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https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/17/sport/felix-baumgartner-dies-in- paragliding-crash-spt

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.

The apparatus struck a woman who was not seriously injured, according to SkyTG24.

Italy’s national broadcaster RAI reported that authorities are working to determine the exact cause of the crash.

CNN has reached out to Baumgartner’s representatives.

The mayor of Porto Sant’Elpidio, Massimiliano Ciarpella, said on his
official Facebook page that his community was “deeply affected” by the
death of Baumgartner, who he called a “symbol of courage.”

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.

Red Bull, which sponsored Baumgartner’s record-breaking feat, issued a statement Thursday stating in part, “We are shocked and overwhelmed with sadness to hear the devastating news of our longtime friend Felix
Baumgartner.

“Felix was “born to fly” and was determined to push the limits. He was
also smart, professional, thorough, and meticulous, never leaving anything
to chance. He was generous, giving much of his time to help and inspiring
so many people.”

A decade after his famed leap, he described to CNN how he felt at that
moment.

“I’m standing there on top of the world outside of a capsule in space and
in the stratosphere. I looked around the sky above me was completely
black,” Baumgartner told CNN Sport’s Patrick Snell.

“I was really trying to inhale that moment,” he added.

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

The so-called Red Bull Stratos freefall took six years to plan as the team worked out every detail of the jump.

“We thought, we’re going to build the capsule, build the pressure suit, practice for a while, and then we go all the way up to the stratosphere
and come back to Earth at supersonic speed,” said Baumgartner.

“Sometimes we’d go into a meeting with three problems and then leave that meeting eight hours later with another five … and no solution for the
previous problems.”

To get Baumgartner up to the stratosphere, his team had to construct a
helium balloon the size of 33 football pitches, weighing 3,708lbs. It took
as many as 20 people to move without damaging the balloon’s material,
which was 10 times thinner than a sandwich bag.

But the biggest threat to the project was perhaps the most unforeseen – Baumgartner’s mental fortitude.

The suit had to be both pressurized and able to handle temperatures of
minus 72° Celsius (minus 97.6° Fahrenheit).

“It’s very uncomfortable,” said Baumgartner. “You have a total lack of mobility. It always feels like you’re breathing through a pillow. You’re completely separated from the outside world. So once the visor is down,
all you can hear is yourself breathing.”

Soon after landing, Baumgartner said he struggled to process his emotions
as he approached the Earth.

“I had tears in my eyes when I was coming back a couple of times because
you’re sitting there and you thought about that moment so many times, you
know, how it would feel and how it would look like.”

“And this is way bigger than I had anticipated,” he said.


--
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
forward to America being great again.

We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.

Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama
/ Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

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