Red Bull Skydiving's Paul Steiner is an innovator, having completed his first successful BASE jump from the wing of a glider for Project Blani(X) in 2008. Now he’s gone one better.
Project Blani(X) II saw Steiner climb from the cockpit of one glider before dropping onto the wing of another, then hold the rudder of the first as he continued his incredible ‘wing walk’. We asked him about the planning and nerve required to stand between two gliders in mid-air flight, 2,000m up…
How do you start planning?
I begin with writing down a list of the difficulties posed and the unanswered questions. This is a process which can take a few months. Then I look for a solution to each of the problems on the list.
What was the biggest problem you were faced with in the run up to Blani(X) II?
How I would climb from one glider to the next. The lads from the flying team taught me a lot. We discussed in depth the positions and distances required. We spent a long time working on this, although specific training for practical execution is impossible.
At the end of the stunt, you reach for the side rudder of the second glider and in doing so join the two planes to become one for a few seconds…
It was Ewald and Kurt’s idea that that could work. The reckoned that they could fly so close to each other that no man would fit between them. I said they would have to show me! So they did, and that’s how the story started.
How did you sleep the night before the stunt?
Badly. My head was full of thoughts. The closer the moment gets, the more nervous I become. Of course, one has doubts, but in situations like this you have to overcome them.
'You can plan every single detail, and most athletes do, but certain questions will always remain. That’s the challenge' – Paul Steiner
Can you remember what the final seconds felt like before you climbed out?
Well, the circumstances weren’t ideal, especially the wind. The only question I asked myself was, ‘Why are you doing this?’ But we had spent a whole year discussing and planning every minute detail and we knew what we were doing.
What do you experience during ‘moment X’ when you swapped gliders?
You remain very focused through each action. After the crossover, I felt elation, since this was what we had all wanted to achieve. And it was at that point that I just knew that the rest would work too.
After you landed, the weight that had been unburdened from your shoulders was clearly visible.
At that moment, I was just relieved to have the safety of the ground underneath my feet. But it was only really on my way home that I was aware of what we had actually achieved. I stopped in a layby, leaned against my car and remained there for over half an hour letting this experience sink in. It was then that I truly understood what we had done.
You and the boys came across as a team right from the beginning…
The communication up in the air is predominantly through radio communication. Kurt [Tippl] and Ewald [Roithner] don’t really see how close they actually are to one another in reality, so they are very dependent on me to adhere to our plan, so I had to be sure that the planes were in the correct position. It was a result of this mutual trust that a special friendship was formed which goes beyond sport.
Does danger remain the key factor?
Its not the danger, it’s the risk that remains. You can plan every single detail, and most athletes do, but certain questions will always remain. That’s the challenge.
Watch the terrific action from Project Blani(X) II here.
For more on Paul Steiner’s daredevil team, head to www.redbullskydiveteam.com. Get the lowdown on the gliders involved at www.blanix.com (please note that this site is in German).
Comments
Add a comment