Latest news with #Felix Baumgartner
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Wife shares final footage of Red Bull space jump icon Felix Baumgartner
The grieving partner of famed skydiver Felix Baumgartner shared tragic footage of the extreme athlete's final flight — just moments before he crashed and died. The 56-year-old — who was renowned as the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound — died in a paragliding accident in the Italian town of Porto Sant'Elpidio. The Austrian daredevil reportedly fell ill and lost consciousness while flying a motorised paraglider. Video shared by Baumgartner's longtime partner shows him preparing his parachute and starting the propeller of his paraglider before taking off into the cloudless summer sky. 'I was filming him taking off not knowing that this will be his last flight of his extraordinary life,' Miha Schwartzenberg, 55, who was with Baumgartner since 2014, wrote in a social media post accompanying the video which you can watch above. 'For over 12y I was there for every take off and landing, from skydiving, paragliding, helicopter flights, paramotor to aerobatic shows,' she wrote, adding that he was 'going home now, up there, where he was the happiest ever.' In the short clip, the adrenaline junkie is seen wearing shorts and a crash helmet as he fires up his propeller pack and runs across the grass to get airborne. As his wing fills with air and lifts him up from the ground, he tucks in his legs. Baumgartner achieved global fame in 2012 when he successfully skydived 24 miles from the edge of space to the ground, becoming the first human to break the sound barrier with only his body. Schwartzenberg also recalled how when she hadn't been able to attend her partner's skydives, the couple had a 'WLC code,' or 'the Wifey Landing call,' when he got to the ground. 'Never missed one. Except … this one,' she added. The exact circumstances behind Baumgartner's death are still under investigation. The Red Bull-sponsored athlete is believed to have fallen ill midair which caused him to lose control and crash to the ground, into the side of a swimming pool, killing him instantly. A hotel employee on the ground was also injured in the fall when the paraglider struck them. Schwartzenberg, a Romanian-born TV presenter, also praised Baumgartner's fans who have reached out to her since her partner's tragic death. 'Thank you all for your support and for keeping his unique legacy high up. This man was truly special, in so many ways, and I'll make sure I'll keep telling his story,' she wrote. 'But now…., I have to deal with the shock, the pain, the sunrises where I get to make just one coffee, not two,' she said.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Daredevil Felix Baumgartner dies in paragliding accident in Italy
Felix Baumgartner, the daredevil who made a record-breaking parachute jump from the stratosphere in 2012, died Thursday in a paragliding accident in Italy, a local mayor confirmed. Firefighters who responded to the scene said they found a paraglider that had crashed into the side of a swimming pool in the city of Porto Sant Elpidio, on central Italy's eastern coast. "Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight," the town's mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, said on Facebook. Ciarpella told The Associated Press that the extreme athlete had been in the area on vacation. Witnesses told The Associated Press they heard a loud boom as the paraglider spun out of control. Mirella Ivanov, 30, told AP she was in the area with her two young children when they saw the paraglider lose control. "Everything was normal, then it started to spin like a top," Ivanov said Friday. "It went down and we heard a roar. In fact, I turned around because I thought it crashed on the rocks." Baumgartner, 56, made global headlines in 2012 when he was lifted into the stratosphere, about 24 miles up, in a capsule carried by a helium balloon, and then parachuted down to a landing in New Mexico. During the jump, he broke the record for fastest free fall, descending at about 843.6 mph and becoming the first human to break the sound barrier without the assistance of a vehicle. Originally from Austria, Baumgartner began skydiving at age 16 and further honed his skills in the Austrian military, according to his personal website. In 1988, he teamed up with Red Bull, which sponsored the stratosphere jump under the Stratos project and many other daring feats. The training and planning for the 2012 Stratos jump took five years. Among the records Baumgartner would break that day was highest jump, which had been held by Air Force Capt. Joe Kittinger since 1960, when he leapt from an open-air gondola basket that rose to 102,000 feet. Kittinger would go on to train Baumgartner for the record-breaking Stratos jump. (Baumgartner's height record was broken two years later.) In addition to skydiving, Baumgartner was an accomplished BASE jumper, breaking two records in 1999: highest BASE jump and lowest BASE jump. The low jump, which he took from one of the hands of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, was only 95 feet. The high jump was taken from the 88th floor of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, although that record has since been broken and is currently held by the late Valery Rozov, who jumped from Cho Oyu in 2016. Baumgartner was also a helicopter pilot and was part of Red Bull's aerial acrobatics team. "Ever since I was a child, I have always wanted to jump out of a plane," Baumgartner told Red Bull in an interview after becoming a licensed helicopter pilot. "For Red Bull Stratos, we had a very long list of 'what ifs,' in other words eventualities that could happen and