Who is Felix Baumgartner? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Age: 55 Years, 55 Year Old Males

Family:

father: Felix Baumgartner Sr.

mother: Eva Baumgartner

siblings: Gerard Baumgartner

Partner: Mihaela Rădulescu (2014–)

Austrian Men

Height: 1.7 m

City: Salzburg, Austria

More Facts

awards: Laureus World Sports Award for Action Sportsperson of the Year

Recommended For You

1

When did Felix Baumgartner complete his record-breaking skydive?

Felix Baumgartner completed his record-breaking skydive on October 14, 2012.
2

What was the altitude from which Felix Baumgartner jumped during his record-breaking skydive?

Felix Baumgartner jumped from an altitude of approximately 128,100 feet (39,045 meters).
3

How fast did Felix Baumgartner travel during his record-breaking skydive?

Felix Baumgartner reached a maximum speed of 843.6 mph (1,357.6 km/h) during his freefall.
4

What was the duration of Felix Baumgartner's freefall during his record-breaking skydive?

Felix Baumgartner's freefall lasted for about 4 minutes and 20 seconds.
5

What was the purpose of Felix Baumgartner's Red Bull Stratos mission?

The purpose of Felix Baumgartner's Red Bull Stratos mission was to break the sound barrier in freefall and set several world records.

Childhood & Early Life

Felix Baumgartner was born on April 20, 1969, in Salzburg, Austria. He is the elder of the two sons of Eva and Felix Baumgartner and has a brother named Gerard Baumgartner.

Baumgartner was passionate about flying from an early age. He skydived for the first time at the age of 16, at a skydiving club in Salzburg.

Before beginning his career in adventure sports, he was in the Austrian military’s ‘Special Forces’ demonstration team. During this period, he trained to improve his diving and acrobatic skills.

In his early days, Baumgartner supported himself by working as a mechanic and a racecar driver. In 1988, he collaborated with ‘Red Bull’ for the first time for a skydiving stunt. Following this, ‘Red Bull’ sponsored a lot of his record-breaking skydiving ventures.

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Career

In the year 1999, Felix Baumgartner set multiple records with his parachute jumps. His first record was for the highest parachute jump, created by his leap from the famous ‘Petronus Towers’ in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was followed by another parachute jump, from the ‘Pirelli Tower’ in Italy, Milan.

In 1999, Baumgartner also scored the world record for the lowest BASE jump (95 ft) by plunging from the arm of ‘Christ the Redeemer’s iconic statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There were, however, rumors that claimed that other BASE jumpers (who avoided publicity) had already created the said record.

On July 20, 2003, Baumgartner created his next major record by flying across the English Channel with the assistance of a specially designed carbon fibre wing. The SKYRAY carbon fibre wing used for this skydiving expedition was reportedly designed by Alban Geissler and Christoph Arns, who had later sold the prototype to ‘Red Bull.’

Between 2004 and 2006, Baumgartner created two more records. In June 2004, he became the first person to BASE jump from the ‘Millau Viaduct’ in France. In August 2006, he set an unprecedented record by first skydiving onto and then BASE jumping from the ‘Turning Torso’ in Malmö, Sweden.

On December 12, 2007, he took a plunge from the observation deck of the 91st floor of the ‘Taipei 101,’ which was the tallest building in the world at the time. No person had attempted this before Baumgartner, and this was yet another record for him.

In January 2010, Baumgartner started his preparations to score a skydiving record from the highest altitude ever, assisted by a team of scientists and sponsored by ‘Red Bull.’ His goal was realized on October 14, 2012, in New Mexico. With this, he bagged the records for the highest-altitude jump (24 miles) and the fastest freefall recorded in history (4 minutes and 19 seconds).

With the 2012 jump, Baumgartner broke Joseph Kittinger’s record of the highest parachute jump. The jump not only created world records but also contributed to the advancement of scientific researches related to the stratosphere, helping scientists develop better space equipment and space suits.

Between 2013 and 2014, Baumgartner undertook another intense physical training for two consecutive car races. He joined ‘Audi Motorsport,’ raced ‘Volkswagon Polos’ in 2013, and drove the ‘Audi R8 LMS’ for the 2014 ‘24 Hours of Nurburgring,’ helping the team acquire the ninth position in the race.

Major works:

Baumgartner was the first person to skydive across the English Channel. It was a stupendous achievement that brought him attention and accolades from all over the world.

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Felix Baumgartner’s 2012 skydiving feat in New Mexico was acknowledged by the authorities at the ‘Guinness World Records.’ After setting multiple records with just one jump, Baumgartner became an immensely popular celebrity in the realm of extreme sports.

Awards & Achievements:

In 2012, Felix Baumgartner won the ‘Bambi’ award in the ‘Millennium’ category. The same year, in December, ‘Top Gear’ magazine listed him as one of ‘The Men of the Year 2012.’ In 2013, he won the ‘National Geographic Adventurer of the Year’ honor.

At the 2013 ‘Spike Guys’ Choice Awards,’ Baumgartner was honored with the ‘Mankind Award.’ In March 2013, he was named the ‘Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year.’

After the successful highest-altitude jump of 2012, Baumgartner’s name was added to Vienna’s ‘Street of Champions.’ He was also nominated for the ‘NEA Extreme Sports Awards’ and the ‘World Sports Awards.’

He was featured by ‘Flying Magazine’ on their 2013 list of the ‘51 Heroes of Aviation.’ He was ranked 46th and was the youngest living man to make it to the list.

In 2015, he won the ‘Steiger Award.’

‘Global Fashion Network’ featured Felix Baumgartner on their list of the ‘Most Stylish Men 2017.’ He graced the second position on the list.

The daredevil was presented with the ‘Living Legends of Aviation’ honor in Beverly Hills, US, in 2018.

Family & Personal Life:

Baumgartner briefly dated Gitta Saxx of ‘Playboy German Playmate of the Century’ fame. Later, he was engaged to Nicole Öttl, the winner of the ‘Miss Lower Austria 2006’ pageant. They called off the relationship in 2013. Since 2014, Baumgartner has been in a relationship with Mihaela Rădulescu, a Romanian TV presenter.

Baumgartner was dragged into controversy a few times because of his brawls and political comments. In 2012, he was penalized with a fine of €1,500 for slapping a Greek truck driver after the two of them got into an argument.

In 2016, his ‘Facebook’ fan page with more than a million followers was deleted due to some of his unorthodox political stances, including his endorsement of Norbert Hofer of the right-wing ‘Freedom Party of Austria.’

Prior to this, he had also expressed controversial opinions against refugees while recommending Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister, as a nominee for the ‘Nobel Peace Prize.’

Presently, he claims to have retired from extreme sports. He now mostly remains busy with his helicopter and also serves the community as a firefighter.

Facts About Felix Baumgartner

He is an accomplished helicopter pilot and has logged numerous hours flying various aircraft.

In addition to his extreme sports pursuits, Felix is a passionate advocate for environmental conservation and has supported various initiatives to protect the planet.

He has a keen interest in technology and has worked with engineers and scientists to develop innovative equipment for extreme sports activities.

Felix has a strong sense of adventure and has explored remote regions around the world, showcasing his curiosity and zest for life.

Felix Baumgartner Biography

You wanted to know

When did Felix Baumgartner complete his record-breaking skydive?

What was the altitude from which Felix Baumgartner jumped during his record-breaking skydive?

How fast did Felix Baumgartner travel during his record-breaking skydive?

What was the duration of Felix Baumgartner's freefall during his record-breaking skydive?

What was the purpose of Felix Baumgartner's Red Bull Stratos mission?