For those of you who don't know what wingsuiting or wingsuit flying is, let me show you a video. It's easier to watch the video than to explain. I believe there are no proper words to describe this craziness :) It is amazing and crazy in the same time if you ask me.
The guy you see on the video is the 48 years old (in 2013) Russian Valery Rozov. He's jumping off from the world's highest peak. He is very brave or very stupid, I don't know which one is it. If you like to play it safe, then you say he's stupid but not everyone is like that. Some people are willing to risk their life to break a record. Adrenaline junkies? Of course they are, otherwise you can't do that.
But that's just a part of it. If you think they are not afraid, you're wrong. I was reading an article about a new record.
The 25-year-old, from Skövde in the south of Sweden, attempted two new record-breaking jumps in July: the longest distance wingsuit flight from a cliff, and the smallest target hit from a BASE jump. source
The article refers to Anton "Squeezer" Andersson, who in 2017 managed to become the youngest wingsuit pilot to fly through a solid target at 250km/h (155mph).
This is his latest performance which led to breaking two world records.
"It's this incredibly deep, deep feeling of fear," he explains. "It's a huge commitment of trust, and the fear, which is felt through the entire body. It's like your entire body is just bubbling, from top to bottom, it's fully vibrating, I cannot describe it." source
I'm always admiring those who know something I don't and that motivates me to get out of my comfort zone and try new things, most of the time. Not this time however. As much as I admire these guys for what they do, I don't think I would ever try this out.
Flying is an amazing feeling. Wingsuit flying is really flying, not like when you take the plain. It's a totally different feeling as there's no engine there, nothing to help you fly, except for the wings and the air. How dangerous it is, you can see for yourself. They are admitting that one wrong move or an error, that's all it takes and you're dead. I don't want to look at statistics to see how many lives were lost so far. I know the risks without looking at the numbers. All that doesn't count for these guys, they are doing everything they can to be able to fly and break the existing records.