Wingsuit Flying
Wingsuit team flies longest mountain formation over Mont Blanc
Eight top wingsuit pilots complete a world-first team flight over Mont Blanc, offering a rare view of the highest peak in the Alps.
Part of this story
Fred Fugen and Dani Román led a group of eight elite wingsuit pilots from around the world in a first-ever formation flown at extreme altitude. Launched from above Mont Blanc in France, the continuous aerial line was filmed from inside the formation by a team of camera flyers.
Two years in the making, Mont Blanc wingsuit flight completed
© Dom Daher / Red Bull Content Pool
Afterwards, Fugen said, “It has been a dream to get this kind of team together." Román was equally enthralled: “A jump like this, with this group of friends, is once-in-a-lifetime. It was beautiful, it was wild and it was very intense. Best jump of my life.”
Watch the incredible wingsuit formation flight
A video shared on Red Bull’s Instagram channel shows the eight-athlete wingsuit formation flying over the Mont Blanc massif, splitting into two groups as they sweep past a cliff face before rejoining on the descent to the Chamonix Valley.
01
How the Mont Blanc wingsuit formation flight worked
Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak, is a stunning location for wingsuiting
© Dom Daher/Red Bull Content Pool
Wingsuit pilots Fred Fugen, Dani Román, Marco Fürst, Marco Waltenspiel, Aurélien Chatard, Sebastian Álvarez, Mike Swanson and Andy Farrington jumped from a helicopter from an altitude of approximately 5,500m over the summit of Mont Blanc and landed in the Chamonix Valley in France. They flew as one continuous line, with a split into two groups of four before rejoining. Covering a horizontal distance of 7.5km, and flying at speeds of 180-200kph, the flight lasted 3 min 30 sec.
Teamwork was crucial to the success of the project. Each athlete needed to hold their position and respond instantly in the air – and needed to depend on the others to do the same. Throughout the flight the team communicated by radio to share information about direction, speed and position.
02
The long preparation behind the Mont Blanc wingsuit flight
Precision and care were key to the Mont Blanc flight
© Vincent Cotte / Red Bull Content Pool
Planning and testing took two years, with detailed coordination strategies being worked out well before the actual flight. Every aspect mapped out the athletes' placement, formation timing, and the necessary safety margins for landing.
Fugen explained: “Once we jump from the helicopter, there is almost no place to land until we reach the valley at the bottom. So the goal is to manage the line and manage the flight all together while doing some technical moves, but still be able to have enough altitude to open the parachutes safely, and land together safely on the ground.”
03
Filming the wingsuit flight from within
The camera crew got right up close to the pilots
© Vincent Cotte / Red Bull Content Pool
Two professional air-to-air camera flyers – Vincent Cotte from France and Scott Palmer from the US – flew alongside the athletes to film the action from inside the formation. The perspective they captured takes audiences along with the pilots – to see their movements up close, and get a sense of the speed, spacing and control required to fly in such a precise formation.
Fugen shared: “These guys are as good as us. They need to fly their wingsuit with the camera on their head and position themselves in order to capture the movement from the best angle. It’s a very difficult job, and thanks to them we got some amazing footage.”
04
Key facts about the Mont Blanc wingsuit flight
- Project: Longest wingsuit formation terrain flying over Mont Blanc
- Location: Chamonix, France
- Number of athletes: 8
- Formation detail: One continuous line, with a split into two four-person groups before reforming
- Horizontal distance: 7.5km
- Terrain flying: Approximately 3,800m from summit to landing
- Total altitude including helicopter drop: Approximately 5,500m
- Flight duration: Around 3m 30s
- Speed: Approximately 180-200km/h
05
Who is wingsuit pilot Fred Fugen?
Fred Fugen led the Mont Blanc wingsuit flight
© Dom Daher / Red Bull Content Pool
Fred Fugen is an elite French skydiver, wingsuit pilot and BASE jumper. As a member of the famous Soul Flyers team and a multiple-time Freefly World Champion, he is motivated to push the boundaries of extreme human flight. Historic aerial projects include highly technical proximity flights past the Giza Pyramids and the Taj Mahal.
06
Who is wingsuit pilot Dani Román?
Dani Román played a key role in the wingsuit formation flight
© Dom Daher / Red Bull Content Pool
Dani Román is a prominent Spanish professional skydiver, wingsuit pilot and BASE jumper. Known for pushing the boundaries of aerial sports, he has made history with innovative projects, like flying through the Bahrain World Trade Center and under the Ronda bridge at 270kph.
More aerial spectacles to get excited about
Part of this story