering
for some of us.
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00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:05,520
And it’s far more important
than fear of the unknown.
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00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:15,880
In ancient times,
most cultures believed
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00:02:15,934 --> 00:02:18,661
the sky was a domain
reserved for demons,
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00:02:18,701 --> 00:02:20,868
gods, and mythical
creatures.
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00:02:21,317 --> 00:02:22,561
Countless stories
were written
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00:02:22,601 --> 00:02:26,068
about failed human attempts
to leave their earthly domain
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00:02:26,133 --> 00:02:28,767
and enter the forbidden world
of the air.
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00:02:30,033 --> 00:02:31,561
The most famous
of these myths
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00:02:31,601 --> 00:02:33,435
is the Greek story
of Icarus.
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His father, Daedalus, crafted
wings of wax and feathers
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00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:38,120
for himself
and his son
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00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:40,120
to escape from
the labyrinth prison
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00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:41,320
they lived in.
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00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:42,720
Daedalus warned
the young Icarus
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00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:44,720
not to fly too close
to the sun,
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00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:47,200
in case his wings
might melt.
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00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:49,559
As Daedalus cautiously flew
to safety,
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00:02:49,599 --> 00:02:51,520
the youthful Icarus
was overwhelmed
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00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:53,120
by the exhilaration
of flight,
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00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,480
and carelessly arched upward
toward the heavens.
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00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:01,600
His wax wings melted
and he plunged to his death.
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00:03:01,640 --> 00:03:03,559
And for eternity,
the story has served
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00:03:03,599 --> 00:03:05,559
as a warning
to misguided dreamers
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00:03:05,599 --> 00:03:09,360
trying to experience
human flight.
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00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,680
Despite the obvious dangers,
man has aspired to soar
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00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,400
like a bird
since time immemorial,
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00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:17,200
but without much success.
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00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:19,720
In written records that document
early human flight,
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00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,320
it’s difficult to separate
fact from myth.
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00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:25,320
Only a few early designs
had the potential
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00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,559
to glide small distances
and no flying machines
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00:03:28,599 --> 00:03:30,918
could ever have achieved
actual flight.
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00:03:31,267 --> 00:03:32,928
Until the end
of the 19th century,
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00:03:32,968 --> 00:03:36,200
man didn’t even understand
the science of bird flight.
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00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,280
These misinformed pioneers
were doomed
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00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:42,160
to countless broken backs,
limbs, or death,
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00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:45,520
but science continued
to progress.
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00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:47,559
The first significant
advancement in flight
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00:03:47,599 --> 00:03:50,880
is owed to Otto Lilenthal,
the Glider King.
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00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:53,760
Otto studied bird flight
in airfoils extensively.
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00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:55,960
Based on his studies,
he started to design
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00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,559
fixed wing gliders
in 1891.
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00:03:58,599 --> 00:04:01,240
Otto was credited
as the first successful aviator
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00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:04,480
because his flights
were actually repeatable.
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00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:05,920
From a running start
on a hilltop,
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00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:07,520
he made thousands
of flights,
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00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,960
some up to 1,000 feet
in length.
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00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:15,760
But in 1896, he broke his spine
on a test flight gone wrong.
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00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:21,200
On his deathbed, he said,
"Small sacrifices must be made."
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00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:24,880
After reading about
Otto’s death,
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00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:28,120
Orville and Wilbur Wright
were inspired to research
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00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:32,360
his work and begin
their own pursuit of flight.
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00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,160
After designing
a few questionable prototypes,
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00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:39,360
they eventually created
a stable working model in 1903,
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00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,200
complete with a rudder
that could make turns
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and glide hundreds of feet.
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They felt confident
they could add an engine
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and attempt flight
from level ground
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instead of a hilltop.
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After months
of designing,
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00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:55,840
building an airplane,
and waiting for perfect weather,
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the first sustained
human flight was achieved.
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00:04:59,960 --> 00:05:02,960
On the windswept sands
of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina,
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00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,120
was written the opening verse
of a new chapter
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00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:07,794
in the history of man.
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00:05:07,834 --> 00:05:09,761
But they did not rest
on their laurels.
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00:05:09,801 --> 00:05:11,928
The Wright brothers
continued to improve
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00:05:11,968 --> 00:05:15,093
and demonstrate their airplane
in the United States and abroad
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00:05:15,133 --> 00:05:18,360
for another five years
before the last doubting skeptic
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was convinced that man
had conquered the air.
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To fly like a bird.
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For ages,
that has been man’s ambition.
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How often, during
the unrecorded centuries
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00:05:27,601 --> 00:05:30,668
of the past he has tried and
failed, we do not know.
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00:05:31,067 --> 00:05:32,734
We do know that
many courageous men
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have given their lives
so that we might fly
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in safety and comfort.
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00:05:40,599 --> 00:05:42,480
But the modern airplane
was a far departure
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00:05:42,534 --> 00:05:45,968
from man’s dream of flying
effortlessly like a bird.
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So a select few
continued to pursue
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man’s original dream
of flight.
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Army planes
rolling overhead
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at the national air races
in Cleveland, Ohio,
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thrill 40,000 spectators
in the year’s
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biggest flying show
with stunning
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wing-to-wing formation.
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00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:04,559
After World War I,
pilots from the war
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put on air shows
for massive crowds
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00:06:06,599 --> 00:06:08,559
throughout Europe
and North America.
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00:06:08,599 --> 00:06:12,240
The finale of most shows was
the new sport of parachuting.
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00:06:12,280 --> 00:06:14,627
The jumpers often tried
to outdo each other
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00:06:14,667 --> 00:06:16,326
to grab audiences’ attention.
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Look, this fella’s in trouble,
too. No, I guess not,
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he’s only spilling the
air out of his chute
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to speed his descent.
He’s all right.
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Clem Sohn was one of
these professional parachutists
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who traveled the country
from air show to air show
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00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:30,000
in the 1930s.
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00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:31,559
Like many dreamers
before him,
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he was enthralled
by the concept
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00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:34,720
of flying like a bird.
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00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:36,640
So he came up with
a simple design
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00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:40,200
based on flying squirrels
and bats.
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00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,559
Continuing to evolve
the ancient tradition
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00:06:42,599 --> 00:06:44,680
of constructing
bird-like wings,
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00:06:44,734 --> 00:06:47,535
Clem stitched sail cloth
to a metal frame.
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His first flight
with these wings
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00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:52,680
was at an air show
in Florida in 1935.
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00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:54,800
He immediately went into
a glide, and was
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00:06:54,840 --> 00:06:57,960
successfully able
to perform banking turns
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00:06:58,000 --> 00:06:59,200
on his way down.
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00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:00,640
Clem Sohn,
America’s Birdman,
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00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:02,960
takes off in his plane
to give one more demonstration
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00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:07,000
of his marvelous powers of
gliding down from 10,000 feet.
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00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:09,160
After thousands of years
of failed attempts
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00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:11,640
at bird-like flight,
a small-town boy
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00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:13,559
from Michigan
had succeeded.
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His flights made headlines
around the world and suddenly,
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00:07:16,767 --> 00:07:18,834
he was making thousands
of dollars to perform
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00:07:18,901 --> 00:07:19,901
at air shows.
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00:07:20,367 --> 00:07:23,960
Sponsors lined up
and a Clem Sohn "Birdman" doll
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00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:25,920
for kids was created.
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00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:28,640
But Clem never saw himself
as a novelty act.
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He firmly believed
he was advancing human flight
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and continuously modified
his wings
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00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:36,559
to improve his flights.
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00:07:36,599 --> 00:07:40,120
In 1937, Clem was invited
by the French government
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to fly at the Paris
air show.
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But when he pulled
his chute, it malfunctioned.
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And 200,000 people
all but create a vacuum
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00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:48,560
as they draw in their breath
with horror
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00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:51,240
when Clem’s parachute
fails to open properly
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00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:53,680
and he hurdles down
from 10,000 feet.
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Down, down, down,
to his death.
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00:07:58,334 --> 00:08:00,993
Despite his death, Clem inspired
dozens of imitators
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00:08:01,033 --> 00:08:03,427
had started the birdmen
phenomenon that continues
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00:08:03,467 --> 00:08:04,701
to this day.
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00:08:05,167 --> 00:08:08,320
But flying with heavy wings
was not as easy
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as Clem had made it look.
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00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:12,400
Many copycat birdmen
were seriously injured
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00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,640
or died from going into
uncontrollable spins.
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One birdman described
opening his wings in midair as,
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"wrestling a tent
in a hurricane."
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The successor to Clem
was Léo Valentin,
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a famous parachutist
from the French military.
