Usually when wingsuit pilots take flight, they are jumping out of an airplane — but in this crazy video from Red Bull, they are doing the exact opposite. The two daring BASE (building, antenna, span, and Earth) jumpers featured in the clip begin their flight by leaping from the top of a mountain in the Swiss Alps and end it by maneuvering close enough to a low-flying aircraft that they can actually glide into the plane while in mid-air.
The video begins with daredevils Fred Fugen and Vince Reffet — collectively known as the Soul Flyers — climbing 13,300 feet up the Jungfrau, a massive peak located in Switzerland. The mountain makes the perfect launching spot for their high-flying escapades, which include soaring high above the Swiss Alps before approaching the slow-moving airplane.
Moving at more than 85 miles per hour — at an altitude of more than 12,000 feet — Fugen and Reffet have little room for error. The doorway that leads to the interior of the aircraft is just over 5 feet wide and 4 feet tall, which is plenty of space when climbing into the interior while on the ground. But while falling through the air at breakneck speeds, it is an incredibly small space to try to maneuver through.
Demonstrating precision control, the Soul Flyers managed to complete their mission and safely touch down inside the aircraft. In fact, their landing is surprisingly soft considering all of the variables involved in making this stunt go off without a hitch. In addition to taking into account their speed and position, the duo knew they had just 10,500-feet of altitude to play with and had 2 minutes and 45 seconds to complete their flight.
This impressive jump comes after weeks of preparation and training. In fact, the two men made more than 100 test jumps in Empuriabrava, Spain before they traveled to the Alps to try it for real. Poor weather caused them to postpone the stunt on several occasions and their first attempt met with failure as seen early on in the video. But their persistence paid off with Fugen and Reffet nailing it on their second go-round.
It’s safe to say that the bar has been lifted for future wingsuit stunts. We’re not sure how you top this one.
