Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which spans skyward a dizzying 2,716.5 feet, is the world’s tallest building. Just standing on the observation deck is enough to take one’s breath away.
So imagine the exhilaration shared by Fred Fugen and Vince Reffet this week when they leaped from the tower's pinnacle, wearing wingsuits that enabled them to soar and parachutes that ultimately allowed them to float to earth and reflect on their world-record feat.
“We don’t like to scare ourselves. That’s not our goal,” Fugen maintains in the accompanying video, which was uploaded Tuesday by Skydive Dubai. “People think you base jump because you’re crazy, you like to get scared. We like to fly, you know, we like to have fun. So if you’re scared up there, there is no fun.”
The footage was captured from various angles, from cameras worn by Fugen and Reffet and from another jumper, and from a camera-mounted helicopter. The result, enhanced by the bright-yellow wingsuits and orange smoke, is a spectacular production that resembles a scene from an action movie.
It looks exciting and fun, but it also looks scary. Definitely a stunt for experts only, and one that required lots of support, including from the royal family.
Stated Fugen and Reffet on the Soul Flyers Facebook page: “Huge thanks to H.H. Fazza3 Sheikh Hamdan prince of Dubai for believing in our dream and making it come true… We had an amazing time :)))))) INSANE!!!”
–Pete Thomas, via GrindTv
–Image is a video screen grab
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