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Leo started flying
with cloth wingsuits in 1950,
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but after a few
disastrous flights,
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he quickly gave up,
thinking that rigid wings
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would be more controllable.
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He was wrong.
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00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:41,160
It took years
of modifying and testing
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00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:44,360
before he had
a working pair in 1954.
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Léo claimed to fly over three
miles on his first flight.
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For the next two years,
he became an air show sensation.
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But like most birdmen
of the time,
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he tragically met
his death.
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At a festival in England,
he was about to jump
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when the wind sucked him
out sideways.
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00:09:00,599 --> 00:09:02,559
He struck the side
of the plane,
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and his wings splintered.
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00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:07,640
For decades, no birdmen
attempted flight
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with rigid wings.
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Eventually,
the Birdman movement
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fizzled out
in the 1960s,
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and only a few skydivers
experimented with wings,
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00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:25,760
until Patrick De Gayardon
came along in the 1990s.
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Before experimenting
with wingsuits,
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Patrick made a comfortable
living as a professional
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skydiver who dreamed up
spectacular stunts to film,
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00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:37,559
such as sky surfing
over the North Pole
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00:09:37,599 --> 00:09:40,600
and breaking the world record
for the highest jump
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without oxygen.
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He was also an avid
BASE jumper,
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00:09:43,599 --> 00:09:45,559
which involves jumping off
a fixed object
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with a parachute designed
for quick openings.
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00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:52,200
His next big dream was to extend
his time in the air,
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00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,200
and a wingsuit
was the obvious way to do this.
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He designed wings
that inflated using ram air,
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00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:02,160
which is the same system
that modern-day parachutes use.
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00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:04,280
Ram air systems use
the air flow that occurs
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around a body in freefall
to pressurize the inside
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00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:10,400
of a two-layered
fabric wing.
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00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:12,559
This enabled Patrick
to fly with wings
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00:10:12,599 --> 00:10:14,800
similar to airplanes,
and as a result,
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00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,120
his wings were much more
stable and safe
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00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:20,559
than the canvas wings
of the past.
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00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:23,720
So, Patrick De Gayardon
was a very good skydiver
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00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:27,840
and I met him
when I was in the French team
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00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:29,559
living in Gap.
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00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:32,960
And he invented
the modern wingsuit
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00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,560
that inflates and that has
a good performance
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00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:38,560
compared to the old ones.
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00:10:38,601 --> 00:10:40,835
Before Patrick,
there was a lot of
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00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:42,794
persons--
Léo Valentin, Clem Sohn,
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00:10:42,834 --> 00:10:45,160
all these guys
that made the mistakes
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00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,233
that we didn’t do
afterwards.
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00:11:09,767 --> 00:11:12,828
Patrick was definitely headed
towards more performance.
218
00:11:12,868 --> 00:11:15,060
He was making the suit
slightly bigger,
219
00:11:15,100 --> 00:11:17,194
he was streamlining them
to make them more efficient,
220
00:11:17,234 --> 00:11:19,093
and he was definitely
looking at trying to get
221
00:11:19,133 --> 00:11:21,166
more performance and more
glide out of the suit.
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00:11:56,367 --> 00:12:00,327
In 1998, Patrick died
when his parachute malfunctioned
223
00:12:00,367 --> 00:12:01,828
after he modified it
in an attempt
224
00:12:01,868 --> 00:12:05,035
to streamline his parachute
with his wingsuit.
225
00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:08,280
It was a devastating blow
to the skydiving community.
226
00:12:08,334 --> 00:12:11,160
Yet his death did not deter
others to continue
227
00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:14,040
his work
with wingsuits.
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00:12:16,234 --> 00:12:19,468
Soon after Patrick’s death,
a handful of skydivers,
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00:12:19,534 --> 00:12:22,527
including Loic Jean-Albert,
began to make
230
00:12:22,567 --> 00:12:23,727
their own wingsuits.
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00:12:23,767 --> 00:12:26,520
Loic designed and sold
one of the first wingsuits
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00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:28,360
available to
the general public
233
00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:29,520
called The Crossbow.
234
00:12:29,567 --> 00:12:33,127
Since I was a little kid,
I liked to build toys
235
00:12:33,167 --> 00:12:34,401
for what I need.
236
00:12:34,599 --> 00:12:36,720
When I saw the first
wingsuits of Patrick,
237
00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:39,080
I had some ideas
about how to improve it
238
00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:41,520
and that’s how I got
into building the suits.
239
00:12:41,560 --> 00:12:43,920
I built the first one
because I wanted
240
00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:45,027
my toy, you know.
241
00:12:45,067 --> 00:12:49,534
And then, um,
people started asking
242
00:12:49,599 --> 00:12:50,960
to have toys, also.
243
00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:55,561
So, that’s when we started
building suits for other people.
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00:12:55,601 --> 00:12:58,727
He had a wingsuit
that was far more comfortable
245
00:12:58,767 --> 00:13:02,280
with far better performance
than any of his competitors
246
00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:05,993
for the first five years
that he was making them.
247
00:13:06,033 --> 00:13:08,667
We made bigger suits,
for North Face,
248
00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:13,600
but also they are more stable
and more maneuverable.
249
00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,200
The only way to learn
how to fly a wingsuit
250
00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:17,760
is through skydiving.
251
00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:18,920
Many skydiving operations
252
00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,000
offer wingsuit flying
instruction,
253
00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:23,640
but a minimum
of 200 regular skydive jumps
254
00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:27,559
are recommended before
attempting a wingsuit flight.
255
00:13:27,599 --> 00:13:30,640
Today’s wingsuit designs
allow experienced skydivers
256
00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:33,320
to easily pilot
the suits through the air
257
00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:35,720
for several minutes.
258
00:13:39,599 --> 00:13:41,400
I grew up
on an airport.
259
00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:44,360
Both my parents
were skydiver instructors.
260
00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:46,559
As soon as there was
room in the plane,
261
00:13:46,599 --> 00:13:48,120
I was hopping in.
262
00:13:48,167 --> 00:13:51,027
I started skydiving
when I was 15.
263
00:13:51,067 --> 00:13:53,289
I got into BASE jumping,
wingsuit flying,
264
00:13:53,334 --> 00:13:54,400
all these things.
265
00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:59,720
And I started flying
light planes, bigger planes,
266
00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:02,400
and I fly helicopters, also.
267
00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:06,680
I’m just interested
in everything that flies.
268
00:14:08,599 --> 00:14:10,160
My introduction
to wingsuit flying
269
00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,960
came at Gap in France
at Loic’s drop zone
270
00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:16,561
using his suit, sort of
within his circle of friends.
271
00:14:16,601 --> 00:14:19,594
I’m kind of from Loic’s
family of wingsuiting.
272
00:14:19,634 --> 00:14:23,160
I think wingsuit flying
is the closer you can get,
273
00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:25,559
in term of what
birds might feel,
274
00:14:25,599 --> 00:14:28,480
but there’s a lot
of interesting things
275
00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:30,480
in other flying machines.
276
00:14:30,520 --> 00:14:33,559
Like possibilities that you
don’t have with wingsuits.
277
00:14:33,601 --> 00:14:35,594
So I like mixing them
to show that they can
278
00:14:35,634 --> 00:14:37,901
fly together
and they are all fun.
279
00:14:38,300 --> 00:14:41,561
We all went to Gap
to go skydiving.
280
00:14:41,601 --> 00:14:43,561
And fly our wingsuits
next to Loic,
281
00:14:43,601 --> 00:14:46,559
who would be flying
his airplane next to us.
282
00:14:46,599 --> 00:14:47,920
And our goal was
to be able to see
283
00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:49,080
if we could fly
our wingsuits
284
00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:52,040
at the same level
as his airplane.
285
00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:53,559
The few times
I’ve done this,
286
00:14:53,601 --> 00:14:56,200
with one person
in a wingsuit,
287
00:14:56,240 --> 00:14:57,560
and this time
they were a group,
288
00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:00,559
which is even more nice
because you have to set up
289
00:15:00,599 --> 00:15:03,040
everyone together
and it’s not too easy.
290
00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:05,594
I will turn around
like this, anyway.
291
00:15:05,634 --> 00:15:07,427
So as you see me
turning around,
292
00:15:07,467 --> 00:15:08,928
you just follow like this.
293
00:15:08,968 --> 00:15:09,968
Okay?
294
00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:12,594
Try and keep
a fast pace.
295
00:15:12,634 --> 00:15:14,960
- Fast pace, no?
- For sure.
