A helicopter, 2,000 feet and a wingsuit

Scott Andrew Birdby Scott Andrew Bird | March 18, 2008
Filed in events


Terminal InsanityVia Outdoorzy : I'm sure everyone's seen the infamous 'flying squirrel' wingsuit videos (if not, head over here). Former Stunt Junkies host Jeb Corliss says he's now less than 6 months away from landing in one of the suits - without using a parachute.

To put this to the test he has the following stunt in mind :

1. Corliss will jump from a helicopter at 2,000 feet and spread his arms and legs to engage the wing suit. Then he’ll take a 45-degree descent angle—15 times steeper than that of an aircraft—toward the runway.

2. Within ten seconds, Corliss will reach 100 miles per hour—terminal velocity. He’ll align his approach with aid from a series of weather balloons extending from the runway.

3. If he’s on course, Corliss will touch down inside the tube—enclosed to keep him from launching into the cityscape—then slide to a stop. His top priority: Skid, don’t roll. Then he’ll do it all again. “The engineers have figured it out,” he says. “I’m going to do this two or three times in one day.”

4. According to Corliss, the runway’s composition is essential. So what is it made of? “Dude, I can’t talk about that,” he says. “We’re working with a group that develops deceleration systems for NASA.”

5. If Corliss doesn’t think he’s on target for the runway, he’ll make a sharp mid-air turn and pull an emergency chute while he’s still at least 200 feet off the ground.

Look forward to it.



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