In his talk, Ingus Augstkalns speaks about his journey into BASE jumping, his method of overcoming fear, and his drone jump project that put him into the world’s spotlight as the first human to perform a parachute jump from a drone. On May 12th, 2017 in the Amata district of Latvia, a 28‑engine drone built by the tech company “Aerones” lifted him to an altitude of 330m, where he accomplished the jump and landed with a parachute.
BASE jumping stands for four categories of fixed objects: building, antenna, span and earth. It is one of the most dangerous sports in the world and in some jurisdictions or locations this sport is illegal.
Both BASE and wingsuit flying require mental and physical strength of the pilot. Ingus Augstkalns calls himself a BASE jumper and he is one of the very few athletes who practice flying with a special wingsuit costume with fabric between the legs and under the arms. From a distance, it might look like a flying squirrel, but in fact is a human — with a horizontal flight speed that can exceed 200 km/h.
Preparations for certain jumps or flights may take several months.
