Felix Baumgartner

Felix Baumgartner

• The fastest man on and off Earth
• The Austrian jumped from the balloon effectively while in space, where the normal rules of skydiving do not apply
• Jumped from 39km above the earth in 2012 breaking the sound barrier
• Base jumped many global landmarks including the Petronas Towers, Christ the Redeemer & Millau Viaduct

Felix Baumgartner is the world-famous skydiver who rose to global fame and was watched by millions of lives in 2012 as he jumped from space 39 kilometres above the earth.

Born in Salzberg the Austrian skydiver and daredevil set a world record for skydiving in 2012. Jumping from the Redbull Stratos helium balloon capsule reached an estimated speed of 1357.64 km/h (843.6 mph), or Mach 1.25.  In doing so Baumgartner became the first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power on his descent. He is renowned for the particularly dangerous nature of the stunts he has performed during his career which include leaping from many of the world’s most iconic and tall man-made structures.

What’s next for Felix Baumgartner?
“I’ve always had the dream to go to the moon because I still think to this day that it’s the biggest accomplishment, to set foot on another planet. And so far there’s only been 12 people on the moon. So I would take any chance to go to the moon, that’s something I’d really love to do.”

Baumgartner has conducted countless death-defying jumps and dives that include:

• 1999 he claimed the world record for the highest parachute jump from a building when he jumped from the Petronas Towers in KL
  
• 2003 he became the first person to skydive across the English Channel using a specially made carbon fibre wing
• 2003 set the world record for the lowest BASE jump ever, jumping 29 metres from the hand of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio
• 2004 he became the first person to BASE jump from the completed Millau Viaduct in France
• 2006 the first person to skydive onto, then BASE jump from, the Turning Torso building in Malmö, Sweden
• 2007 he became the first person to jump from the then-tallest completed building in the world, Taipei 101
• 2012 breaks world records for manned balloon flight, parachute jump from highest altitude and greatest free fall velocity