Skydiver Felix Baumgartner, known for record-breaking jump from stratosphere, dies

[4thIDvet]

Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian base jumper and skydiver renowned for his record-breaking jump from the stratosphere, died while paragliding in Italy on Thursday, local media reported.

Baumgartner, 56, lost control of his paraglider and crashed into a hotel swimming pool in the coastal town of Porto Sant’Elpidio, CNN affiliate SkyTG24 reported.

Baumgartner, who had base jumped from landmarks like the Petronas Towers in Malaysia and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, achieved international recognition in 2012 when he broke a world record by skydiving from a pressurized pod about 24 miles above the ground.

As he fell to Earth, his speed reached more than 840 mph, breaking the sound barrier.

Skydiver Felix Baumgartner, known for record-breaking jump from stratosphere, dies in paragliding crash

Hold my beer and watch this...

[rto]

This morning the news reported that he may have suffered a heart attack. His heart probably couldn't take the rush anymore. Maybe he'll reincarnate as a bird with big balls.

[44044]

I’ll just keep my feet, on the ground,

all that I can…

[aviator]

We all die. But why push the envelope?

[4thIDvet]

I was just reading i think? it is the AF F-111 is capable of such high speed and elevation that if the pilots had to bail their chances of survival were not very good. One troop who did bail he said it was like getting hit by a freight train. He suffered numerous serious injuries including a spinal. His co-pilot was sadly killed when he bailed with him. This was pre capsule invention for bailing.
Now they sit while flying in a contained capsule that stays intact all the way to the ground. Water? no problem it floats.. What a ride.

F-111 Crew Ejection! | Colonel Rob Kyrouac

F-111 Crew Ejection! | Colonel Rob Kyrouac

ADD: So why don't they have this for the astronauts..?

[Full Otto]

Must be the month for irony

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqnppnx0z1o

Fauja Singh, a British-Indian man believed to be the world's oldest marathon runner, has died after being hit by a car in India at the age of 114.
Police say Singh was crossing a road in the village where he was born in Punjab when an unidentified vehicle hit him. Locals took him to hospital, where he died.

[dinkydow]

SPLAT! Oops!

[Sanders]

I guess there are worse ways to die.

[Retvet]

You wanna live on the edge you take your chances. Eventually the odds are not in your favor.