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Oopsie - going for the record and having it slip away

Michael Fournier was set to break several worlds records this morning. Highest parachute jump, longest free-fall, highest velocity during free-fall but he was not able to do it. Reuters has why:

Record free-fall bid thwarted by rogue balloon
A French parachutist's bid to set a world freefall record was in doubt on Tuesday after the balloon that was to carry him 40 km (25 miles) above the prairie of Western Canada left without him.

The balloon that was to carry daredevil Michael Fournier to his jump height separated from its gondola when it was on the ground near North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and floated away.

That has got to suck... And it's not like he hasn't tried this before:

On Monday, high winds forced him to postpone the attempt for a world record.

Fournier has tried to make the jump twice before, in 2002 and 2003, but was turned back once by poor weather and then by a tear in his balloon.

His website has this photo: Well Merde! Posted by DaveH at May 27, 2008 9:11 AM | TrackBack