296
00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:18,000
I’ve flown wingsuits a lot with
Mike and Matt and I knew that,
297
00:15:18,067 --> 00:15:20,160
you know, we were able
to fly together well.
298
00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:21,800
That wasn’t gonna be
a challenge for us,
299
00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:23,960
but to be able to fly
with an airplane
300
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,599
was something that
we’d never done before.
301
00:15:29,934 --> 00:15:32,627
Jumping with the three
is Noah Bahnson,
302
00:15:32,667 --> 00:15:35,334
an aerial cameraman.
303
00:15:53,801 --> 00:15:55,828
We’re flying and all of
a sudden, I looked down
304
00:15:55,868 --> 00:15:58,800
and I see Loic flying his
airplane up and behind us.
305
00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:01,200
Just seeing this huge airplane
that’s able to fly
306
00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:06,360
right next to us,
it was breathtaking, really.
307
00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:13,040
It’s a very nice visual,
and I always like to fly
308
00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:16,280
with wingsuit flyers
and planes.
309
00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:20,000
Mixing both disciplines
is really fun.
310
00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:25,559
In the mid 1990s,
as news of Patrick
311
00:16:25,599 --> 00:16:27,760
and Loic’s wingsuit flying
spread throughout
312
00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:30,800
the skydive world,
BASE jumpers recognized
313
00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:33,559
the incredible potential
for wingsuit flights
314
00:16:33,599 --> 00:16:35,000
from cliffs.
315
00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:36,560
BASE jumping
is a high-risk sport
316
00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:38,680
by any measure,
but adding a wingsuit
317
00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:40,559
makes it even more
dangerous.
318
00:16:40,599 --> 00:16:43,760
Only the most experienced
and elite BASE jumpers
319
00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:45,400
don wingsuits,
and today,
320
00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:47,427
the most progressive
and advanced human flight
321
00:16:47,467 --> 00:16:51,093
is happening in the wingsuit
BASE-jumping environment.
322
00:16:51,133 --> 00:16:53,427
Skydiving definitely helps
prepare you
323
00:16:53,467 --> 00:16:54,993
for wingsuit BASE jumping,
and in fact,
324
00:16:55,033 --> 00:16:56,928
it’s one of the most important
things you can do.
325
00:16:56,968 --> 00:16:58,936
Every wingsuit BASE jumper
has to skydive
326
00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:00,200
as much as possible.
327
00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:02,200
Now, it only helps
for certain things.
328
00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,000
It helps you fly the suit,
it helps you
329
00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:05,240
become stable in the air.
330
00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:07,559
It helps you sort of develop
the foundation
331
00:17:07,599 --> 00:17:10,200
that you’ll need to perfect
your glide performance later
332
00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,559
in the BASE jumping
environment.
333
00:17:12,599 --> 00:17:14,960
Modern wingsuits
are relatively easy to fly.
334
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,840
In fact, if you just relax
and sort of lay on top of them,
335
00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:20,979
they’ll fly straight
all by themselves.
336
00:17:21,020 --> 00:17:22,188
All you have to do
is sort of learn
337
00:17:22,229 --> 00:17:25,840
how to give gentle inputs,
and work with the suit
338
00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:27,559
instead of fighting.
339
00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:29,920
Clouds are sort of
the ultimate training tool.
340
00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:33,920
Clouds allow you
to pick a point of reference,
341
00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:34,680
and set up.
342
00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:36,080
And try and fly
as close as you can
343
00:17:36,120 --> 00:17:39,480
to the edge of it
without hitting it.
344
00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,559
Turning in a wingsuit
is very intuitive.
345
00:17:42,599 --> 00:17:45,559
It can mean the difference
between rotating your shoulders
346
00:17:45,599 --> 00:17:49,559
a little bit, maybe changing
the angle of your feet,
347
00:17:49,599 --> 00:17:51,040
and even just
moving your head
348
00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:52,840
and having your body
follow which way
349
00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:54,120
your head’s going.
350
00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:55,320
The movements
that you’re making
351
00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:58,000
are very small,
but learning how to fly,
352
00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,760
not only relative
to other people while skydiving,
353
00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,400
but flying around clouds
and that sort of thing
354
00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:05,559
is what kind of breeds
the skills
355
00:18:05,599 --> 00:18:08,000
to be able to fly
along terrain,
356
00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:09,080
making turns.
357
00:18:09,120 --> 00:18:11,520
But skydiving doesn’t
prepare you for the exit.
358
00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,440
It doesn’t prepare you
for learning how to
359
00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:16,520
get your suit flying
as soon as possible,
360
00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:18,480
and that’s one of the most
crucial aspects
361
00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:19,320
of wingsuit BASE jumping.
362
00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:20,880
That’s one thing
that you need to learn
363
00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:22,559
while in the BASE
environment.
364
00:18:22,599 --> 00:18:24,520
And your first few jumps
need to be from an object
365
00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:27,200
that’s very forgiving,
that’s a very long,
366
00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:29,640
vertical rock drop,
so that you have time
367
00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:33,720
to figure out how to get
your wingsuit flying soon.
368
00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:35,280
Later, more experienced
BASE jumpers
369
00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:37,559
can move to objects
with shorter starts
370
00:18:37,599 --> 00:18:40,320
where you throw a rock
and maybe it only freefalls
371
00:18:40,360 --> 00:18:42,200
for six or seven seconds.
372
00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:43,680
So those short starts
are reserved
373
00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:47,800
for the most experienced
wingsuit BASE jumpers.
374
00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:49,920
Jumping off of a cliff
adds a whole new aspect
375
00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:51,800
that most people
don’t consider.
376
00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:53,320
A lot of people
don’t think about
377
00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:55,560
how the winds
are affecting the mountain,
378
00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:57,400
which is going to be pushing you
in one direction
379
00:18:57,440 --> 00:18:58,800
or the other,
they don’t think about
380
00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:01,858
what’s gonna happen
if they pull a little bit lower
381
00:19:01,899 --> 00:19:02,801
and have line twists.
382
00:19:02,842 --> 00:19:04,559
In a skydive that’s not
a big deal,
383
00:19:04,599 --> 00:19:05,776
but in BASE jumping,
these are things
384
00:19:05,817 --> 00:19:07,680
that you have to be
absolutely dialed in.
385
00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:09,559
People who don’t practice
these things
386
00:19:09,599 --> 00:19:14,080
often tend to get hurt
and most of them die.
387
00:19:24,567 --> 00:19:26,734
The Dent de Crolles
in France
388
00:19:26,767 --> 00:19:28,900
is a really classic
BASE jump.
389
00:19:28,968 --> 00:19:31,569
For a long time,
it’s been a test piece
390
00:19:31,599 --> 00:19:33,480
of wingsuit BASE jumpers.
391
00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:35,800
It’s something that I saw
for the first time
392
00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:37,240
about six years ago.
393
00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:38,364
At that time,
I had only heard
394
00:19:38,405 --> 00:19:40,240
of one other jumper
who was jumping
395
00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:41,800
and that was Loic.
396
00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:44,200
There’s a mandatory
performance obstacle
397
00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:46,559
that happens to be
a giant ledge
398
00:19:46,599 --> 00:19:47,680
with the town
that’s on it.
399
00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:51,320
If you don’t clear that,
you need to land in a field
400
00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:52,120
that’s on it.
401
00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:53,800
If you make the decision
too late
402
00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:55,960
to try and land on
one of those fields,
403
00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:57,680
you probably won’t have
enough altitude
404
00:19:57,720 --> 00:20:00,280
to deploy your parachute
safely.
405
00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:02,559
If you ask me
if I’d ever think
406
00:20:02,599 --> 00:20:03,714
that I’d be able
to jump that
407
00:20:03,755 --> 00:20:05,559
and clear the town,
I would’ve said no.
408
00:20:05,599 --> 00:20:09,559
Maybe even up until
a year or two ago.
409
00:20:09,599 --> 00:20:09,840
No way.
410
00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:12,559
So we’re gonna be flying
past that entire village
411
00:20:12,599 --> 00:20:13,559
down to that big town?
412
00:20:13,599 --> 00:20:14,680
Is that what we’re
trying to do?
413
00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:16,720
Yeah, all the way over
the plateau,
414
00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:18,760
and down to the bottom
of the valley.
415
00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:20,960
Holy crap.
416
00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:22,200
It’s kind of a bit
of a glide
417
00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:25,400
to the soccer field after,
but it’s definitely possible.
418
00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:27,480
Otherwise, there’s plenty
of options to the left.
419
00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:29,000
But we can’t see them
from here.
420
00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:30,640
Okay, so I’ll just make that
call when I go
421
00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:31,559
around the corner,
I guess.
