FELIX BAUMGARTNER

 

Felix Baumgartner’s name became forever etched in history on October 14, 2012, when he ascended to the edge of space in a stratospheric helium balloon—and jumped. The world watched as he plummeted 128,000 feet toward Earth, breaking the sound barrier in freefall and becoming the first human to do so without mechanical propulsion. It was a scientific, athletic, and psychological milestone. One that captivated over 9 million live viewers and reawakened the world’s fascination with space, flight, and the human spirit. But Felix was more than one moment. 

Before Stratos, he had already spent decades defying gravity and redefining what was possible. He BASE jumped from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and Christ the Redeemer in Rio. He flew wingsuits across the English Channel and performed precision jumps from TV towers and cliffs across five continents. His exploits were not reckless, they were planned, practiced, and executed with the precision of a master craftsman. He was an athlete of the sky.

In his later years, Felix pursued a lifelong dream of rotary-wing flight, becoming a professional helicopter pilot and one of the very few in the world capable of executing aerobatic maneuvers in a helicopter. As a key member of the elite Flying Bulls team, he performed in airshows across the globe, often leaving crowds speechless as he danced through the sky with daring beauty.

Felix was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation® in 2018, honored not only for his record-breaking feats, but for the spirit of exploration and possibility he brought to the world of flight. At the Legends European gathering in 2024, he delivered an unforgettable performance with a low-level, tight-looping helicopter display that reminded us once again: Felix never stopped pushing the limits.