Skydiving
Felix Baumgartner soars across the English Channel
Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner swept over the white cliffs of Dover to become the first flying human to cross the English Channel.
For ever looking for his next astonishing challenge, the free-falling, breathtaking Felix Baumgartner, who'd already wowed the world with feats such as the lowest jump from the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, decided to showcase his incredible spirit in an unprecedented European adventure in 2003.
After working on his plan for three years, ‘Fearless Felix’ became the first person ever to complete a freefall 'flight' across the 35km-wide English Channel between England and France, a 14-minute skydiving odyssey which really captured the imagination of both nations.
Waiting to drop
© Ulrich Grill/Red Bull Content Pool
In a jumpsuit designed to help him combat a temperature of -40ºC and with a specially-designed carbon-fibre wing, oxygen tank and parachute strapped to his back, Baumgartner’s freefall began when he leapt from an aircraft at an altitude of 9,750m over the English ferry port of Dover.
He admitted that experiencing the initial extreme cold at about 350kph was stressful to cope with, but reckoned he then loved every moment of tumbling the 35km towards his final destination in Cap Blanc-Nez, near Calais.
Descending into Calais
© Bernhard Spöttel/Red Bull Content Pool
"It was total freedom. You're totally alone, there's just you, your equipment, your wing – and your skills. I like it,” a beaming Felix told reporters on landing.
"This was my biggest project so far – but there's still something left, so don't worry," he added with a smile. "It's top secret, but it's going to be awesome.”
Nine years later, that turned out to be Red Bull Stratos, his mission to jump to earth from the edge of space. So the world was able to say, "He wasn’t wrong, was he?"