Mind the gap! Wingsuit stuntman shoots through narrow slit in mountainside at 75mph

By Gareth Finighan
From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

A wingsuit pilot has taken the sport of sky diving to new heights after hurtling through a narrow slit in a mountainside.

Jeb Corliss launched himself from a helicopter at 6,000ft today, zooming through the air at 75mph towards the imposing Tianmen mountain in Hunan Province, China.

The stuntman's wingsuit, which has thin membranes between the limbs and torso, allowed the 35-year-old to glide through the air while losing altitude gradually instead of plummeting directly towards Earth.

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Tight squeeze: Spectators watch as Jeb Corliss hurtles though the mountain's natural arch hundreds of feet in the air

He was able to travel for two-thirds of a mile - and through the 4,265ft mountain's natural archway - before releasing his parachute and descending gently to the ground. 

The arch measures less than 100ft across and left the daredevil with little margin for error.

Bird's eye view: A still from a camera mounted on the helmet of Jeb Corliss as he sweeps through the corridor of rock

Stunning: The stuntman keeps his nerve as he glides through the narrow alley

Up in smoke: Corliss, seen here with another flyer, made an earlier attempt to glide through the mountain but had to perform a detour after his smoke canisters malfunctioned

Corliss, who has jumped from the Eiffel Tower and flown through a waterfall in the Swiss Alps, is the first wingsuit stuntman to fly in China. He carried out a test flight from the top of the mountain earlier this week and described conditions as 'perfect'.

But his first attempt to fly through the Tianmen arch this afternoon had to be abandoned after smoke canisters attached to his ankles developed mechanical problems. Corliss was forced to abandon the attempt in mid-flight and had to make a detour to avoid slamming into the side of the cliff face.

On a high: Back on terra firma, Corliss described the flight as one of the greatest of his career

After completing the second, successful jump, which was broadcast on China's television networks, the Californian said: 'That was one of the greatest wingsuit flights of my entire life. 

'Thank you China, that was amazing. I love it, oh my God.'

Man Flies Over Grand Canyon Attached To Jet-Propelled Wing [VIDEO]

by Kyle Thibaut

from http://translogic.aolautos.com/

We all wish we had the ability to fly like Superman, but this guy actually made it happen last weekend. Former Swiss fighter pilot Yves "Jetman" Rossy flew his jet-propelled wing across the Grand Canyon at speeds of over 190 mph.

Jetman jumped out of a helicopter at 8,000 feet over the Grand Canyon and stayed airborne for over eight minutes.

This isn't his first rodeo; he has flown over some beautiful sites. Jetman has winged over Lake Geneva and the English Channel, but came with high hopes for his first US flight. "My first flight in the U.S. is sure to be one of the most memorable experiences in my life, not only for the sheer beauty of the Grand Canyon but the honor to fly in sacred Native American lands," Jetman said.

I know what you're thinking, but we just couldn't risk our host Bradley's safety; however, the next closest thing is just around the corner. Stay tuned.

20 Athletes Pushing the Most Insane Limits on Water, Land, or Air

Written by David Miller

Dudes flying 100 miles an hour just inches away from a cliff, dropping 186 feet down a waterfall, and ollieing over the Great Wall of China. . . all part of the progression.

Wingsuit Flying: Loic Jean-Albert, Andreas Barkhall, Espen Fadnes

Have you seen people flying yet? These guys are full on achieving mankind’s oldest dream. As they continue to push skills and develop new wingsuit technologies, it’s only a matter of time before somebody pulls off a controlled landing without a parachute.

Kayaking: Tyler Bradt, Rush Sturges, Ben Stookesberry, Jesse Coombs, Tao Berman, Pat Keller, Chris Gratmas

10 years ago, running any waterfall much over 30-40 feet was more of a stunt than anything else. Today, the latest boat and gear designs along with continually-evolving paddling technique have enabled paddlers to run enormous waterfalls totally under control. Up until this Spring, the 30-40 meter height seemed to be a plateau, but then Tyler Bradt made a completely game-changing run here in Washington, styling out the 186 foot Palouse Falls.

Check out the athlete reel of Rush Sturges below to get some idea of where paddling is at these days:

Snowboarding: Terje Haakonsen, Jeremy Jones, Bjorn Leines

There are posses of big mountain riders out there, but these guys have been pushing the biggest mountain lines for years.

Skiing: JT Holmes

Along with Shane McConkey (who died in a ski-base jumping accident earlier this year) JT Holmes has, for the last several years, pioneered big mountain lines that previously only existed in people’s imagination by incorporating base-jumping skills into skiing.

Skateboarding: Danny Way, Bob Burnquist

Although modern skateboarding still probably owes more to Rodney Mullen than anyone else, Danny Way and Bob Burnquist have (and still are) pushing limits as far as how big a feature can be skated.

Surfing: Laird Hamilton, Mike Parsons, Ken Bradshaw, Ross Clarke-Jones

These guys are among the most famous representatives of an entire crew of tow-in surfing pioneers.

Feature photo of Danny Way by ynoptic.