how we would deal with them in an emergency. The list kept getting longer and longer. I was only afraid of the things that were not on the list. The things we had not thought of," he told Red Bull, adding: "To this day, I abort missions if the conditions are not right." While Baumgartner's stunts inspired millions, his political views were known to cause controversy. On social media, he mocked climate activists and others who sought to limit the effects of climate change, and voiced opposition to LGBTQ rights, according to the AFP news agency. He also once suggested Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his anti-immigration policies. Wall Street Journal reports Trump sent "bawdy" birthday letter to Epstein, Trump threatens to sue Medical expert on Trump's chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis Americans on whether the U.S. should return to the moon, travel to Mars Solve the daily Crossword
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Witness heard loud boom seconds before fatal Felix Baumgartner crash
Beachgoers knew something was wrong when they heard a loud boom ring out as a paraglider spun out of control, before killing its only occupant, extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, when it crashed next to a swimming pool near the Adriatic Sea. A 30-year-old mother watched the deadly descent unfold Thursday afternoon from nearby with her two young children, who were entranced by the constant traffic of paragliders above the beach town of Porto Sant'Elipido in central Italy's Marche region. 'Everything was normal, then it started to spin like a top,'' Mirella Ivanov said on Friday. 'It went down and we heard a roar. In fact, I turned around because I thought it crashed on the rocks. Then I saw two lifeguards running, people who were running toward' the crash site. When she saw people trying to revive the occupant, she hustled her two children away. The city's mayor confirmed the death of 56-year-old Baumgartner, who was renowned as the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound. The cause of the paragliding accident was under investigation. Police did not return calls asking for comment. 'It is a destiny that is very hard to comprehend for a man who has broken all kinds of records, who has been an icon of flight, and who travelled through space,' Mayor Massimiliano Ciarpella told The Associated Press. Ciarpella said that Baumgartner had been in the area on vacation, and that investigators believed he may have fallen ill during the fatal flight. Baumgartner's social media feed features videos of him in recent days flying on a motorised paraglider – known as paramotoring – above seaside towns, and taking off from a nearby airfield surrounded by cornfields. The Clube de Sole Le Mimose beachside resort where the crash occurred said in a statement that an employee who was 'slightly injured' in the accident was in good condition. No guests were injured, and the pool has been reopened. In 2012, Baumgartner, known as 'Fearless Felix,' became the first human to break the sound barrier with only his body. He wore a pressurised suit and jumped from a capsule hoisted more than 24 miles (39 kilometres) above Earth by a giant helium balloon over New Mexico. The Austrian, who was part of the Red Bull Stratos team, topped out at 843.6 mph (1,357.6km/h) – the equivalent of 1.25 times the speed of sound – during a nine-minute descent. At one point, he went into a potentially dangerous flat spin while still supersonic, spinning for 13 seconds, his crew later said. In 2012, millions watched YouTube's livestream as Baumgartner coolly flashed a thumbs-up when he came out of the capsule high above Earth and then activated his parachute as he neared the ground, lifting his arms in victory after he landed. Baumgartner's altitude record stood for two years until Google executive Alan Eustace set new marks for the highest free-fall jump and greatest free-fall distance. Baumgartner, a former Austrian military parachutist, made thousands of jumps from planes, bridges, skyscrapers and famed landmarks, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil. In 2003, he flew across the English Channel in a carbon fibre wing after being dropped from a plane. In recent years, he performed with The Flying Bulls, an aviation team owned and operated by Red Bull, as a helicopter stunt pilot in shows across Europe. Red Bull paid Baumgartner tribute in a post Friday, calling him 'precise, demanding and critical. With others, but above all toward yourself.' The statement underlined the research and courage with which Baumgartner confronted 'the greatest challenges.' 'No detail was too small, no risk too great, because you were capable of calculating it,'' Red Bull said.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Witnesses to Felix Baumgartner's fatal paragliding crash heard large boom as it spun to the ground
