Sputnik Nutter!

[IrishGolfer]

and they say Red Bull gives you wings!!!


WORLD-RENOWNED Swiss wingsuit flyer Ueli "Sputnik" Gegenschatz has flown unaided for 17.6km -- believed to be the longest wingsuit flight ever.

Sputnik, who recently base jumped from the world famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, travelled to the west coast of Ireland to complete a unique jump on Tuesday, called Red Bull Race Against the Machine!

Sputnik flew unaided a distance of 17.6kms, gliding from above the edge of Inis Mor over Galway Bay to Connemara regional airport near Inverin in County Galway.

Sputnik also beat the flight time of the Aer Arann Islander passenger aircraft, which travels this route daily, by a full 75 seconds.

To complete the distance, Sputnik needed to jump from his sky-diving aircraft at an altitude of 4500m. He flew across the Atlantic waters at a glide ratio of 1:4 metres travelling at an average speed of 250km/h with the help of a strong tailwind.

The passenger plane has been transporting the Gaelic-speaking Islanders, tourists and cargo to and from the three islands since 1970. With a top speed of 193km/hr, it took off from Inis Mor airstrip cruising at an altitude of 200ms as Sputnik exited his aircraft high above the island.

Sputnik released his parachute 200m above the mainland before touching down on the runway at Connemara Regional Airport clocking a time of 5 mins 45 sec.

"I was fortunate to have very strong tailwinds on the day which increased my chances of making the long distance," Sputknik said.

"It enabled me to reach an average speed of 250kmh and make the crossing. I was happy not to land in the ocean as I've heard the Irish waters are very cold!"

Sputnik has been on a global quest to find the most challenging terrains of the world to traverse in his specially designed wingsuit.

His adventures have brought him to The Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps, Popocatepetl, the second highest peak in Mexico and now to the Aran Islands on the Atlantic coast of Ireland.

Using a Garmin GPS tracking device on his wrist, Sputnik transmitted data back to his laptop on the ground which calculated his top speed and average speed during the race.