Tianmen Mountain Grand Canyon, famous for its high mountains, peculiar peaks, clouds and mist, and the "longest cableway in Asia," is a place where every step is thrilling. A week before the press conference, the World Wingsuit League organized two pilots, Ellen Brennan and James Boole, to conduct test flights. James, who has participated in the Red Bull Wingsuit World Championship for two consecutive years and has 2,500 wingsuit flights under his belt, said, "This track can be considered one of the most challenging in the world. Flying smoothly to the finish is not particularly difficult, but how to fly faster than your opponent is the real challenge. Figuring out how to achieve greater angles for acceleration while ensuring safety is a problem every pilot must carefully study."
Ellen Brennan, the world’s number one female wingsuit pilot, added, "This year’s preliminaries test pilots' acceleration and turning skills, while the finals test long-distance flight ability and acceleration management. No other competition evaluates a pilot's overall skills so comprehensively. So without exaggeration, this year’s champion will definitely be the world’s top wingsuit pilot."
"Fearless Flying Daredevil" plans to pierce the Great Wall’s "Target 1"
As one of the founders of the World Wingsuit League and hailed as "the world’s bravest and toughest adventurer," Fearless Flying Daredevil Jeb Corliss did not attend the press conference due to injury. He introduced his next challenge plan — flying over the Great Wall — via a video message.
"I twisted my knee during a routine dive training, but it’s nothing serious. I’m expected to recover by April next year," Jeb said. "I’ll come to China as a judge and TV commentator for the Red Bull Wingsuit World Championship and prepare for next year’s Great Wall flight."
Jeb’s challenge target is located in Simatai Village, Gubeikou Town, northern Miyun County, Beijing. This section of the Great Wall is built along steep mountain terrain and is renowned for its uniqueness, peculiarity, and peril. The highest point is the "Wangjing Tower," which requires climbing the "Sky Ladder." The ladder is 100 meters high with an 85-degree slope, almost vertical. Renowned Great Wall expert Professor Luo Zhewen once said, "The Great Wall is the pinnacle of Chinese architecture, and Simatai Great Wall is the pinnacle of the Great Wall."
"The first time I went to China, I visited the Great Wall, and I was deeply moved by its beauty. There’s no doubt it’s one of the seven wonders created by humankind. I hope to create a modern miracle here!" Jeb said.
Jeb’s plan is to set up a 1.8m x 1.2m paper target, with an apple-sized bullseye, 3 meters above the battlement of the Wangjing Tower. He will then jump from a helicopter at an altitude of 600 meters, approach the target at speeds exceeding 160 km/h, and fly through the bullseye.
Jeb named this plan "Human Arrow." He joked, "It’s like an archer placing an apple on someone’s head. Fortunately, I’m not the one with the apple on my head — I’m the arrow."
This will be Jeb Corliss’s third challenge in China. In 2011 and 2013, he successfully flew through Zhangjiajie’s Tianmen Cave and Quzhou’s Jianglangshan Cliff Cave. Over the past 10 years, he has completed more than 15 daring feats challenging natural wonders and landmarks, repeatedly setting new records in the history of human unpowered flight.
From the 30-meter-wide Tianmen Cave to the 8-meter-wide Cliff Cave, and then to the 1.2-meter-wide Great Wall target, Jeb continues to push the limits of human flight in terms of difficulty and precision. "If I can complete this challenge, it will mark a new height for wingsuit flying, proving how precisely humans can design and control unpowered flight, and correcting people’s perceptions of limits and boundaries," Jeb said confidently. "My life is about constantly breaking the limits and boundaries humans set for themselves."
Red Bull launches first wingsuit mobile game, offering users the thrill of flight
At the press conference, a global first — the wingsuit flight mobile game titled "Wingsuit Flight" — was unveiled. The 3D mobile game "Wingsuit Flight" is currently in intensive development and will be launched during the third Red Bull Wingsuit World Championship in October 2014. As China’s first theme game based on wingsuit flying, the "Wingsuit Flight" game features exquisite 3D models. Players control their "wingsuit avatars" through touch gestures to compete in wingsuit races across four scenarios: mountains, cities, canyons, and sinkholes. Each scenario includes five levels, and players must advance through the scoring tiers of the previous scenario to unlock the next. The realistic wingsuit flying experience allows players to deeply feel the thrill of this ultimate extreme sport.
The "Wingsuit Flight" game will be released simultaneously for Apple iOS and Android systems. This game will allow everyone to not only follow the Red Bull Wingsuit World Championship but also personally experience the excitement and thrill of wingsuit pilots soaring through the skies and conquering natural wonders.
Chinese "wingsuit flyers" look forward to joining the championship
Surprisingly, a local Chinese wingsuit flying enthusiast and attempter also appeared at the press conference — Zhang Shupeng from Inner Mongolia.
Zhang Shupeng, 29, began paragliding in 2004 and has completed 15,000 flights over the past 11 years. He was selected for the national team seven times and won the World Paragliding Championship in Croatia in 2009. In 2013, Zhang went to the United States to learn skydiving, obtaining his license in just 16 days. Within just 1 month and 14 days, he completed 200 jumps before officially beginning wingsuit training. He mostly trains in Arizona and California, USA, and has also tried wingsuit flying in Hubei, Zhejiang, and Sichuan, China. He has now completed 570 wingsuit flights.
Zhang Shupeng watched the first Red Bull Wingsuit Competition in 2012, and his dream is to one day participate in the Red Bull Wingsuit World Championship.