| Gary Connery, 42, a veteran film stuntman, became the first man to leap out of a helicopter and land safely back on earth, without using a parachute. He did it with the aid of a specially designed "wing-suit": a contraption that, on land, makes Gary look like a flying squirrel, but in the air allowed him to come closer to natural flight than a human being has probably ever come. "I'm overwhelmed," he told the people on the ground. "It was an amazing feeling. There was a bit of turbulence and I experienced a lot of bouncing, but the landing was comfortable and soft. These suits are amazing." And are they dangerous? "Absolutely no! Do I look hurt?" Connery's wife Vivienne, who greeted him with a kiss and bottle of champagne said she was "relieved it's all over." |
