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New York Times
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Felix Baumgartner, man who jumped from space, dies after paragliding accident in central Italy
Austrian skydiver, daredevil and BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner has died at the age of 56 after a paragliding accident in central Italy, according to the local mayor. Baumgartner attracted global attention in 2012 when he became the first person to break the sound barrier (approximately 768mph) after completing a parachute jump from outer space, a height of 38,969.4 metres, reaching a top speed of 843.6mph. Advertisement Massimiliano Ciarpella, the mayor of the city of Porto Sant'Elpidio, said: 'Our community is deeply shocked by the tragic death of Felix Baumgartner, a world-famous figure, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flying. 'He was flying right over our town when a fatal illness took him away today. Porto Sant'Elpidio wraps its arms around his family and loved ones in this moment of grief. 'On behalf of the municipal administration and the entire citizenry, I express my sincerest condolences for this unbridgeable loss.' Baumgartner lost control of his motorised paraglider while flying over Porto Sant'Elpidio in Italy's central Marche region, and fell to the ground near the swimming pool of a hotel, per Reuters. Baumgartner's last post on Instagram showed a video compilation of him preparing for his latest stunt alongside a picture with the caption 'too much wind.' A post shared by Felix Baumgartner (@therealfelixbaumgartner) Baumgartner's famous October 2012 jump lifted off in Roswell, New Mexico, and was done on the 65th anniversary of American pilot Chuck Yeager's flight shattering the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. He broke eight Guinness world records during the feat, including the highest freefall parachute jump and the fastest speed in freefall. Speaking at a media conference that year about the record-breaking jump, Baumgartner said: 'When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble. 'You don't think about breaking records anymore, you don't think about gaining scientific data — the only thing that you want is to come back alive.' He gave himself the nickname 'God of the skies' and was also known as 'Fearless Felix.' Baumgartner's long career in daredevil jumping included skydiving across the English Channel and parachuting off the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. He also performed a base jump from the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 'I hate it if someone calls me a thrill-seeker or an adrenaline junkie because I am not. I like the whole planning,' Baumgartner said ahead of his 2012 stunt, via AFP. 'When you're standing there on top of the world, you become so humble … The only thing is you want to come back alive. Baumgartner attracted criticism in the past for his statements on politics. Following his jump in 2012, Baumgartner suggested that 'moderate' dictatorships could be the answer to economic crises. In 2016, he endorsed Norbert Hofer of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria for the Austrian presidency.
CNA
18-07-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Man who broke sound barrier while skydiving dies in paragliding accident
ROME: Austrian extreme sports pioneer Felix Baumgartner, famed for a record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space, died on Thursday (Jul 17) in a paragliding accident in central Italy, local police said. He was 56. Baumgartner lost control of his motorised paraglider while flying over Porto Sant'Elpidio in Italy's central Marche region, and fell to the ground near the swimming pool of a hotel. The reasons for the accident were unclear. Porto Sant'Elpidio's mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, said reports suggested he may have suffered a sudden medical issue mid-air, and offered the town's condolences for the death of "a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flights". The Austrian made headlines around the world in October 2012 when, wearing a specially made suit, he jumped from a balloon 39km above Earth, becoming the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, typically measured at around 1,200kmh. Sporting a "born to fly" tattoo, Baumgartner recorded the fastest freefall by leaping from the capsule and reaching a top speed of 1,357.6kmh on the 65th anniversary of legendary American pilot Chuck Yeager's flight shattering the sound barrier on Oct 14, 1947. His two childhood dreams were to be a skydiver and a helicopter pilot. "I always had the desire to be in the air," Austrian media quoted Baumgartner as saying. "I climbed trees, I wanted to see the world from above." Baumgartner said that his training for the legendary Red Bull Stratos jump, which ended safely in the desert of the US state of New Mexico, had begun 26 years earlier, in 1986, when he first jumped out of an aeroplane. "AT HOME IN THE AIR" In his youth, Baumgartner, who was born in the Austrian city of Salzburg, worked as a car mechanic and repaired motorcycles as he searched for ways to take to the sky. Having completed his first skydive in his teens, he improved his skills in the Austrian military. Over time, he built up an impressive portfolio of stunts. One of his first records was in 1999 for the lowest BASE dive from the hand of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, which is 29m above the ground. BASE is an acronym for four things that can be jumped from: buildings, antennas, spans and earth. A licensed helicopter pilot and gas balloonist whose hobbies included boxing and climbing, he also twice set world records for the highest BASE jump from a building. In 2003, he completed the first winged "freefall crossing" of the English Channel, leaping out of an aircraft and flying the rest of the way to from England to Calais in northern France with a pair of carbon wings. Though never quite in the limelight as much again as in 2012, Baumgartner continued to seek thrills throughout his life, flying loopings with helicopters and driving race cars. His long career of daredevil jumps included skydiving across the English Channel and parachuting off the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. Dividing his time between Switzerland and the US, Baumgartner commented avidly on politics and rubbed shoulders with Austrian far-right politicians in his native country. In Austria, he was also known for courting controversy with views that included expressing support for dictatorship as a system of government. On social media, he mocked the fight against climate change, actively speaking out against Green parties, and LGBTQ rights. In 2016, he faced a storm of criticism when suggesting that anti-migration Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban should win a Nobel Peace Prize for protecting his country. Baumgartner was fined £1,500 (US$2,300) after he punched a Greek truck driver in the face during a 2010 altercation that broke out in a traffic jam near Salzburg. "BIGGEST DREAM" Despite the dangers, the telegenic Baumgartner never seemed to fear having to pay the ultimate price for his passion - stressing that it was all about doing your homework. "I hate it if someone calls me a thrill-seeker or an adrenaline junkie because I am not. I like the whole planning," Baumgartner said ahead of the 2012 stunt. "When you're standing there on top of the world, you become so humble ... The only thing is you want to come back alive," Baumgartner told reporters. Shortly before leaping, in footage beamed live around the world on a crackly radio link recalling Neil Armstrong's first words on the Moon, Baumgartner had said: "Sometimes you have (to go) up really high to (understand) how small you are." Baumgartner later said that he had done the record-setting jump to "inspire people" and to "leave something to the world".
