Austrian skydiver, daredevil and BASE jumper (1969–2025)
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Felix Baumgartner (German:[ˈfeːlɪksˈbaʊ̯mˌɡaʁtnɐ]; 20 April 1969 – 17 July 2025) was an Austrianskydiver,daredevil andBASE jumper.[1] He was widely known for jumping to Earth from ahelium balloon from thestratosphere on 14 October 2012 and landing inNew Mexico, United States, as part of theRed Bull Stratos project. Doing so, he set world records for skydiving an estimated 39 km (24 mi), reaching an estimated top speed of 1,357.64 km/h (843.6 mph), orMach 1.25.[2][3][4][5][6][a] He became the first person to break thesound barrier relative to the surface without vehicular power on his descent.[8][9] He broke skydiving records for exit altitude, vertical freefall distance without adrogue parachute, and vertical speed without a drogue. Though he still holds the two last records, his exit altitude record was broken two years later, when on 24 October 2014,Alan Eustace jumped from 135,890 feet (41.42 km; 25.74 mi) with a drogue.[10][11][12]
Baumgartner was also renowned for the particularly dangerous nature of the stunts he performed during his career. He spent time in theAustrian military where he practiced parachute jumping, including training to land on small target zones.
Tribute to Baumgartner in Straße der Sieger, Mariahilfer Street,Vienna, Austria
Felix Baumgartner was born to mother Eva[b] inSalzburg, Austria. His younger brother is Gerard.[13] As a child, he dreamed about flying and skydiving.[14] In 1999, he claimed the world record for the highest parachute jump from a building when he jumped from thePetronas Towers inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[15] On 20 July 2003, Baumgartner became the first person to skydive across theEnglish Channel using a specially made carbon fibre wing.[1][16] Alban Geissler, who developed the SKYRAY carbon fiber wing with Christoph Aarns, suggested after Baumgartner's jump that the wing he used was a copy of two prototype SKYRAY wings sold toRed Bull (Baumgartner's sponsor) two years earlier.[17]
Baumgartner also set the world record for the lowestBASE jump ever, when he jumped 29 metres (95 ft) from the hand of theChrist the Redeemer statue inRio de Janeiro.[18] This jump also stirred controversy among BASE jumpers who pointed out that Baumgartner cited the height of the statue as the height of the jump even though he landed on a slope below the statue's feet, and that other BASE jumpers had previously jumped from the statue but avoided publicity.[19]
He became the first person to BASE jump from the completedMillau Viaduct in France on 27 June 2004[20] and the first person toskydive onto, then BASE jump from, theTurning Torso building inMalmö, Sweden, on 18 August 2006.[21] On 12 December 2007, he became the first person to conduct an unauthorized BASE jump from the 91st floor observation deck of the then-tallest completed building in the world,Taipei 101 inTaipei, Taiwan. Baumgartner was then banned from re-entry into Taiwan as a result of the incident.[22]
In January 2010, it was reported that Baumgartner was working with a team of scientists and sponsor Red Bull to attempt the highest sky-dive on record, using a helium balloon.[23]
On 15 March 2012, Baumgartner completed the first of 2 test jumps from 21,818 metres (71,581 ft). During the jump, he spent approximately 3 minutes and 43 seconds in free fall, reaching speeds of more than 580 km/h (360 mph),[24] before opening his parachute. In total, the jump lasted approximately eight minutes and eight seconds and Baumgartner became the third person to safely parachute from a height of over 21.7 km (13.5 mi).[25][26]
On 25 July 2012, Baumgartner completed the second of two planned test jumps from 29,460 metres (96,640 ft). It took Baumgartner about 90 minutes to reach the target altitude and his free fall was estimated to have lasted three minutes and 48 seconds before his parachutes were deployed.[27]
The launch was originally scheduled for 9 October 2012 but was aborted due to adverse weather conditions. Launch was rescheduled and took place on 14 October 2012. Baumgartner landed in easternNew Mexico after jumping from a then world-record 38,969.3 metres (127,852 feet),[8][28][29] falling a record distance of 36,402.6 metres (119,431 feet) and parachuting the final 2,566.7 metres (8,421 feet).
During this descent Baumgartner set the record for fastest speed of free fall at 1,357.64 km/h (843.6 mph),[2][8][5] making him the first human to break thesound barrier outside a vehicle.[30][31] Baumgartner was in free fall for 4 minutes and 19 seconds, a fall time 17 seconds shorter than the record set during mentorJoseph Kittinger's jump on 16 August 1960.[30] Kittinger was also his radio contact during the jump.
