Daredevils: The Human Bird
- Channel 4
- 1 x 60mins
- TX: 14/09/2009
The incredible spectacle of proximity wingsuit flying involves wearing a state-of-the-art Teflon winged suit, jumping off a cliff edge thousands of feet up and flying terrifyingly close to some of the world’s most dangerous mountain faces before deploying a parachute at the very last second. Its the closest man has ever come to the age old dream of flight but it is fraught with danger. Impact is fatal.
Among the proximity wingsuit flying community, one man has become notorious. Jeb Corliss has a self-confessed death wish. As a young boy he was diagnosed with counterphobia: ‘a pathological desire to confront fear’. As someone who used to suffer from suicidal tendencies, Jeb found that the thrill he gets from leaping from the world’s highest buildings and mountains was the only way to free himself from his depressive moods. “Through death I found my life.”
This extraordinary and visually stunning film follows Jeb on his quest to fly within 5 feet, down the side of the world’s most dangerous mountains – the Matterhorn in Switzerland. But his journey is far from straightforward. Arrested for attempting to BASE jump the Empire State Building, Jeb could be facing a year in prison…
TX: 14/09/09 – The Human Bird
TX: 21/09/09 – The Ice Man
TX: 05/10/09 – The Sky Walker
TX: 12/10/09 – The Human Spider Returns
Share this page
YouTube