----- Original Message ----- From: "Kevin Tarr" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, August 01, 2003 3:35 PM Subject: Re: Austrian Flies Across English Channel
> At 11:44 PM 7/31/2003 -0500, you wrote: > >See site for picture. Amazing! > > > >http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/austrian_calais_030731.html > > > >An Austrian specializing in daring stunt jumps donned a carbon fiber wing > >and flew across the English Channel on Thursday after being dropped from a > >plane. > >Felix Baumgartner made the 34-kilometer (21-mile) trip in 14 minutes, > >according to Sarah Christofi, his spokeswoman. > > > >"It's very cold up there,'' the 34-year-old Austrian said upon landing at > >Cap Blanc-Nez, near the Channel port of Calais. ``I still can feel > >nothing.'' > > > >Baumgartner, fitted out with a parachute, was lofted from an airplane some > >9,144 meters (30,000 feet) above Dover. > > > >However, he relied solely on the 1.8-meter (5.9-foot) wing attached to his > >back for the trip, opening his parachute west of Calais only to slow down > >and land. He was dropped above Dover at 6:09 a.m. and landed at 6:23 a.m., > >at one point traveling at 350 kph (217 mph) Christofi said. > > > >Despite the chill, Baumgartner said he felt ``great.'' > > > >Cloud cover obscured vision, forcing Baumgartner to follow two lead planes > >to find his way. His spaceman-like suit was equipped with cameras and > >monitoring equipment so that he could be tracked. > > > >The first man to parachute from Malaysia's Petronas Towers _ the world's > >tallest building _ Baumgartner said it wasn't by chance that he chose the > >English Channel to literally try out his wing. > > > >"The Channel fits perfectly for the performance of the wing .... There's a > >lot of spirit in this place,'' he said. > > > >The extreme sports fanatic recalled the 1909 flight across the Channel of > >French aviator Louis Bleriot. > > > >"And it's exactly 100 years ago that the Wright Brothers were doing the > >first flight with a plane,'' he said. "And now I'm here, with my little > >wing." > > > >Americans Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first powered flight, in a > >rickety airplane, in December 1903. > > > >rob > > > Wasn't there a person in the 80s who tried to cross the channel in a human > powered airplane, the pilot pedaled to turn the props? It was the gossamer albatross and it crossed on June 12th, 1979. I remember that. :-) http://www.byrongliding.com/gossamer_albatross.htm Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
