Extreme big-air kiteboarder Lasse Walker has achieved a world-first: jumping over an in-flight airplane. In a flawless display of timing, execution, skill, and trust, Walker soared 15 meters above the water—and above the plane piloted by Luke Czepiela. Dutchman Walker and Polish aerobatic pilot Czepiela had been preparing for more than two years to create this piece of aerial history at Dolphin Beach in Cape Town, South Africa.
Walker said: “We’ve been communicating with each other and had the perfect kicker and timing. Luke was flying low, I jumped over, did the loop with my kite, and looked straight down into the cockpit. Everything came together.” Taking place not far from the shoreline, Czepiela was able to maintain a reduced speed by aiming directly into a headwind. For the project to be a success, he also had to fly at a low altitude. Czepiela said: “You’re flying a plane. You’re trying not to stall it. The aircraft is not very manoeuvrable. And then I look to the front, and there’s a dude on the water with a kite above him. He pulls and flies over the plane. It was very surreal.”Being able to fly through the air like a plane is a common dream for many humans, but Walker and Czepiela’s ambitions went over and above.
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