British stuntman Gary Connery jumped out of a helicopter today and survived after plunging 2,400 feet without a parachute.
To slow his fall, Connery wore a wingsuit that made him look like a flying squirrel. He landed safely on a pile of 18,600 cardboard boxes, The Telegraph reported.
“I feel absolutely wonderful, I am overwhelmed," Connery said after the jump. "I am in a strange zone at the moment. It is an amazing feeling. I feel incredible, just completely elated.”
His wife’s feelings were more straightforward. "I am just so relieved it is all over," she said. Connery also has two teenaged children.
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Connery’s repertoire includes about 880 previous skydives and 450 BASE jumps. The wingsuit helped him slow his gliding speed from 80 miles per hour to 50 mph and his vertical falling speed to 15 miles per hour. The flight lasted for less than a minute.
Before the stunt, the daredevil, who has performed for a number of movies and TV shows, reflected on its risk.
"The danger is relative, isn’t it?” Connery said. “A mum driving in a car, on the school run, with her mate in the car chatting away, the phone rings, kid is in the back shouting … what's more dangerous, you know? So, it's such a relative thing.”
Photo: Stuntman Gary Connery celebrates after his attempt to become the first skydiver to land without the aid of a parachute on May 23, in Henley-on-Thames, England. Credit: Getty