422
00:20:31,599 --> 00:20:33,040
Once you clear
the edge,
423
00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:34,800
you’ll see lots
of options.
424
00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:36,134
We should be able
to make it, right?
425
00:20:36,175 --> 00:20:37,559
I think you can pass it,
but if you feel like
426
00:20:37,599 --> 00:20:40,240
you’re not going to,
you have three bail-out fields
427
00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:41,440
below on the right,
and those are
428
00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:43,600
your only options,
basically, for landing.
429
00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:45,720
And it does look like
a pretty long glide.
430
00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:47,559
I’m sure it’s
gonna be fine.
431
00:20:47,599 --> 00:20:49,320
Just decide early,
but I’m sure
432
00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:50,840
you guys will make it.
433
00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:52,360
Cool.
434
00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:14,960
Three, two, one.
435
00:21:19,599 --> 00:21:21,040
My plan in my mind
was, "Okay,
436
00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:23,040
I’ll shoot for the plateau
and the valley."
437
00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:25,440
If I get to that spot,
and I realize I’m high enough
438
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:26,760
to make it through
the canyon,
439
00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:28,320
then I’ll go
to Plan B.
440
00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:30,559
But I don’t really intend
to fly all the way out
441
00:21:30,599 --> 00:21:32,280
to the very bottom
because I know
442
00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:33,320
if I have that
in my mind,
443
00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:37,040
that I might make
the wrong decision.
444
00:21:48,599 --> 00:21:50,400
Super cool to fly
my wingsuit over the town
445
00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:52,760
that I was once looking up
at the cliff going,
446
00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,040
"That’s impossible
and insane."
447
00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:57,559
It’s funny how
your perspective changes
448
00:21:57,599 --> 00:21:58,559
not only based on
the suits
449
00:21:58,599 --> 00:22:01,160
and the progression with
materials and technology,
450
00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:03,160
but also with your skill
and comfort level.
451
00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:05,559
Those things are the recipe
for innovation
452
00:22:05,599 --> 00:22:06,760
and that’s what’s happening
right now,
453
00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:08,720
we’re flying in ways
that we never thought
454
00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:12,280
we’d fly,
it’s truly amazing.
455
00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:15,960
It was awesome!
456
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:16,480
Nice.
457
00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:19,280
When wingsuit BASE jumping
first came to be,
458
00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:21,240
it was really exciting
because all of a sudden
459
00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:23,559
we could fly ourselves
away from the object.
460
00:22:23,599 --> 00:22:25,559
And that was just
sort of mind-boggling.
461
00:22:25,599 --> 00:22:27,120
You know, for decades,
here we’d been,
462
00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:29,559
freefalling right next
to the cliff, you know,
463
00:22:29,599 --> 00:22:31,400
with everything rushing
just behind you.
464
00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:34,000
It wasn’t really flying
at all, it was falling.
465
00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:34,920
And then wingsuits
came along
466
00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:36,800
and all of a sudden
people were able to fly
467
00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:38,559
not just, you know,
hundreds of meters,
468
00:22:38,599 --> 00:22:41,000
but even kilometers,
or miles,
469
00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:42,280
away from the cliff.
470
00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:43,960
I mean,
that was so impressive.
471
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:45,280
And so in the beginning,
the holy grail
472
00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:47,920
of wingsuit BASE jumping
was distance and glide.
473
00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:50,320
Who could fly furthest away
from the cliff?
474
00:22:50,360 --> 00:22:52,559
How far could you
make it from Point A?
475
00:22:52,599 --> 00:22:54,880
Typically, most of the jumps
that we’re doing these days
476
00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:58,400
are anywhere between 4,000
and 6,000 feet vertical.
477
00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:00,559
What that translates
to is most of the time,
478
00:23:00,599 --> 00:23:03,320
we can fly twice as far
as we are high.
479
00:23:03,360 --> 00:23:06,680
So if I’m one mile high,
I can jump off that cliff
480
00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:08,559
and fly for at least
two miles
481
00:23:08,599 --> 00:23:10,559
before I have to deploy
my parachute.
482
00:23:10,599 --> 00:23:12,880
We don’t need
a 6,000-foot sheer wall.
483
00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:15,360
We just need 500 little feet
of vertical
484
00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:16,559
near the top
of the mountain,
485
00:23:16,599 --> 00:23:17,870
and then we have
the entire mountain
486
00:23:17,911 --> 00:23:20,080
to play with after we get
our wingsuits flying.
487
00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:22,520
Jumping with a wingsuit
does offer
488
00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:23,559
a lot more possibilities
489
00:23:23,599 --> 00:23:25,120
in terms of where
you can jump,
490
00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:27,360
in terms of flights
that you can do,
491
00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:31,599
slowly changes
the face of BASE jumping.
492
00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:35,559
As wingsuits got better
and pilots got better,
493
00:23:35,599 --> 00:23:37,080
we could fly so far away
from the cliff,
494
00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:38,559
it almost feels like
we jumped out
495
00:23:38,599 --> 00:23:39,080
of an airplane.
496
00:23:39,120 --> 00:23:40,800
It became too much
like skydiving.
497
00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:43,559
Here we are,
two miles away from the cliff,
498
00:23:43,599 --> 00:23:45,400
and thousands of feet
over the ground,
499
00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:49,560
that almost got to be
a little bit boring.
500
00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:59,920
In 2003, Loic performed
the first documented
501
00:23:59,960 --> 00:24:02,559
proximity flight,
which is a wingsuit flight
502
00:24:02,599 --> 00:24:05,320
in close proximity
to the ground.
503
00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:07,440
I did a lot of other
proximity,
504
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:10,520
but not the same
and not as close.
505
00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:12,960
I think this video
did open the eyes
506
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,480
on a lot of people
on the possibilities
507
00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:18,800
with a wingsuit.
508
00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:22,440
The images of him
flying his wingsuit
509
00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:25,440
close to the snow slope
in Verbier
510
00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:26,559
totally blew my mind.
511
00:24:26,599 --> 00:24:28,880
Loic was literally
five or six years
512
00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:30,160
ahead of everyone else
in the sport,
513
00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:33,360
and this is a sport
that evolves a huge amount
514
00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:34,680
in one or two years.
515
00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:35,840
So, years before
anyone else,
516
00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:37,559
he was doing this
over and over again,
517
00:24:37,599 --> 00:24:40,480
and to a level that
even today
518
00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:42,680
is barely matched.
519
00:24:44,230 --> 00:24:45,907
All of a sudden,
the exciting thing to do
520
00:24:45,948 --> 00:24:47,360
was not to fly
as far away from the cliff
521
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:49,440
as possible, but to fly
as close to the cliff
522
00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:53,120
and as close to the terrain
as possible.
523
00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:04,960
Being able to see
and judge glide
524
00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,480
is very important,
but being able to recognize that
525
00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:10,362
while you’re doing
100 miles an hour,
526
00:25:10,549 --> 00:25:11,946
close to terrain,
527
00:25:11,987 --> 00:25:14,080
I think that’s one of
the hardest things to learn
528
00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:16,559
because there’s no real way
to learn that
529
00:25:16,599 --> 00:25:18,559
without doing it.
530
00:25:18,599 --> 00:25:20,520
It’s always a difficult
decision,
531
00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:22,320
when you feel like
you’re ready to start
532
00:25:22,360 --> 00:25:23,231
flying close to something.
533
00:25:23,272 --> 00:25:24,760
Everybody wants that
as soon as possible.
534
00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:26,559
They don’t want to wait.
They want it now.
535
00:25:26,599 --> 00:25:29,960
The slowest progression possible
is the best and the safest.
536
00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:32,880
And what a lot of
wingsuit BASE jumpers nowadays
537
00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:34,520
aren’t doing
is starting slowly.
538
00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:36,240
To be totally honest,
I can’t say
539
00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:37,559
that I started slowly,
either,
540
00:25:37,599 --> 00:25:39,400
even though I was in the sport
for six years
541
00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:44,000
before I really even
flew close to anything at all.
542
00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:51,800
You sort of have
to balance your desire
543
00:25:51,834 --> 00:25:56,101
with a slow enough progression
to stay alive.
544
00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:58,567
In most of these kinds
of sports,
545
00:25:58,601 --> 00:26:02,001
there’s a very small
elite group
546
00:26:02,033 --> 00:26:03,800
that participates
in them.
