French-Chinese duo complete wingsuit tandem challenge in central China

CHANGSHA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- French wingsuit pilot Vincent Descols and Chinese mountaineer Luo Jing completed the challenge of tandem wingsuit flying at the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province on Thursday.

Jumping out of a helicopter at 4,300 meters above sea level, descending at high speed for five seconds, flying in a wingsuit at a speed of 230km/h, opening the parachute after flying four kilometers at an altitude of 1,600 meters and landing safely at Tianmen Gate Square were all parts of the Wingsuit tandem challenge that Descols and Luo successfully completed.

Because the weight of two people overlap, their flying speed is greater than that of a single person. An innovative and difficult aspect of tandem wingsuit flying is therefore the need for two people to coordinate their movements throughout the take-off, flight, landing and other phases of the flight.

The wingsuit and other equipment used in this activity are manufactured by experts and undergo rigorous safety checks before use.