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chronistin

Felix Baumgartner faster than a Porter

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I read in an article (http://sport.orf.at/030609-840/index.html, german) that Mr. Baumgartner won a competition (downwards) against a Pilatus Porter in Arizona last week - during the taurus stunt awards. there are some pics in the article (click on the middle pic) but i couldn't find a video - any hints?

thx
Chronistin

Chronistin
(Home @ http://www.fallschirmspringer.net/)

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I saw the awards show on cable last night and I wasn't all that impressed with the hard wing's "stunt" aspect of it. I -was- impressed that they were able to fly in 2-abreast formation as well as they did and those shots looked pretty cool but as to the "race" aspect of it -- that was, in a word, LAME.

As for finding a clip on-line, you might be able to do that in a couple of days. ;)
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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iThink the airplane pilot was far from pushing it to the limit, so it wasn't actually a race... just something to show the mostly-whuffo public.
They shoulda shown that recent canopy-wingsuit docking, that was way cool.

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Well, the entire point was to show the Red Bull logo so I'm not really sure the canopy/wingsuit dock would have ever been a consideration since that wasn't a jump sponsored by Red Bull nor did it include Felix.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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Well, the entire point was to show the Red Bull logo



You are so right. but at least it's kind of positive news for my site after this terrible weekend.

gree'z
chronistin (hoping for a hint when the video emerges...) :)

Chronistin
(Home @ http://www.fallschirmspringer.net/)

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OK. So the wierdest thing about the enitre show, I thought, was Tim Rigby and BJ Worth, talking very respectfully about Harry O'Conner. All this is on the up and up and it's actually quite touching and very good stuff by a couple of very well respected skydivers and stunt folk.

THEN, they start talking about Felix's accomplishments . . . and, uh, I guess whatever pays the rent.

Now, that said, another skydiver, who ya just gotta love and respect and take pretty much everything she says as the gospel truth, was at the awards as part of Felix's ground crew and tells me this fantastic story about how Felix does this incredible demo onto the stage. Ok, an actual stunt that could have garnered some real honest to goodness credibility from skydivers, whuffos and maybe even some BASE folks, but the awards show DOESN'T SHOW IT!

Further, there's a guy in my office that's a member of the Stuntman's Association and he just couldn't figure out WTF was up and why everyone was making such a big freekin' deal over Felix being "the greatest skydiver ever" or whatever they ended up calling him as he waltzed on stage at the end of the show. I mean, whuffos could even see through the marketing hype surrounding the hard-wing thing.

So, ya gotta ask youself a couple of questions here . . . ever see the movie Citizen Kane? What does one have to do in order to get their own opera house built for them?
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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Hey !

Lets remember that Felix is bringing a lot of publicity to our sport. This can be only a good thing. Theres nothing bad on promoting your self. Is it somehow taken away from you if someone gets publicity, and sponsorships ?


I notice a lot of people already have a strong opinion on this guy even if they have never met him. Now I havent met Felix and that is the reason why I wouldnt judge the guy.

Even if I would have met him, and if I would not like him for some reason, I would propably keep it to my self..


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So, ya gotta ask youself a couple of questions here . . . ever see the movie Citizen Kane? What does one have to do in order to get their own opera house built for them?



Well Heres another one :

What does one have to do in order to become hated ?

-->Become famous


Anyone else smell the jealousy in the air ?

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What does one have to do in order to become hated

Do illegal jumps from helicopters from only a couple of hundred feet (above an audience...fuck up and several people die) and cause a lot of problems for skydivers and base-jumpers in Holland and South Africa by doing so? :)??
JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

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Do you have an on-line reference to the story about him doing a jump and killing people.