Khaleej Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Daredevil space diver Felix Baumgartner dies in paragliding accident
Austrian extreme sports pioneer Felix Baumgartner, famed for a record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space, died on Thursday in a paragliding accident in central Italy, local police said. He was 56. Baumgartner lost control of his motorised paraglider while flying over Porto Sant'Elpidio in Italy's central Marche region, and fell to the ground near the swimming pool of a hotel. The reasons for the accident were unclear. Porto Sant'Elpidio's mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, said reports suggested he may have suffered a sudden medical issue mid-air, and offered the town's condolences for the death of "a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flights." The Austrian made headlines around the world in October 2012 when, wearing a specially made suit, he jumped from a balloon 24 miles (38 km) above Earth, becoming the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, typically measured at more than 690 mph. He made the historic jump over Roswell, New Mexico, reaching a peak speed of over 833 mph (1,343 kph), on the 65th anniversary of legendary American pilot Chuck Yeager's flight shattering the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. The self-styled "God of the Skies" started parachuting as a teenager before taking up the extreme sport of BASE jumping. His long career of daredevil jumps included skydiving across the English Channel and parachuting off the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. In Austria he was also known for courting controversy with views that included expressing support for dictatorship as a system of government. Baumgartner was fined 1,500 euros after he punched a Greek truck driver in the face during a 2010 altercation that broke out in a traffic jam near Salzburg.
The Guardian
18-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Skydive pioneer Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from edge of space, dies in paragliding accident
Austrian extreme sports pioneer Felix Baumgartner, famed for a record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space, has died in a paragliding accident in central Italy, local police said. Baumgartner, who was 56, lost control of his motorised paraglider while flying over Porto Sant'Elpidio in Italy's central Marche region on Thursday and fell to the ground near the swimming pool of a hotel. The reasons for the accident were unclear. Porto Sant'Elpidio's mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, said reports suggested he may have suffered a sudden medical issue midair, and offered the town's condolences for the death of 'a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flights'. The Austrian, who was known as 'Fearless Felix', made headlines around the world in October 2012 when – wearing a specially made suit – he jumped from a balloon 38km (24 miles) above Earth, becoming the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, typically measured at more than 1,110km/h (690mph). He made the historic jump over Roswell, New Mexico, reaching a peak speed of more than 1,343km/h, during a nine-minute descent on the 65th anniversary of legendary American pilot Chuck Yeager's flight shattering the sound barrier on 14 October 1947. At one point, Baumgartner went into a potentially dangerous flat spin while still supersonic, spinning for 13 seconds, his crew later said. 'When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble,' he said after landing in the eastern New Mexico desert. 'You do not think about of breaking records any more, you do not think of about gaining scientific data. The only thing you want is to come back alive.' Baumgartner, a former Austrian military parachutist, made thousands of daredevil jumps from planes, bridges, skyscrapers and famed landmarks around the world, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil. The self-styled 'God of the Skies' started parachuting as a teenager before taking up the extreme sport of Base jumping. Other feats included skydiving across the English Channel and parachuting off the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. In recent years, he had performed with the Flying Bulls as a helicopter stunt pilot in shows across Europe. In Austria he was also known for courting controversy with views that included expressing support for dictatorship as a system of government. Baumgartner was fined €1,500 after he punched a Greek truck driver in the face during a 2010 altercation that broke out in a traffic jam near Salzburg. Baumgartner said after his record-breaking jump in 2012 that travelling faster than sound was 'hard to describe because you don't feel it'. 'Sometimes we have to get really high to see how small we are.' With Reuters and the Associated Press
Japan Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Pioneering skydiver Felix Baumgartner dies while paragliding in Italy
Austrian extreme sports pioneer Felix Baumgartner, famed for a record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space, died on Thursday in a paragliding accident in central Italy, local police said. He was 56. Baumgartner lost control of his motorised paraglider while flying over Porto Sant'Elpidio in Italy's central Marche region, and fell to the ground near the swimming pool of a hotel. The reasons for the accident were unclear. Porto Sant'Elpidio's mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, said reports suggested he may have suffered a sudden medical issue mid-air, and offered the town's condolences for the death of "a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flights." The Austrian made headlines around the world in October 2012 when, wearing a specially made suit, he jumped from a balloon 38 km above Earth, becoming the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, typically measured at more than 1,110 kph. He made the historic jump over Roswell, New Mexico, reaching a peak speed of over 833 mph (1,343 kph), on the 65th anniversary of legendary American pilot Chuck Yeager's flight shattering the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. The self-styled "God of the Skies" started parachuting as a teenager before taking up the extreme sport of BASE jumping. His long career of daredevil jumps included skydiving across the English Channel and parachuting off the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. In Austria he was also known for courting controversy with views that included expressing support for dictatorship as a system of government. Baumgartner was fined €1,500 after he punched a Greek truck driver in the face during a 2010 altercation that broke out in a traffic jam near Salzburg.