547
00:26:04,601 --> 00:26:07,402
Very few people have
the ability to do it,
548
00:26:07,434 --> 00:26:09,567
have the courage
to do it,
549
00:26:09,601 --> 00:26:12,001
to do something
that’s really challenging
550
00:26:12,033 --> 00:26:15,367
and really risky,
and to succeed at that,
551
00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:19,268
there’s certainly a reward
for people to do something
552
00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:22,559
that other people
can’t do or won’t do.
553
00:26:22,599 --> 00:26:25,240
I think that drives
you to overcome
554
00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:29,080
that aversion
that most people have.
555
00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:32,760
Motivation for some
of these kinds of activities
556
00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:34,760
or things that
happen by accident
557
00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,320
is that they’re
life-altering experiences,
558
00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:40,559
and once you’ve done that,
you’ve had that feeling,
559
00:26:40,599 --> 00:26:43,680
I think if it was that profound
and that rewarding,
560
00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:47,559
you’d tend to want
to do it again.
561
00:26:47,599 --> 00:26:50,360
So, we’re just getting
to bed here at the refuge.
562
00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:52,440
We’re at about
8,600 feet.
563
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:55,240
Tomorrow morning,
we’re gonna get up early
564
00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:56,320
to go do one
of the longest,
565
00:26:56,360 --> 00:26:59,599
coolest wingsuit
BASE jumps of my life.
566
00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:06,680
A lot of the newer exit points
that are being opened up
567
00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:10,559
are now expanding into different
areas of the mountains.
568
00:27:10,599 --> 00:27:12,760
Getting into these areas
can be more technical,
569
00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:16,680
and we can end up having to do
even multiple-day ascents,
570
00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:18,560
so it’s important
that you’re comfortable
571
00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:22,960
in a high alpine
environment.
572
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,520
The jump in the Dolomites
is about 6,000 feet
573
00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:27,559
from where we exit
to where we land.
574
00:27:27,599 --> 00:27:29,920
It’s in a pretty
remote area.
575
00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:32,559
It got jumped for the first
time two summers ago,
576
00:27:32,599 --> 00:27:35,160
and because it’s
a pretty high jump
577
00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:36,640
and the access
isn’t super simple,
578
00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:38,680
it hasn’t seen a lot
of BASE jumpers, actually,
579
00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:41,080
so it’s relatively
new and fresh,
580
00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:42,200
and actually,
I don’t even know
581
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:43,808
of any other Americans
that have been up there,
582
00:27:43,849 --> 00:27:46,720
I think we’re
pretty much the first.
583
00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:53,920
Who’s giving the count?
584
00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:54,880
I’ll give the count.
585
00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:56,000
Which way
are we exiting?
586
00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:59,600
Straight out,
turning left.
587
00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:01,559
-Ready?
-Ready.
588
00:28:01,599 --> 00:28:02,880
Here we go,
have fun.
589
00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:06,000
All right.
590
00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:08,120
Three, two, one.
591
00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:09,960
See ya.
592
00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:22,240
People that
don’t approach
593
00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:26,160
that level of activity
in their own lives
594
00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:30,280
tend to look at these
sorts of things as odd.
595
00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:31,559
They are risky.
596
00:28:31,599 --> 00:28:33,120
They are dangerous.
597
00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:34,880
These guys are as normal
as you and me,
598
00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:37,680
they just have
a higher level of need
599
00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:42,120
to achieve a goal,
a different kind of goal.
600
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:43,920
They’re trying
to challenge themselves.
601
00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:46,800
They’re seeking something
that they can’t get
602
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:48,920
watching football
on television
603
00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,520
or driving
a car fast.
604
00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:55,720
They feel more alive
for having done this.
605
00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:59,760
Maybe the risk of high rate
of injury or death
606
00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:04,960
makes life more
attractive to them.
607
00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:08,240
Oh, man.
608
00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:09,040
That was amazing.
609
00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:12,240
That was totally
incredible.
610
00:29:14,539 --> 00:29:15,742
Sick.
611
00:29:16,730 --> 00:29:17,641
Nice work.
612
00:29:17,697 --> 00:29:19,500
Impressive exit, huh?
- Yeah.
613
00:29:19,541 --> 00:29:20,604
It comes out fast.
614
00:29:20,645 --> 00:29:21,841
A lot of ledges
down there.
615
00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:23,520
It was the only thing
that had sun on it.
616
00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:25,520
We had a little sun
on us on the exit,
617
00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:27,003
and then right below us,
it was like
618
00:29:27,044 --> 00:29:29,440
this golden
rock outcropping.
619
00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:30,440
Accentuating your death.
620
00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:34,400
Ahh...but it’s all good,
and then we went left.
621
00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:36,091
Not all wingsuit
BASE jumpers are crazy.
622
00:29:36,132 --> 00:29:37,405
Sure, there’s a couple,
623
00:29:37,989 --> 00:29:39,720
but we come from
all walks of life.
624
00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,480
I mean, I’ve jumped
with nurses and doctors,
625
00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:44,559
airline pilots,
psychologists,
626
00:29:44,599 --> 00:29:46,160
all sorts
of normal people.
627
00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:49,360
I wouldn’t say that there’s
a particular personality type
628
00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:50,720
that suits
wingsuit BASE jumping.
629
00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:52,840
There’s people who use
sort of a surfer mentality
630
00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:54,640
to kind of feel the line
and feel the technique,
631
00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:57,040
and there’s people who
sort of crunch the numbers
632
00:29:57,080 --> 00:30:00,640
on their computers,
and both work.
633
00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:05,320
In sports like
wingsuit BASE jumping,
634
00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:08,559
I think you find
more meticulous people.
635
00:30:08,599 --> 00:30:12,720
I don’t think you find
many yahoos out there
636
00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:13,800
doing this
kind of thing
637
00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:15,920
because it takes
a tremendous amount
638
00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:19,720
of commitment and time
and money and effort.
639
00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:23,559
If you don’t take this kind
of care and caution
640
00:30:23,599 --> 00:30:25,880
and pay this kind
of attention,
641
00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:29,440
then you’re making
an evolutionary decision
642
00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:31,599
about natural selection.
643
00:30:35,599 --> 00:30:38,440
People BASE jump because
it is really exciting,
644
00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:40,000
and you get a huge
adrenaline rush,
645
00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:43,200
but it’s also about getting
out in the mountains,
646
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:46,240
and it’s about exploring
and enjoying nature.
647
00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:48,559
One of the main reasons I like
to do this sport so much
648
00:30:48,599 --> 00:30:51,320
is because I’m able to be
up in the mountains
649
00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:52,404
where few people
ever go.
650
00:30:52,445 --> 00:30:55,319
I’m seeing things from an angle
that no one ever sees them from
651
00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:57,520
or very few get
to see them from.
652
00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:00,520
I try to pretty much
only BASE jump from cliffs
653
00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:03,440
because for me, it’s all
about the mountain experience,
654
00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:06,040
I love being in the mountains
and the back country,
655
00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:07,559
away from civilization.
656
00:31:07,599 --> 00:31:09,320
BASE wingsuit flying
is really cool
657
00:31:09,360 --> 00:31:12,080
because you walk
in the mountains,
658
00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:13,840
be cool and calm.
659
00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:17,480
It’s a different aspect
of wingsuit flying.
660
00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,012
Once we’re on the edge
and we get to the exit point,
661
00:31:20,053 --> 00:31:21,080
we have to gear up.
662
00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:23,240
To be honest, the wingsuit
isn’t super comfortable.
663
00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:24,800
It’s sort of tight
in the wrong places
664
00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:27,559
and baggy in other places,
and you don’t really feel
665
00:31:27,599 --> 00:31:30,000
like you’re in your
natural environment.
666
00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:31,680
You sort of feel
out of place.
667
00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:33,210
And so, once you put
the wingsuit on,
668
00:31:33,251 --> 00:31:35,760
basically, your natural
environment becomes the air,
669
00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:37,400
and you just
want to fly.
670
00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:39,520
It’s only when
you leave the cliff
671
00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:42,559
and you start flying,
you feel at home.
672
00:31:42,599 --> 00:31:43,920
Before you jump
off of the cliff,
673
00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,560
you’ve got a million things
racing through your mind,
674
00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:49,559
and then you count down,
"Three, two, one,"
675
00:31:49,599 --> 00:31:53,960
and then nothing,
it’s completely silent.
676
00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:00,640
The first two seconds
after jumping
677
00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:01,760
are totally calm.
678
00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:03,000
There’s no wind noise.
679
00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:06,520
That moment of freefall
lasts so much longer
680
00:32:06,560 --> 00:32:08,480
than any other moment
of your life.
681
00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:09,040
It’s incredible.
682
00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:11,400
And gradually, everything
sort of speeds up.