Beachgoers knew something was wrong when they heard a loud boom ring out as a paraglider spun out of control, killing its only occupant, extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, when it crashed next to a swimming pool near the Adriatic Sea. A 30-year-old mother watched the deadly descent unfold Thursday afternoon from nearby with her two young children, who were entranced by the constant traffic of paragliders above the beach town of Porto Sant'Elipido in central Italy's Marche region. 'Everything was normal, then it started to spin like a top,'' Mirella Ivanov said Friday. 'It went down and we heard a roar. In fact, I turned around because I thought it crashed on the rocks. Then I saw two lifeguards running, people who were running toward' the crash site. When she saw people trying to revive the occupant, she scurried her two children away. The city's mayor confirmed the death of 56-year-old Baumgartner, who was renowned as the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound. The cause of the paragliding accident was under investigation. Police did not return calls for comment. 'Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight,' Mayor Massimiliano Ciarpella said. The Clube de Sole Le Mimose beachside resort where the crash occurred said in a statement that an employee who was 'slightly injured' in the accident was in good condition. No guests were injured, and the pool has been reopened. Baumgartner, known as 'Fearless Felix,' became the first human to break the sound barrier with only his body in 2012. He wore a pressurized suit and jumped from a capsule hoisted more than 24 miles (39 kilometers) above Earth by a giant helium balloon over New Mexico. The Austrian, who was part of the Red Bull Stratos team, topped out at 843.6 mph — the equivalent of 1.25 times the speed of sound — during a nine-minute descent. At one point, he went into a potentially dangerous flat spin while still supersonic, spinning for 13 seconds, his crew later said. Baumgartner's altitude record stood for two years until Google executive Alan Eustace set new marks for the highest free-fall jump and greatest free-fall distance. In 2012, millions watched YouTube's livestream as Baumgartner coolly flashed a thumbs-up when he came out of the capsule high above Earth and then activated his parachute as he neared the ground, lifting his arms in victory after he landed. Baumgartner, a former Austrian military parachutist, made thousands of jumps from planes, bridges, skyscrapers and famed landmarks, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil. In 2003, he flew across the English Channel in a carbon fiber wing after being dropped from a plane. In recent years, he performed with The Flying Bulls, an aviation team owned and operated by Red Bull, as a helicopter stunt pilot in shows across Europe. Red Bull paid Baumgartner tribute in a post Friday, calling him 'precise, demanding and critical. With others, but above all toward yourself.' The statement underlined the research and courage with which Baumgartner confronted 'the greatest challenges.' 'No detail was too small, no risk too great, because you were capable of calculating it,'' Red Bull said.
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Witnesses to Felix Baumgartner's fatal paragliding crash heard large boom as it spun to the ground
PORTO SANT'ELIPIDO, Italy (AP) — Beachgoers knew something was wrong when they heard a loud boom ring out as a paraglider spun out of control, killing its only occupant, extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, when it crashed next to a swimming pool near the Adriatic Sea. A 30-year-old mother watched the deadly descent unfold Thursday afternoon from nearby with her two young children, who were entranced by the constant traffic of paragliders above the beach town of Porto Sant'Elipido in central Italy's Marche region. 'Everything was normal, then it started to spin like a top,'' Mirella Ivanov said Friday. 'It went down and we heard a roar. In fact, I turned around because I thought it crashed on the rocks. Then I saw two lifeguards running, people who were running toward' the crash site. When she saw people trying to revive the occupant, she scurried her two children away. The city's mayor confirmed the death of 56-year-old Baumgartner, who was renowned as the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound. The cause of the paragliding accident was under investigation. Police did not return calls for comment. 'Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight,' Mayor Massimiliano Ciarpella said. The Clube de Sole Le Mimose beachside resort where the crash occurred said in a statement that an employee who was 'slightly injured' in the accident was in good condition. No guests were injured, and the pool has been reopened. Baumgartner, known as 'Fearless Felix,' became the first human to break the sound barrier with only his body in 2012. He wore a pressurized suit and jumped from a capsule hoisted more than 24 miles (39 kilometers) above Earth by a giant helium balloon over New Mexico. The Austrian, who was part of the Red Bull Stratos team, topped out at 843.6 mph — the equivalent of 1.25 times the speed of sound — during a nine-minute descent. At one point, he went into a potentially dangerous flat spin while still supersonic, spinning for 13 seconds, his crew later said. Baumgartner's altitude record stood for two years until Google executive Alan Eustace set new marks for the highest free-fall jump and greatest free-fall distance. In 2012, millions watched YouTube's livestream as Baumgartner coolly flashed a thumbs-up when he came out of the capsule high above Earth and then activated his parachute as he neared the ground, lifting his arms in victory after he landed. Baumgartner, a former Austrian military parachutist, made thousands of jumps from planes, bridges, skyscrapers and famed landmarks, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil. In 2003, he flew across the English Channel in a carbon fiber wing after being dropped from a plane. In recent years, he performed with The Flying Bulls, an aviation team owned and operated by Red Bull, as a helicopter stunt pilot in shows across Europe. Red Bull paid Baumgartner tribute in a post Friday, calling him 'precise, demanding and critical. With others, but above all toward yourself.' The statement underlined the research and courage with which Baumgartner confronted 'the greatest challenges.' 'No detail was too small, no risk too great, because you were capable of calculating it,'' Red Bull said.
