The longing to fly
THROUGHOUT HISTORY, there have been innumerable accounts of people trying to fly. These stories go all the way back to ancient Greek mythology. In one Greek myth, a famous inventor called Daedalus lost favor with King Minos, and he and his son Icarus were locked up in a tower on the island of Crete. Daedalus planned to make his escape from prison, but he knew that even if he escaped from the prison, he could not leave the island by ship. This was because the king kept strict control over all the vessels that sailed from the island. Daedalus thought, “ Minos may control the land and sea, but not the air. I will try way.”
So Daedalus designed wings made of feathers and wax and made pairs for himself and his young son. Before their flight to freedom, he warned Icarus not to fly too low, for the wings would touch the water and get wet, nor too high for the sun could melt the wax. But once in the air, young Icarus was so overcome with the thrill of flying that he forgot his father’s warning and flew too close to the sun. Sure enough, the sun melted the wax on his wings, and he fell into the sea below and drowned. He should have listened to his father…
FELIX BAUMGARTNER’S ACHIEVEMENT is not a myth, but a real-life example of someone who was able to fly on his own like Daedalus and Icarus. This Austrian extreme sports legend has pushed the boundaries of free-flying by crossing the English Channel, with a carbon wing strapped to his back. On July 31, 2003, Felix skydived from a plane above Dover, England, and 35 kilometers away in Cap Blanc-Nez near Calais, France, just 14 minutes later. He wore only an aerodynamic jumpsuit, an oxygen tank from which to breathe, and a parachute to land. His wing had carried him across the Channel!
Just after landing he told reporters that he was exhausted, but the jump had been “great.” He said: “It was total freedom. You’re alone up there, there’s just you, your equipment, your wing, and your skills. I was flying over the clouds. I couldn’t see the other side, so I had no reference point.”
Baumgartner reached speeds of 360 kilometers per hour and endured temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius. A single mistake in the way he used his body could have put him off course and might have been very dangerous. He had prepared for three years for this flight, with rigorous training, including strapping himself on to the top of a speeding Porsche.
The Austrian daredevil is still thirsty for a new challenge and says that if he had known the flight across the Channel was so awesome, he would have attempted it sooner