683
00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:13,355
A train comes at you
faster and faster,
684
00:32:13,396 --> 00:32:14,400
the wind noises
increases.
685
00:32:14,441 --> 00:32:17,559
You’re completely living
in that exact, present moment,
686
00:32:17,599 --> 00:32:20,480
and it’s very
addicting.
687
00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:33,559
All the way up here
to sit in the white room,
688
00:32:33,599 --> 00:32:35,080
as you can see
behind me.
689
00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:37,640
That’s where I’m
supposed to be jumping.
690
00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:41,600
Hanging out in a cloud
on a mountain in Switzerland.
691
00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:45,920
Worse things,
worse places.
692
00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:47,040
All right.
693
00:32:47,080 --> 00:32:50,320
Three, two, one,
gypsy tears.
694
00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:07,840
How was that?
695
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:09,120
That was awesome.
696
00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:11,080
Wow!
697
00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:14,160
Three, two, one.
698
00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:18,360
Ellen’s pretty
interesting.
699
00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:21,280
There aren’t many women
in our sport
700
00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:23,440
doing kind of this
fringe stuff
701
00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:25,400
as far as
proximity flying.
702
00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:27,360
Pretty much all of my
spare time that I’ve had
703
00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:29,440
has been paragliding,
rock climbing,
704
00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:31,559
going to the gym,
running, hiking.
705
00:34:31,599 --> 00:34:34,560
All of that is focused
towards making BASE jumping
706
00:34:34,600 --> 00:34:39,480
a more productive
sport for me.
707
00:34:39,520 --> 00:34:41,240
Living in the States,
it’s very hard
708
00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:42,559
to go wingsuit
BASE jumping.
709
00:34:42,599 --> 00:34:45,080
There’s not very many cliffs
that are accessible,
710
00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:47,000
so I’ve been spending
all of my spare time,
711
00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:49,000
you know, if it’s
even just for a week,
712
00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:50,080
I fly out
to Europe.
713
00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:51,559
Every time I come out,
I meet new people
714
00:34:51,599 --> 00:34:53,760
to wingsuit with because
it’s such a small community.
715
00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:58,440
It’s really great to be able
to connect with everyone.
716
00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:00,440
The relationships
you make in BASE jumping
717
00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:03,120
seem to be a lot stronger than
any other relationship you have
718
00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:06,080
because you’re able to share
something that’s so unique,
719
00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:07,880
and few other people
understand the feelings
720
00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:10,200
you get
from BASE jumping.
721
00:35:10,240 --> 00:35:11,880
People who don’t
do the same sports
722
00:35:11,920 --> 00:35:14,040
don’t really understand
how I work.
723
00:35:14,080 --> 00:35:18,200
I will drop anything if it’s
a calm, beautiful morning
724
00:35:18,240 --> 00:35:19,333
and go off
and jump off a cliff,
725
00:35:19,374 --> 00:35:20,948
and a lot of people
just can’t understand
726
00:35:20,989 --> 00:35:26,560
why I need to go do that,
but it’s something I need.
727
00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:28,599
Woo-hoo!
728
00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,920
Jeb Corliss has joined
the group in the Swiss Alps
729
00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:40,559
for a group jump
called "flocking."
730
00:35:40,599 --> 00:35:41,680
While common
in skydiving,
731
00:35:41,720 --> 00:35:43,960
flocking is very rare
in BASE jumping
732
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:45,559
due to the complexity
of multiple pilots
733
00:35:45,599 --> 00:35:49,680
jumping from a cliff together
and flying near the terrain.
734
00:35:49,720 --> 00:35:50,920
Jumping with Jeb
was special.
735
00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:53,559
There are definitely a lot
of people that were involved
736
00:35:53,599 --> 00:35:55,080
in the progression
of wingsuits,
737
00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:56,559
whether it was
wingsuit BASE jumping
738
00:35:56,599 --> 00:35:59,560
or skydiving with wingsuits,
he’s one of the people
739
00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:01,600
that’s been in the sport
for a long time,
740
00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:03,880
and I’ve looked up to him
for a number of years,
741
00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:07,520
so actually being able
to do a jump with him
742
00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:08,559
is pretty cool.
743
00:36:08,599 --> 00:36:10,280
Jeb, an icon
in the sport,
744
00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:13,280
purchased his first wingsuit
in the late ’90s.
745
00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:15,559
To this day, he continues
to push the limits
746
00:36:15,599 --> 00:36:17,680
of wingsuit flying
and is one of the most
747
00:36:17,720 --> 00:36:22,559
experienced wingsuit
BASE jumpers alive.
748
00:36:22,599 --> 00:36:24,720
I feel really comfortable
flying with my friends
749
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:27,360
’cause I know what
their skill level is.
750
00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:29,200
I’m very particular to who
I choose to jump with,
751
00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:31,800
and especially if I’m gonna be
sharing the air space with them,
752
00:36:31,840 --> 00:36:35,559
it ought to be somebody
I really know and trust.
753
00:36:35,599 --> 00:36:37,400
With that many people
on an exit point,
754
00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:39,640
which can be the size
of a picnic table,
755
00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:42,360
is kind of a challenge
within itself.
756
00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:45,360
If somebody slipped, if somebody
bumped somebody else on exit,
757
00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:49,520
you really have to know
who you’re jumping with.
758
00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,880
Being with somebody else
in the air, close to terrain,
759
00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:06,040
by far one of the coolest
experiences I’ve ever had.
760
00:37:35,599 --> 00:37:39,320
Very good work, guys,
that was awesome.
761
00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:40,200
It was really,
really fun.
762
00:37:40,240 --> 00:37:43,600
That was actually--it was
my most fun jump here so far.
763
00:37:43,640 --> 00:37:44,680
I think mine,
too, honestly.
764
00:37:44,720 --> 00:37:45,840
Yeah, it’s definitely
the most fun.
765
00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:48,120
So much cooler seeing
people around you.
766
00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:48,600
It really is.
767
00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:53,000
The visual of other humans
in the sky flying
768
00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:54,200
is so awesome.
769
00:37:54,240 --> 00:37:56,559
It’s like, "Oh, that’s
what this feels like,
770
00:37:56,599 --> 00:37:57,480
I can see the feeling."
771
00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:01,160
I can see them do it
at the same time!
772
00:38:06,040 --> 00:38:08,559
My family definitely
has concerns,
773
00:38:08,599 --> 00:38:09,960
like any
family would,
774
00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:13,320
about what I do
and my safety.
775
00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:15,440
Their feelings
do affect me,
776
00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:16,480
but I think
they understand
777
00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:18,400
that this is something
that I need to do.
778
00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:22,880
If I’m not doing this,
then I’m not who I am.
779
00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:24,880
If you deal
with the reality
780
00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:27,120
of the consequences
of mistake,
781
00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:30,559
99 times out of a 100,
you’re not gonna walk away
782
00:38:30,599 --> 00:38:31,559
from that accident,
783
00:38:31,599 --> 00:38:35,000
somewhere you’ve come
to an accommodation
784
00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:37,080
of that fact.
785
00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:39,600
At that speed,
if you clipped a tree
786
00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:42,760
or touch the ground,
it’s game over.
787
00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:45,520
Lights out,
you’re done, for sure.
788
00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:46,400
It’s hard
to hit anything
789
00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:50,640
at more than 100 miles
an hour without dying.
790
00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:52,320
I’m scared every time.
791
00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:53,720
What is pushing
that fear down
792
00:38:53,760 --> 00:38:55,880
are the skills
and the time and the energy
793
00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:59,280
and everything that I’ve put
into getting to that point.
794
00:38:59,320 --> 00:39:02,440
But you have to have
a high level of expectation
795
00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:06,320
that this could
end badly today.
796
00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:08,720
I would suspect
that they’ve accepted
797
00:39:08,760 --> 00:39:10,840
that this is
the real risk.
798
00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:13,559
This is really
part of the deal.
799
00:39:13,599 --> 00:39:16,559
Because it is such
a calculated sport,
800
00:39:16,599 --> 00:39:17,960
you need to be
able to take in
801
00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:19,400
a lot of things
into consideration,
802
00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:21,720
and the most important thing
is you need to be able to know
803
00:39:21,760 --> 00:39:25,720
when to say no
and to hike back down.
804
00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:27,040
It’s a very
unforgiving sport,
805
00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:29,520
because once you make
a decision to BASE jump,
806
00:39:29,560 --> 00:39:32,559
you become subject
to all of the variables
807
00:39:32,599 --> 00:39:33,680
and all
of the conditions,
808
00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:35,559
so really, the only
way to guarantee
809
00:39:35,599 --> 00:39:40,280
that you stay alive
is to not jump.