Two years and 10 days later Baumgartner's altitude record was broken byAlan Eustace.[32]
In 2014, Baumgartner decided to join Audi Motorsport to drive anAudi R8 LMS for the201424 Hours of Nürburgring after racingVolkswagen Polos in 2013. He underwent another intense physical and driver training session to prepare him for the race.[36] He helped the team to a ninth place overall finish.[37]
In October 2012, when Baumgartner was asked in an interview with the Austrian newspaperKleine Zeitung whether a political career was an option for his future life, he stated that the "example ofArnold Schwarzenegger" showed that "you can't move anything in a democracy" and that he would opt for a "moderate dictatorship [...] led by experienced personalities coming from the private (sector of the) economy". He finally stated that he "didn't want to get involved in politics."[39][40][41]
On 6 November 2012, Baumgartner was convicted ofbattery and was fined €1500 after slapping the face of a Greek truck driver, following a petty argument between the two men.[42][43]
In January 2016, Baumgartner provoked a stir of critical news coverage in his home country after posting several critical remarks against refugees and recommending the Hungarian Prime MinisterViktor Orbán for theNobel Peace Prize.[44] Later on, Baumgartner endorsed the presidential candidate of the right-wing populistFreedom Party of Austria,Norbert Hofer.[45] On 13 July 2016, Facebook deleted his fan page of 1.5 million fans. Baumgartner subsequently claimed that he must have become "too uncomfortable" for "political elites".[46]
After Austrian authorities refused to grant sports tax breaks to Baumgartner, he moved toArbon, Switzerland, whereupon his house in Salzburg and his helicopter were seized.[47]
Baumgartner datedPlayboy German playmate of the century Gitta Saxx. Later he was engaged to Nicole Öttl, a model and former beauty queen (MissLower Austria 2006). They broke up in 2013.[47]
From 2014 onwards, he was in a relationship with Romanian television presenterMihaela Rădulescu.[48]
Baumgartner died on 17 July 2025, at the age of 56, during a paragliding flight inPorto Sant'Elpidio (Fermo), Italy.[49] He lost control of the craft in the air after suffering a medical episode,[50][51][52] and crashed into a swimming pool of the Le Mimose Family Camping Village,[53] striking a young woman who was injured on impact.[54][55]
Eugene Andreyev — the former record holder for the longest-distance free fall jump
Michel Fournier — who has been working on a 25-mile (40 km) jump for several years
Nick Piantanida — flew highest balloon flight prior to Baumgartner: 123,500-foot (37,600 m) in 1966.
Project Manhigh — pre-NASA military project that took men in balloons to the middle layers of Earth's stratosphere. Participants set altitude and parachute jump records.
Pyotr Dolgov — died in 1962 carrying out a high-altitude jump
Nish Bruce — started the 'Skydive From Space' project in the early 1990s, which was suspended in 1994 following his mental health breakdown.
Steve Truglia — English stuntman who was planning a similar jump
^The FAI ratified the 3 world records claimed by Austrian parachutist Felix Baumgartner for Maximum Vertical Speed without a drogue (#16669) 1,357.6 kilometres per hour (843.6 mph), Exit Altitude (#16670) 38,969.4 metres (127,852 ft), and Vertical Distance of Freefall (#16671) 36,402.6 metres (119,431 ft).[5] 14 October 2012 flight did not break the FAI Absolute Altitude (#2325) record for balloon flight set in 1961 byMalcolm Ross, which requires the balloonist to descend with the balloon.[7]
^Baumgartner's mother's name has also been reported as Ava.
^Dittrich, Luke (14 July 2010)."The Man Who Would Fall to Earth".Esquire. p. 4. Archived fromthe original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved20 October 2012.he leapt from the outstretched hand of O Cristo Redentor, the ninety-eight-foot-tall statue that looms over Rio de Janeiro... the final product was... a world record — lowest BASE jump ever
^Bartholomaeus, Stefan (18 July 2025)."Space jumper and Bathurst racer dies in accident".Speedcafe. Retrieved18 July 2025.Baumgartner died while paragliding over Porto Sant'Elpidio in Italy's central Marche region on Thursday, with reports suggesting he suffered a mid-air medical episode.
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