I've done a pretty good search, but I can't seem to find anything to confirm this. There's a TON of stuff on-line about Felix and his exploits, but unfortunately, I'm a pretty stupid American and can only read English.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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i think he means "possibly" killing people Q. pushing the envelop in ways that risks peoples lives who are completely unaware that its being done..
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Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

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Ahhh, OK, I have on-line documentation of that. Any actual deaths of specatators was going to bump the heat of this discussion up a notch or two. ;)

Here's something interesting though, Felix has been talking about this flight over the English channel with a hard wing for at least a couple of years now. What's the freekin' hold up?

Also, he talks about going up to about 30,000 ft to start his attempt but then going head down to about 300 mph in order to build up enough speed so he can plane out and make it possible with a speed of about 150 mph. I'm guessing when he said this he didn't have a clue as to what the term Vg meant. Nor does it appear as if he had read the SKYRAY Manual which says it's best glide airspeed is about 220 kph or about 137mph.

Also, the English Channel is about 21 miles across at it's closest point, from 30,000 feet that's a required glide ratio of about 3.7:1 which would actually make it pretty difficult as a cross-country even if he deployed right out of the aircraft. I dunno what kinda glide ratio he's getting outta the hard wing, but my guess is that it's not up to the task. At least not according to the SKYRAY Manual which says that it should have a glide ratio of about 2:1 to 3:1.

Hope he trys to prove me wrong in the near future.

According to his website, http://www.felixbaumgartner.com/ he's planning an attempt this summer.

If he makes it, I may even join his fan club. You can too if you visit his web site. ;)
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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Also, the English Channel is about 21 miles across at it's closest point, from 30,000 feet that's a required glide ratio of about 3.7:1 which would actually make it pretty difficult as a cross-country even if he deployed right out of the aircraft. I dunno what kinda glide ratio he's getting outta the hard wing, but my guess is that it's not up to the task. At least not according to the SKYRAY Manual which says that it should have a glide ratio of about 2:1 to 3:1.




This is maybe not germane, but I believe a cross-country over the Channel was done many years ago...early 80's...by people dumping high with screamer uppers happening. If he had high enough upper winds he may be able to pull if off with the hard wing..depending on the glide ratio of the wing. Canopies of the early 80's likely didn't have a 3:1 glide ratio.
--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

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Old Parachutist or Skydiving would be where I saw the account of the cross-country. Unfortunately I tossed my Skydiving mags the last time I moved (I've been a subscriber since 1981)
--
Murray

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey

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I was refering to the low-opening jumps Felix often does at different events. While I think it's extremely cool, I've heard several people complain that it's irresponsible to do a +-200ft opening directly above an audience. In case of a long snivel or total mal. you'd take out several people below.

I think the (Dutch USPA variant) KNVvL sent him a warning for this, since it was basicly a skydiving demo with base-gear and a (too) low opening, and all was done without the needed paper-work.

But check his site...DAMN that skyray thing is cool.
If you see him streaking across the sky, making fighter-jet like barrel-rolls it is realy something amazing. He seems to streak by a lot faster then a reg. birdman suit...

I think a lot of ciritisism also comes from envy...because damn! He just has the coolest toys and does the coolest things :)
JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

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I think the (Dutch USPA variant) KNVvL sent him a warning for this,....



they did

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I think a lot of ciritisism also comes from envy...because damn! He just has the coolest toys and does the coolest things :)



and die the coolest way
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www.youtube.com/l0013

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>I think a lot of ciritisism also comes from envy...because damn! He just has the coolest toys and does the coolest things

I'm yet to see Joe Jennings, Troy Hartman, Loic, or dozen's of other jumpers take flack like Felix does. They all have done things just as cool as Felix (Loic and the Wingsuit down the mountian, Troy all over MTV, Joe and the cars), but since they don't have the attitude behind them that Felix does they are viewed differently.

He's pissed the BASE community off by burning objects/events that he just walks up's and jumps with out respecting locals that have guarded the object/event for years. TomA had this to say about his BASE abilities...

If Red Bull dropped him tommorrow that would probally be the last anyone would hear about Felix since they provide him his toys.
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

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