810
00:39:41,080 --> 00:39:45,960
I’ve had three or four
fairly close friends die
811
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:48,200
wingsuit proximity flying.
812
00:39:48,240 --> 00:39:51,560
It’s something
that is a reality.
813
00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:53,800
I was still taking
pretty high risks
814
00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:55,559
when I had
my two kids,
815
00:39:55,599 --> 00:39:58,840
and I broke my back
in the end of 2007,
816
00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:02,760
and when you’re in a bed
lying for a few months,
817
00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:06,559
you have time also to think
about life in general.
818
00:40:06,599 --> 00:40:08,559
It was really fun,
I’m really happy
819
00:40:08,599 --> 00:40:11,400
of everything that I did,
but I don’t think
820
00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:13,880
I want to take that
much risk anymore.
821
00:40:13,920 --> 00:40:16,000
I mean,
I’ve done enough.
822
00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:18,520
I’ve spent a lot
of time doing it,
823
00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:20,960
and I’ve lost a lot
of friends also.
824
00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:23,040
When you do
this type of thing,
825
00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:24,760
and you know all the guys
who are doing
826
00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:27,520
this type of thing,
you know a lot of--
827
00:40:27,560 --> 00:40:31,559
you have a lot of friends
that die doing it.
828
00:40:31,599 --> 00:40:33,400
Skill does help,
829
00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:37,640
but it does not
erase the risk.
830
00:40:40,600 --> 00:40:42,160
It’s really
cool to watch
831
00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:43,880
how Matt is progressing
in the sport.
832
00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:47,559
He lives over here,
and he’s getting to jump a lot.
833
00:40:47,599 --> 00:40:49,240
Having the precision
and the control
834
00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:52,000
to be able to fly
through two objects
835
00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:54,200
that are no more
than 20 feet apart
836
00:40:54,240 --> 00:40:56,400
is really cool
to watch.
837
00:40:56,440 --> 00:40:59,240
Three, two, one.
838
00:41:10,755 --> 00:41:12,152
Our generation grew up
839
00:41:12,193 --> 00:41:15,720
with all of these fantastic
sci-fi movies in the ’80s.
840
00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:17,600
I’ll never forget
the image of Ewoks
841
00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:19,720
speeding through the forest
on their Speeder Bikes
842
00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:23,000
or Luke Skywalker diving
into canyons on the Death Star,
843
00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:26,400
or even just the classic image
of Superman flying headfirst.
844
00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:28,440
To me, wingsuiting is all
those things rolled into one.
845
00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:32,240
It’s like the ultimate
dream of flight realized.
846
00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:33,760
It’s definitely
the ultimate rush.
847
00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:36,400
Flying your body
close to something
848
00:41:36,441 --> 00:41:38,527
and having control
over where you’re at
849
00:41:38,568 --> 00:41:39,876
is the ultimate.
850
00:41:39,917 --> 00:41:44,200
It’s what we’ve been
dreaming about forever.
851
00:41:47,599 --> 00:41:49,120
One of the most
technically-challenging
852
00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:52,320
wingsuit BASE jumps
is called the "crack."
853
00:41:52,360 --> 00:41:55,120
It requires the pilot
to fly nearly one mile out
854
00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:57,640
before swooping down
between two trees
855
00:41:57,680 --> 00:42:00,080
no more than
20 feet apart.
856
00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:02,360
This leads to a long,
narrow canyon
857
00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:03,559
which the pilot
must fly through
858
00:42:03,599 --> 00:42:08,880
before having enough room
to safely deploy his parachute.
859
00:42:10,480 --> 00:42:12,080
So, there’s really
just a handful
860
00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:13,680
of wingsuit pilots
in the world
861
00:42:13,720 --> 00:42:16,840
who are flying their
wingsuits at this level,
862
00:42:16,880 --> 00:42:19,160
but what we’re gonna see
in the next few years
863
00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:21,360
is that number
explode exponentially
864
00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:23,840
because wingsuits are becoming
more comfortable to fly
865
00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:26,120
and the performance is
increasing every year.
866
00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:27,960
It’s very difficult
to say what the future
867
00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:31,559
of wingsuiting will bring
because five years ago,
868
00:42:31,599 --> 00:42:33,559
I think that a lot
of wingsuit BASE jumpers
869
00:42:33,599 --> 00:42:35,559
never imagined
that we would be doing
870
00:42:35,599 --> 00:42:39,560
the type of flights
that we’re doing now.
871
00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:09,360
After decades
of development,
872
00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:11,559
through trial and error
and after many deaths,
873
00:43:11,599 --> 00:43:14,760
the wingsuit has evolved
into a spectacular vehicle
874
00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:15,920
for human flight.
875
00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:18,720
While wingsuit designs
will continue to be modified
876
00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:20,640
to make flying
safer and easier,
877
00:43:20,680 --> 00:43:23,360
cloth wingsuit performance
will always be limited
878
00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:25,920
by the framework
of the human body.
879
00:43:25,960 --> 00:43:28,760
The wingspan is dictated
by the pilot’s size,
880
00:43:28,800 --> 00:43:31,120
and the length of flight
is completely dependent
881
00:43:31,160 --> 00:43:33,440
upon our limited
human muscle strength,
882
00:43:33,467 --> 00:43:35,134
which usually
becomes exhausted
883
00:43:35,200 --> 00:43:36,767
after three minutes
of flight time.
884
00:43:37,934 --> 00:43:40,501
Yves Rossy believes
he has found a solution
885
00:43:40,534 --> 00:43:41,968
to these
natural restraints.
886
00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:44,300
He’s gone back
to Léo Valentin’s idea
887
00:43:44,334 --> 00:43:45,467
of a rigid wing
888
00:43:45,501 --> 00:43:47,768
and utilizes
mini turbine engines
889
00:43:47,801 --> 00:43:49,669
to achieve
airplane-like flight,
890
00:43:49,720 --> 00:43:54,760
essentially turning himself
into a jet aircraft.
891
00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:08,200
There are some possibilities
in hard wings
892
00:44:08,240 --> 00:44:12,720
to take off, land,
safely with engines,
893
00:44:12,760 --> 00:44:15,559
and also you can
fly with your body
894
00:44:15,599 --> 00:44:18,280
which gives
the feeling of flight.
895
00:44:18,320 --> 00:44:21,559
I think that’s quite cool,
it’s quite interesting.
896
00:44:21,599 --> 00:44:23,559
The technical skills
you’d have to have
897
00:44:23,599 --> 00:44:26,640
to be able to strap
two jet engines to your body
898
00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:29,160
and jump out
of something and fly
899
00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:30,559
is pretty far
out there.
900
00:44:30,599 --> 00:44:33,520
I think being a Rocket Man
will happen for a select few,
901
00:44:33,560 --> 00:44:37,320
but it’s definitely not
gonna be something mainstream,
902
00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:39,559
even in the wingsuit
community.
903
00:44:39,599 --> 00:44:41,559
A more realistic
future for birdmen
904
00:44:41,599 --> 00:44:42,960
is combining
technology
905
00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:45,018
with a traditional
nylon wingsuit.
906
00:44:46,100 --> 00:44:47,567
In Switzerland,
significant progress
907
00:44:47,601 --> 00:44:51,068
has been made in this field
in the last couple of years.
908
00:44:52,567 --> 00:44:54,134
My name is
Raffaello D’Andrea,
909
00:44:54,167 --> 00:44:56,601
I’m a professor of
Dynamic Systems and Control
910
00:44:56,634 --> 00:44:57,968
at ETH Zurich.
911
00:44:59,534 --> 00:45:02,035
Geo was a Ph.D. student
in our group.
912
00:45:02,067 --> 00:45:03,100
We wrote
a paper together
913
00:45:03,167 --> 00:45:06,601
on longitudinal stability
of wingsuit flight.
914
00:45:06,634 --> 00:45:09,468
First time that anyone
had ever written a paper
915
00:45:09,534 --> 00:45:11,768
about wingsuit flying
to that level.
916
00:45:11,801 --> 00:45:13,635
You’re looking at the luckiest
man in the world
917
00:45:13,680 --> 00:45:15,320
because I’ve
managed to combine
918
00:45:15,360 --> 00:45:18,160
this recreational interest
in wingsuit flying
919
00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:20,520
with my professional
and academic background
920
00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:23,800
in engineering
and mathematics.
921
00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:25,000
All right.
922
00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:26,400
Geo had the talent
and the courage
923
00:45:26,440 --> 00:45:29,480
to be a wingsuit flyer,
but he was also a scientist.
