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Wingsuit Jumper Will Try To Break 4 World Records

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ENGLAND (CBSMiami) – A British wingsuit pilot has soaring ambitions to break four world records by sky diving from 42,000 feet.

The high-intensity sport of wingsuit flying involves jumping from a height using a special suit with 'wings' fitted between the limbs to generate extra lift and allow the wearer to glide through the air.

Fraser Corsan, a 42-year-old former aerospace safety engineer, will carry out two wingsuit jumps as he attempts to break the records for the highest altitude jumped in a wingsuit, as well as the longest time and furthest distance flown.

He expects to travel about 250 miles per hour in his attempts to become the fastest man in the world unaided by machinery.

Japan's Shinichi Ito set the record for the fastest horizontal speed reached in a wingsuit, 225.56 miles per hour, in California in 2011.

One of Corsan's jumps, which will take place in the U.S. and Canada, will involve him leaping from a height of around 42,000 feet from a hot air balloon, shattering the existing record of 37,000 ft.

That's about 12,000 feet higher than Mt. Everest and 5,000 feet higher than commercial aircraft, which fly at about 37,000 feet.

He uses highly specialized equipment. Corsan wears a high-performance suit designed to enhance his aerodynamics, and equipped with inlets to inflate the wings in flight.

In addition to gear that is built for speed, Corsan will be equipped with heated gloves, several layers of thin thermal clothing and a balaclava to contend with freezing temperatures of between minus 50 and minus 70 degrees centigrade, before factoring in wind-chill.

Corsan's record attempts, dubbed Project Cirrus, will raise money for the SSAFA - the Armed Forces Charity, a British charity that helps veterans.

After completing his final practice jump last week, Corsan took one of the servicemen aided by the charity for his first tandem sky dive.

Corsan's record attempts are scheduled to take place on May 22 and May 29, subject to weather conditions and air space clearance.

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