Chilean wingsuit pilot Sebastián ‘Ardilla’ Álvarez has set an unprecedented benchmark in aerial sports, breaking three world records by a significant margin with his Red Bull Starman mission – a high-stakes wingsuit dive that pushed the limits of human flight.
Álvarez jumped from an aircraft at an altitude of 41,470 feet – higher than the cruising altitude of most commercial planes – harnessing the boost of a jet stream and making strategic body adjustments to maintain control while maximising speed, distance, and time. He remained airborne for 11 minutes and 1 second, with the jump taking place over the West Tennessee Skydiving centre in the early hours of March 22, showcasing his mastery of the skies.
Snapshot
- A Record-Breaking Flight: Sebastián Álvarez broke three major records in a single wingsuit flight, reaching a top speed of 550 km/h, covering 53.45 kilometres, and descending in 11 minutes and 1 second.
- Technological Innovation: A custom-built wingsuit with aerodynamic extensions and fairings enhanced speed and glide, while advanced equipment, including an oxygen system and electrically heated layers, helped Álvarez maintain control under extreme conditions, such as oxygen depletion and wind chills as low as -100°C.
- Preparation: At 41,470 feet, the flight demanded immense physical strength and mental focus. Álvarez’s two years of preparation included wind tunnel sessions, strength training, and a strict diet.
- Álvarez’s Vision: The Chilean wingsuit pilot views his record-breaking jump as proof that discipline and determination can turn the impossible into reality – hoping to inspire others to chase their own limits.
Deep Dive
Leaping from a Piper Cheyenne 400LS aircraft piloted by Michael Mullins at 41,470 feet and plunging into a jet stream, Sebastián Álvarez reached a blistering top speed of 550 km/h within just 30 seconds. His speed far surpassed the fastest Formula 1 car (372.5 km/h) and shattered the previous wingsuit speed record by flying more than 150 km/h faster, setting the tone for a record-breaking journey. His total descent lasted for 11 minutes and 1 second and covered 53.45 kilometres, almost doubling the previous distance record.
Michael Cooper, an official judge for the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI, World Air Sports Federation), offered insight into why Álvarez’s achievement stands out: “It’s not just incremental changes on the records. It’s significant margins on all three. You can always optimise for one of time, distance, or speed by changing the way you fly the wingsuit, but breaking all three in one flight is a big challenge.”
Cooper continued: “For example, you can fly it really slowly, and you’ll float a lot, and that will give you a really good time, but horrible distance and speed. For speed, usually, your best thing is to dive quite a lot to build energy, but that kills your time and distance. The fact that all three records look as good as they do means that he was just flying cleanly. It was a very well-balanced and efficient flight.”
The successful attempt was the culmination of two years of planning and preparation. Álvarez followed a tailored training regimen to enhance his body’s endurance in high-speed flight, including 11 hours in Sweden’s wind tunnel and highly technical oxygen training, along with shoulder-specific strength exercises. Simultaneously, he adhered to a strict lean diet to lose weight and become even lighter in the air.
Jet streams, narrow air currents moving rapidly through the upper atmosphere, were key in boosting his speed and glide. At such extreme altitudes, with a wind chill of -100°C and wind speeds close to 200 km/h, Álvarez’s flight was a true test of both physical and mental endurance. In a flight where every gramme and every movement counts, the thin air at such heights, containing only one-sixth of the oxygen at sea level, also added extra challenges for both breathing and stability.
To counteract these conditions, Álvarez carried an oxygen system during the flight, along with a custom-built helmet designed to protect from the brutal winds and freezing temperatures, ensuring a steady flow of breathable air. Without this protection, the oxygen ventilation valves could have frozen, potentially causing Álvarez to lose consciousness in seconds and plummet uncontrollably. He also wore electrically heated layers beneath his wingsuit to guard against frostbite.
Technological innovation played a critical role when Álvarez and his team collaborated with industry experts to refine his gear for breaking multiple records in a single flight. His wingsuit was fitted with custom aerodynamic wingtip extensions, increasing the wing’s aspect ratio to improve glide performance, similar to the design of an aircraft. Drawing further inspiration from aviation, they added fairings around the feet to reduce drag, enabling higher speeds and a longer glide distance.
As Matt Gerdes from the manufacturing company Squirrel Wingsuits explains, while the wingsuit enhanced Álvarez’s performance, it still required immense physical strength and expert skill to maintain control:
“Seba’s wingsuit is modified to allow for his high-altitude equipment and the special demands of his mission. This is not an easy suit to fly, it is the most physically and technically demanding wingsuit in our range. It’s hard to get performance increases, normally, there is a compromise; the increased surface area and wingtip extensions require a lot of physical strength and technique to handle. Seba has been training for a long time for this,” Gerdes added.
A former Air Force pilot with nearly two decades of wingsuit flying experience, Álvarez’s reputation as a pioneer in aerial sports was further cemented by this latest achievement. His previous feats, such as his flight in and out of the Villarrica volcano in Chile in 2021, caught the world’s attention. More recently, he also successfully skydived into a surfing wave.
When asked about the impact of his Red Bull Starman mission, Álvarez said: “This mission was about taking human flight to the next level – not just for me, but to show what’s possible when you dream big and commit fully. No one had ever attempted to break all three records in a single jump, and there were, of course, moments of doubt, but with the right preparation, training, and technology, we made it happen.”
He added: “I’ve always said I marry my projects, and this one has been an epic journey – one that proves discipline and perseverance can turn the impossible into reality. I hope this inspires others to chase their own limits because boundaries exist to be pushed.” (Red Bull Content Pool)
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