Guinness World Record
Real-life superman becomes the first person to skydive into the Jet Stream
Marc Hauser managed to complete the skydive, jumping into winds with a speed equivalent to the force of a hurricane, and achieve the record title for the first skydive into the Jet Stream. Marc leapt from the balloon at a height of 7,400 meters in -40 degrees temperatures into a 137 kph Jet Stream. Flying at a near 45° angle Marc reached a top speed of 270kph at 5,600m before deploying his parachute at 2,000m and landing at a farm near Forbes
The Jet Stream is not only extremely dangerous because of its high wind speeds, but the average temperature is minus 40 degrees Celsius. Despite the preparation the team hit some major obstacles when entering the Jet Stream 7,400 m (24,300 ft) above sea level. It was cold enough to freeze the hot air balloon burners which extinguished the balloon's flame, as well as causing their oxygen masks to leak.
With the hot air balloon beginning to plummet and the team panicking their one opportunity would be missed, Hauser made the decision to jump out of the balloon, leaving his team to navigate back to land with no oxygen or assistance.
"After my landing I was searching for the balloon, I had about 15 minutes on the ground, I was desperate and I didn't care about any record, and then the relief came," Marc said. Fortunately, as the hot air balloon descended with the pilot and fellow skydiver in tow, the flame reignited, and oxygen levels began to increase, allowing them to land safely. Once back on land, they reunited with Marc to celebrate his new record title and their incredible achievement.
Excerpt from Guinness World Records article.
