Skydiver makes history by safely landing without parachute

Oxman

Oxman

Well-Known Member
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A British daredevil’s leap from a helicopter half-a-mile above the Earth on Wednesday has landed him firmly in the record books.
After landing in a field following a 2,400-foot plunge, Gary Connery has become the first skydiver to safely skydive without using a parachute, according to reports.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/skydiver-gary-connery-history-safely-landing-parachute-article-1.1083697#ixzz1vnaFEunM​
 
I've never understood why a person would try a stunt like this. There doesn't seem to be any point, other than to prove one can do it without dying. It's not like it's going to become a whole new discipline within the sport.

There are many reasons why I skydive, but simply "not dying" is not one of them.

Still, congratulations to this guy, I suppose. He definitely blazed a new path. Although I'm not sure it was worth blazing.
 
tomokc said:
Leaving an aircraft with a parachute makes you a skydiver. Leaving WITHOUT one makes you something altogether different.
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I believe he was wearing a BASE rig, intended to allow him to "bail" at the last moment if his approach to the boxes didn't look good.

BASE rigs are what you see jumpers using off towers, cliffs, bridges, etc. They're a single parachute system (no reserve parachute) designed for very fast, reliable opening, although not necessarily comfort like a sport skydiving rig. They're essentially a sport skydiver's reserve parachute packed into a special container. BASE rigs can potentially be opened as low as a couple hundred feet and still have a survivable landing.
 
Good thing he didn't have me on his team, I would've gotten too distracted building a totally awesome fort out of all those cardboard boxes and probably would've left the center open and he would've made a crater.
 
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