CHONGQING, April 18 -- Six of the world's top wingsuit flyers jump from a helicopter, flying 2,500 meters above the water level, before entering free fall at a speed of 200 km/h. In a video shot from the air, they looked like colorful birds soaring in green mountains and steep cliffs.
The breathtaking performance marked the end of the 2018 China International wingsuit flying championship, which took place in Longgang scenic spot in Yunyang County, southwest China's Chongqing municipality.
The six daredevils who have shown this remarkable courage are from China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile and Venezuela. Among them is James Boole, a wingsuit race pilot and aerial cameraman who served as the outside camera flyer in the American action movie 'Point Break' in 2017.
Having been to China for competitions and performances over ten times, Boole was invited for this year's event by his friend Zhang Shupeng, who completed his one-man show by flying over Longgang last year and was named the No. 1 wingsuiter in China.
"What makes this year's plunging different is that five of us will do formation flying while Boole will record the whole process with his camera," said Zhang, participant and also organizer of this year's competition, adding that "as each of us bear individual technique and are equipped with different facilities, it will not be easy to fulfill the challenge, and plus, we've only practiced once."
But the weather wasn't cooperating. As the thrilling time drew near, it started to drizzle and the mountain was enveloped with clouds. "It's hard to get in the clouds. I hope the clouds will lift, so we can review her beauty and allow us to fly," said Boole.
Fortunately, the clouds soon parted and the fog dispelled. Finally came the moment for the world-class wingsuiters to showcase their stunts.
Wearing both wingsuits and parachutes, they leaped from the helicopter at the altitude of 2,500 meters. Just 15 seconds into the flying, a V-shape formation was successfully posed. At the altitude of 300 meters, the flyers deployed their parachutes before landing on the platform above water. The whole process only took 80 seconds.
Wingsuit fling was first seen in the 1990s. It is a risky and extreme sport. Around 600 people in the world have attempted it, with less than 10 coming from China.