Remembering Felix Baumgartner: Extreme Flight Pioneer Dies at 56

Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian daredevil who captivated the world in 2012 with a record-breaking skydive from the edge of space, has died at age 56 following a tragic paraglider crash in Italy’s Porto Sant’Elpidio.

Known globally as “Fearless Felix,” Baumgartner made history when he leapt from a capsule 24 miles above Earth, becoming the first human to exceed the speed of sound without a vehicle, reaching a peak speed of 843.6 mph.

Millions watched the live broadcast of his nine-minute descent, during which he momentarily lost control in a dangerous supersonic spin before regaining stability and landing safely.

His jump shattered previous records set in 1960 and paved the way for new advances in aerospace safety research.

A former Austrian military parachutist, Baumgartner had a career marked by daring feats, including base jumps off global landmarks and flying across the English Channel in a carbon-fiber wing. In recent years, he turned to flying helicopters as part of The Flying Bulls.