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Felix Baumgartner, daredevil who jumped from the stratosphere, dies in paragliding accident at age 56
CBS News ^ | July 18, 2025 | Jordan Freiman

Posted on 07/18/2025 8:29:47 AM PDT by fwdude

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.

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.

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: cannonball; felixbaumgartner; italy; jokeswritethemselves
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Sad news. This guy had me hyped for weeks with his sky/space diving feat.
1 posted on 07/18/2025 8:29:47 AM PDT by fwdude
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To: fwdude

>a paraglider that had crashed into the side of a swimming pool

So the pool was empty or?


2 posted on 07/18/2025 8:35:35 AM PDT by struggle
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To: fwdude

i watched the video of his space dive this morning- again...man that was sick....still don’t understand how the balloon didn’t burn up going through the atmosphere and he didn’t burn up dropping through the atmosphere...


3 posted on 07/18/2025 8:36:27 AM PDT by God luvs America
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To: struggle

Not too smart. Remember Carl Wallenda?


4 posted on 07/18/2025 8:36:50 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: fwdude

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.


sounds like a good guy.


5 posted on 07/18/2025 8:36:57 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued, but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere)
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To: fwdude
Poster previously:

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4329247/posts

6 posted on 07/18/2025 8:37:57 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: DIRTYSECRET

>Not too smart. Remember Carl Wallenda?

I’m guessing that he had engine trouble and tried to crash into a pool but found that was empty too late.


7 posted on 07/18/2025 8:43:43 AM PDT by struggle
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...

8 posted on 07/18/2025 8:48:15 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (The moron troll Ted Holden believes that humans originated on Ganymede.)
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To: struggle

One line of speculation is he had a heart attack and was dead before he crashed.


9 posted on 07/18/2025 8:54:02 AM PDT by EVO X ( )
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To: fwdude

That’s the thing about luck, it runs out.

The world is trying to kill you, don’t give it any help.


10 posted on 07/18/2025 9:06:50 AM PDT by usurper (AI was born with a birth defect.)
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To: God luvs America
..still don’t understand how the balloon didn’t burn up going through the atmosphere and he didn’t burn up dropping through the atmosphere...

He was wearing what they call "a space suit."

11 posted on 07/18/2025 9:07:02 AM PDT by fwdude (Why is there a "far/radical right," but damned if they'll admit that there is a far/radical left?)
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To: struggle
I’m guessing that he had engine trouble and tried to crash into a pool but found that was empty too late.

The para-glider will land with no problems with the engine out. I suspect a medical emergency.

12 posted on 07/18/2025 9:07:15 AM PDT by cpdiii (cane cutter, deckhand, oilfield roughneck, drilling fluid tech, geologist, pilot, pharmacist ,MAGA)
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To: fwdude

interesting....never heard of it....


13 posted on 07/18/2025 9:07:42 AM PDT by God luvs America
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To: T.B. Yoits

That’s weird. I did a site search on his name and came up with nothing.


14 posted on 07/18/2025 9:08:43 AM PDT by fwdude (Why is there a "far/radical right," but damned if they'll admit that there is a far/radical left?)
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To: usurper
The world is trying to kill you, don’t give it any help.

So are Wham-O toys.

15 posted on 07/18/2025 9:13:05 AM PDT by fwdude (Why is there a "far/radical right," but damned if they'll admit that there is a far/radical left?)
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To: fwdude
And somehow most of us managed to survive these too.

IMG-2274

16 posted on 07/18/2025 9:30:23 AM PDT by dznutz
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To: fwdude

darwin award


17 posted on 07/18/2025 9:36:25 AM PDT by pissant ((Deport 'em all))
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To: dznutz

what could go wrong?


18 posted on 07/18/2025 9:36:30 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: 1Old Pro

😂


19 posted on 07/18/2025 10:21:17 AM PDT by dznutz
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To: pissant

His bio does not include children so it looks like you are spot on with that.


20 posted on 07/18/2025 10:25:01 AM PDT by higgmeister (In the Shadow of The Big Chicken! )
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