TED Talk- Ueli Gegenschatz soars in a wingsuit

Rating ***


Ueli Gegenschatz shares his interesting experience with everything from paragliding, to skydiving, to skysurfing, then finally, to wingsuit flying and base jumping in the TED talk Ueli Gegenschatz soars in a wingsuit. With a promise to myself that I would one day try skydiving, I was intrigued by this talk in particular.
Gegenschatz explains his greatest acheivements while wingsuit flying at a speed of 110 mph and his goal for a new record in distance. He describes the sensation of base jumping as, "the ultimate feeling of being in free fall" and tells of his daring stunts. Whether it's jumping from Switzerland mountains, the famous Eiffel Tower, a hot air balloon, and even a moving truck, Gegenschatz truly shows his passion for the sport.
With great fun comes great responsability so, throughout the TED talk, Gegenschatz does emphasize on the need to be prepared for any flying sport. The speaker explains the practice, knowledge, hard work, physical power, equipement, and importantly, mental preparation needed to try any of his activities.
Gegenschatz commical and interesting TED talk inspires viewers to be as passionate about an activity as the speaker is about base jumping. Gegenschatz describes the sport as the closest thing to the human dream of being able to fly. The talk finishes with Gegenschatz hope for the ability to eventually land in the wingsuit without a parachute.
Listening to the speaker and watching the video of Gegenschatz's flying experiences is moving. I dont think I'll get close to jumping off a moving vehicle, however I've always hoped that one day I'd have the guts to attempt skydiving. Because of this TED talk, I think I may have gained the push I needed to commit to one item on my bucket list.



Gegenschatz, Ueli/TED talk/Ueli Gegenschatz soars in a wingsuit/posted April 2009/http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/ueli_gegenschatz_extreme_wingsuit_jumping.html/viewed December 4, 2011