Gary Connery: stuntman completes 2400ft skydive without a parachute

The Telegraph ^ | 23 May 2012 | Andrew Hough, and Richard Alleyne

[jwsea55]

There is a video on the article page.

[az_gila]

You would think that a UK journalist could at least do a Google search.

Lots of folks remember the story of the WWII RAF tail gunner who jumped out of a Lancaster bomber at 18,000 ft and only suffered a sprained leg.

Full story here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Alkemade

Don't newspapers do any research any more?

[Vendome]

If I ever have cancer that goes on my bucket list.

[sockmonkey]

If I ever have cancer that goes on my bucket list.

Whoa, you better start saving cardboard boxes..what'd it say, 18,600 of them?

[gunsequalfreedom]

Thanks for the link. Interesting read. That guy gets the record for highest fall without a parachute while expecting to die. The guy in this post gets the record doing it and expecting to live. The reporter just left that part out.

[luvbach1]

...wing suit that started to fly...

Not quite a parachute but obviously a device to slow him down. Next stunt will have to be someone jumping from 3,000 feet onto boxes wearing only briefs.

[tired&retired]

Flight Sergeant Nicholas Stephen Alkemade (1923–1987) was a tail gunner for a Royal Air Force Avro Lancaster bomber during World War II who survived a fall of 18,000 feet (5500 m) without a parachute after his plane was shot down over Germany.Ivan Chisov, Soviet Airforce Lieutenant who survived falling from his aircraft in 1942 Alan Magee, American, World War II airman, who survived 22,000-foot (6,700 m) fall from his damaged B-17 Vesna Vulović, Serbian flight–attendant, who survived the mid-air breakup of her aircraft in 1972 When did 2400 feet become "nearly a mile?"

[tired&retired]

If he jumped 2400 feet to land on 18,600 cardboard boxes, they must have been flat boxes. That many boxes can make a pretty high stack.

Wonder if they were filled with Styrofoam peanuts?

[Venturer]

Wonder if they were filled with Styrofoam peanuts?

No: But his head is. No brain there.

[Riley]

Next stunt will have to be someone jumping from 3,000 feet onto boxes wearing only briefs.

Eventually- someone will jump from the International Space Station wearing only some sunblock, goggles and a SCUBA tank, and land on a damp sponge.

:-P

[HerrBlucher]

They were lined up to create a cushioned “runway” for him to land. He was wearing a very large wingsuit which created lift and forward motion. He was a human flying squirrel. There certainly was a great danger of him missing the runway and so it took a bit of skill, and nerve, to control the “glide” in order to hit the runway, so to speak.

[HerrBlucher]

They were lined up to create a cushioned “runway” for him to land. He was wearing a very large wingsuit which created lift and forward motion. He was a human flying squirrel. There certainly was a great danger of him missing the runway and so it took a bit of skill, and nerve, to control the “glide” in order to hit the runway, so to speak.

[SamAdams76]

I think the video linked here is even more amazing. This shows the jump from above and you can get a better grasp of just how little the margin for error was.

[Chode]

the completing of it was never in doubt, only surviving it was... good on him

[Vendome]

I’ll turn the whole thing into a charity event with me as the donor of course but, since I will also be the entertainment.....

Yeah, it will be billed as the “Live and Let Die” tour.

[jwsea55]

Thanks for all the links! Great link by SamAdams on different view. Another great flying squirrel is Jeb Corbliss Grinding the Crack

uhhhhhhhhh...this one is probably missing my bucketlist, rather have fun with the new Toyota FR-S/GT-86...this thing looks like an absolute blast. Greddy already has this thing tuned to 600HP.

[az_gila]

Flight Sergeant Nicholas Stephen Alkemade (1923–1987) was a tail gunner for a Royal Air Force Avro Lancaster bomber during World War II who survived a fall of 18,000 feet (5500 m) without a parachute after his plane was shot down over Germany.Ivan Chisov, Soviet Airforce Lieutenant who survived falling from his aircraft in 1942 Alan Magee, American, World War II airman, who survived 22,000-foot (6,700 m) fall from his damaged B-17 Vesna Vulović, Serbian flight–attendant, who survived the mid-air breakup of her aircraft in 1972 When did 2400 feet become "nearly a mile?"

---------------------------

Thanks for the extra cases, I thought it was a B-17 in WWII I remembered, but Google found the RAF Lancaster. It just shows the reporter missed even more occurrences...:^)

[Delta 21]

Yeah, he was wearing his parachute.

Lets see him HALO jump in his skivies onto a pile of angle farts! Now THAT would be impressive.

[Chode]

no helmet, even though he didn't push the car to it's limit, i can't tell if it too much confidence or not enough brains...