924
00:45:29,520 --> 00:45:32,560
What’s the probability of having
both of those aptitudes
925
00:45:32,600 --> 00:45:34,720
in one human being,
and Geo really had them,
926
00:45:34,760 --> 00:45:37,600
and I think it really
was interesting to see
927
00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:41,240
how scientific he was,
he was very rigorous.
928
00:45:41,280 --> 00:45:43,640
He wanted to be able
to write mathematical models
929
00:45:43,680 --> 00:45:45,559
and to use those models
to figure out
930
00:45:45,599 --> 00:45:48,320
how to make humans
fly better.
931
00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:51,520
The paper covered the dynamics
of wingsuit flying,
932
00:45:51,567 --> 00:45:55,401
showing that these models
that are used for airplanes
933
00:45:55,434 --> 00:45:56,701
also apply
to human beings,
934
00:45:56,767 --> 00:45:59,268
and showing that it is feasible
935
00:45:59,300 --> 00:46:01,534
to fly with thrusters,
936
00:46:01,567 --> 00:46:03,567
although you’re prone
to instabilities,
937
00:46:03,601 --> 00:46:06,402
and that you can control
these instabilities.
938
00:46:06,601 --> 00:46:09,402
Our plan, which we
describe in our paper,
939
00:46:09,434 --> 00:46:13,268
is to use steerable nozzles,
vector thrust,
940
00:46:13,334 --> 00:46:14,568
and an onboard computer,
941
00:46:14,601 --> 00:46:17,668
and basically a fly-by-wire
cruise control system
942
00:46:17,734 --> 00:46:19,201
to stabilize
the flight.
943
00:46:19,240 --> 00:46:22,559
Raffaello and his students have
developed complex algorithms
944
00:46:22,599 --> 00:46:24,480
used in modified
quadrocopters
945
00:46:24,520 --> 00:46:27,080
which can keep a rod
perfectly balanced.
946
00:46:27,120 --> 00:46:29,400
While a human maneuvers
the quadrocopter
947
00:46:29,440 --> 00:46:30,040
with a remote wand,
948
00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:33,720
it balances the rod
upright autonomously.
949
00:46:33,760 --> 00:46:35,640
Since these
human-controlled maneuvers
950
00:46:35,680 --> 00:46:37,960
are random and not
pre-programmed,
951
00:46:38,000 --> 00:46:39,720
the quadrocopter
is designed to learn
952
00:46:39,760 --> 00:46:44,080
how to balance
the rod by itself.
953
00:46:44,120 --> 00:46:45,559
Geo visualized
a similar system
954
00:46:45,599 --> 00:46:47,960
to keep a pilot perfectly
balanced during flight
955
00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:51,360
while the pilot chose whichever
flight path he desired.
956
00:46:51,400 --> 00:46:53,360
So, the human being
wouldn’t even know
957
00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:54,680
that there was
a computer system
958
00:46:54,720 --> 00:46:55,920
doing all this
fine control.
959
00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:57,440
As far as the human being
is concerned,
960
00:46:57,480 --> 00:47:00,280
they’re just flying,
and they want to turn right,
961
00:47:00,320 --> 00:47:03,000
they would turn right,
and the system would react
962
00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:04,600
to what the human being
wanted to do
963
00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:10,200
and make the vector thrusts
do what it’s supposed to do.
964
00:47:10,680 --> 00:47:12,440
Perfect exit point.
965
00:47:12,480 --> 00:47:14,600
And this opens up
a world of opportunities.
966
00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:17,080
Instead of flying down
steep mountain slopes,
967
00:47:17,133 --> 00:47:19,794
you could actually
fly over flat ground,
968
00:47:19,834 --> 00:47:21,568
which would
be amazing.
969
00:47:35,601 --> 00:47:36,627
He always used
to say that,
970
00:47:36,667 --> 00:47:37,867
"If something ever
happens to me,
971
00:47:37,934 --> 00:47:39,794
it’s gonna be because
of equipment failure,
972
00:47:39,834 --> 00:47:42,635
not because
I miscalculated."
973
00:47:42,680 --> 00:47:44,920
Geo was a very analytical
BASE jumper,
974
00:47:44,960 --> 00:47:48,000
and using calculations,
he had decided
975
00:47:48,040 --> 00:47:50,200
that it would be possible
to fly his wingsuit
976
00:47:50,240 --> 00:47:52,160
through a col
in South Africa,
977
00:47:52,200 --> 00:47:55,559
and like many pioneers
that came before him,
978
00:47:55,599 --> 00:47:59,320
his attempt at pushing
the limits ended badly,
979
00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:02,559
and it’s totally unfortunate
because he was a brilliant mind
980
00:48:02,599 --> 00:48:03,680
and a really
nice person.
981
00:48:03,720 --> 00:48:06,559
I mean, generally speaking,
people as smart as him
982
00:48:06,599 --> 00:48:08,960
are way too smart to get
into wingsuit BASE jumping,
983
00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:12,640
so he was definitely
a rarity.
984
00:48:15,720 --> 00:48:18,559
Around a century ago,
the Wright brothers
985
00:48:18,599 --> 00:48:20,360
thought they started
human flight.
986
00:48:20,400 --> 00:48:22,840
It’s ironic that it’s taken
another hundred years
987
00:48:22,880 --> 00:48:26,040
for us to start to look
at the type of bird-like flight
988
00:48:26,080 --> 00:48:30,920
that our ancestors would have
dreamed of thousands of years.
989
00:48:30,960 --> 00:48:32,440
Woo-hoo!
990
00:48:32,480 --> 00:48:35,640
It’s a magical
and life-changing experience
991
00:48:35,680 --> 00:48:37,680
just stepping off a cliff,
spreading your arms,
992
00:48:37,720 --> 00:48:41,960
and flying like a bird,
you really do feel like a bird.
993
00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:43,000
That’s my research.
994
00:48:43,040 --> 00:48:46,599
I’m a very lucky man.
995
00:48:52,800 --> 00:48:54,320
Woo-hoo!
996
00:48:54,360 --> 00:48:56,920
He was, without question,
a pioneer in our sport,
997
00:48:56,960 --> 00:48:59,360
and it’s really sad
that we lost him
998
00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:01,840
because he was definitely
taking it in a direction
999
00:49:01,880 --> 00:49:04,559
that few of us
could even imagine,
1000
00:49:04,599 --> 00:49:06,680
let alone conceptualize.
1001
00:49:06,720 --> 00:49:09,800
Another new exit point,
another day.
1002
00:49:09,840 --> 00:49:13,480
I think what happened was
the adventurer in him came out,
1003
00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:15,640
and he just wanted
to push the boundary,
1004
00:49:15,680 --> 00:49:18,920
and he tried something that
maybe he shouldn’t have tried,
1005
00:49:18,960 --> 00:49:23,080
but, you know, he easily
could have cleared it as well,
1006
00:49:23,120 --> 00:49:25,480
and then we’d all be
talking here about it,
1007
00:49:25,520 --> 00:49:29,040
and it’d be
a different story.
1008
00:49:30,680 --> 00:49:33,600
Oh, yeah,
life is good!
1009
00:49:36,599 --> 00:49:37,559
Geo died
a week later
1010
00:49:37,599 --> 00:49:40,280
attempting a different flight
from the same exit point.
1011
00:49:40,320 --> 00:49:43,360
His flight path required
that he fly over a ridgeline
1012
00:49:43,400 --> 00:49:45,240
that he wasn’t
able to clear.
1013
00:49:45,280 --> 00:49:48,680
Geo’s groundbreaking work
has not been continued
1014
00:49:48,720 --> 00:49:51,680
by anyone to date.
1015
00:49:55,560 --> 00:49:59,480
Thousands of years after humans
first leapt into the unknown,
1016
00:49:59,520 --> 00:50:01,360
a select few of us
have achieved
1017
00:50:01,400 --> 00:50:03,627
the very kind of flight
that our ancestors
1018
00:50:03,667 --> 00:50:06,327
have been envisioning
for eons.
1019
00:50:06,367 --> 00:50:09,134
Perhaps the transformation
to true birdmen
1020
00:50:09,167 --> 00:50:10,701
is not yet complete,
1021
00:50:10,737 --> 00:50:13,960
but as technological innovations
lead to newer designs,
1022
00:50:14,000 --> 00:50:16,627
the boundaries of human flight
remain wide open
1023
00:50:16,667 --> 00:50:19,627
for the adventurous
and courageous spirits
1024
00:50:19,667 --> 00:50:21,674
who long to fly
like birds.
1025
00:50:21,901 --> 00:50:24,168
MUSIC RISES
75739
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