DailyDirt: Sky Diving Without A Parachute....

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Wed, May 13th 2015 5:00pm — Michael Ho

We've mentioned Gary Connery before for his stunt of jumping out of a helicopter at 2,400 feet without a parachute -- which is a pretty high altitude, but not exactly an Alan Eustace or Felix Baumgartner record-breaking altitude. Sky diving without a parachute is generally a once-in-a-lifetime experience, though. But there are some exceptions.

If you find yourself free falling at 35,000 feet in the air, there are some tips to remember. More than a handful of people have survived falling from incredible heights, and a collection of their stories is available for research purposes. A person's terminal velocity is about 120 mph, and you should try to lower that speed by creating as much drag as you possibly can (spread out your limbs, etc) -- aim for mud or snow (water is actually not a good substance to land in) and try not to land on your head. [url]
Scott Plamer jumped out of a plane without a parachute, but he had a jump partner with a parachute and a harness that could secure Plamer for a tandem controlled descent. So this stunt was a variation of a Banzai skydive -- the most dangerous category in the Guinness Book of World Records that is still accepted. [url]
Luke Aikins is planning a skydive from 25,000 feet without a parachute. In lieu of a parachute, Aikins will be falling into a 100 x 100 foot "deceleration net" to break his fall. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: alan eustace, banzai skydive, felix baumgartner, free falling, gary connery, luke aikins, parachute, scott plamer, sky diving

6 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Anonymous Coward, 13 May 2015 @ 5:47pm

The first sky-diving exhibition I witnessed was as a 5 year old and the first diver owned a parachute that failed to open. I could not understand why the remainder of the exhibition was canceled and I was so disappointed.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 13 May 2015 @ 6:32pm

I can think a few that I should like to see sky dive without a chute.

Whistles...

Blue, here blue...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Ninja (profile), 14 May 2015 @ 3:50am
  
  Re:
  Preferably with hands and feet tied and in an induced comma, head first.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Just Another Anonymous Troll, 14 May 2015 @ 7:24am
    
    Re: Re:
    an induced comma
    I suppose that would be the end of his trolling, period.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 14 May 2015 @ 10:54am

Ok some serious must watch video is that of the Jetman and his apprentice he built a four engine jet pack with a small wing that he straps to his back www.nextchapter.jetman.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czy0pXRRZcs
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Parker Mason (profile), 14 May 2015 @ 7:10pm

Why Daily Deals?
Is this Daily Deals thing new?

What happened StumbleUpon? And how come you guys started these more miscellaneous posts in the first place?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]