Taking Flight With The Birdmen

60 Minutes Travels To Norway To Witness One Of The World's Most Extreme Sports

(CBS)  For hundreds of years, fully grown adults and very young children have dreamed about flying. People have made wings out of feathers and wood and jumped off buildings and cliffs in order to soar like a bird. And a lot of them have died trying.

Now, a small group of extreme sportsmen wearing specially made "wingsuits" have come about as close to flying as you can get outside the confines of an airplane, at least for a minute or two.

Some people call them "birdmen," and we first learned about them on the Internet.

The pictures we saw were so spectacular, 60 Minutes and correspondent Steve Kroft decided to assemble some of the sport's top athletes, and mount a small expedition with the latest high definition cameras to one of the most beautiful places on Earth to see what this is all about.

Photos: The Birdmen

Going head first, one of the birdmen jumped off a cliff, soaring along the mountain's surface, and controlling his movements with the help of his wingsuit. When he whizzed by Kroft and the other jumpers - who were observing from halfway up the mountain - the sounds is not unlike that of a small jet airplane.

Kroft joined JT Holmes, an American professional skier from Lake Tahoe; Julian Boulle, a South African living in France and a skydiver and aerial photographer par excellence; and Tom Erik Heiman, one of our Norwegian hosts.

"I just love just feeling speed and watching that stuff go by," Holmes told Kroft.

During these fly-bys, Holmes said one can reach speeds of 140 to 150 miles an hour.

If you want to do this, there is no better time or place than the Romsdal valley of Norway during the summer solstice, a paradise of fjords and farms several hundred miles northwest of Oslo. Myth has it that Norway's trolls live there amidst the waterfalls and some of the tallest, sheerest cliffs in Europe.

Norwegians have been parachuting off of them for decades. Birdmen take the extreme sport to new extremes, dropping off a cliff and free falling until the air inflates the wings of their nylon suits and propels them forward.

"The dive creates the speed," Holmes explained. "And you use that speed to glide out, and, you know, fly flatter."

Gravity makes it impossible for them to go up, or even maintain altitude. For every two feet Holmes glides forward, he drops a foot. But the suit allows him to stay aloft three times longer than a skydiver.

"Within a few seconds of course, that suit, that wind is going to fill up that suit, it's going to pressurize and you're gonna have total control," Holmes said.

He told Kroft he's been flying with wingsuits for five years.

Asked what's special about the suit, Holmes said, "Mmm, you know, it's just like so many children dream. It's flying."

"You feel like you're flying?" Kroft asked.

"Well, I am flying," Holmes said, laughing. "So, yes, I do, very much, feel like I'm flying."

"Like a bird?" Kroft asked.

"Yeah. Just like a bird. A bird that can't flap his wings and go up," Holmes replied. "The birds probably laugh at us. They're probably just like, 'Look at these guys.'"

They have long grown bored of simply flying over the valleys. In order to maximize the sensation of speed, they need a visual reference point. So they fly just a few feet from the rock face.

"Sometimes you're flying so close to these cliffs, it looks like you could reach out and touch them and you are going 100 miles an hour, 140 miles an hour," Kroft noted. "There's not much margin for error there."

"It feels entirely in control. And the speed actually increases your stability and it increases your safety margin. Because with the speed that we're flying with, you can create lift. And you know you can pop up and fly away at any time. There's margin there," Holmes explained.

Asked how quickly he can turn, Holmes said, "I don't even know how to turn. You just do it. You just look where you wanna go and you just go there. And you just feel it and go."

"You're like, 'Yeah, let's go fast. This feels good. The faster I go, the more control I have.' And you just charge with it," he added.

To the extent that Holmes and the others ever get nervous, it usually comes at a time that many people might consider one of the most mundane legs of the trip, when the end is in sight.

Asked what the most dangerous part of the jump is, Holmes said, "The most important thing is to open that parachute, you know. Just that moment, when you reach back. And throw the pilot chute out there, which extracts your parachute. That's the most critical thing. I mean, if you don't do that, you're not gonna live through it."

[Beth37]

I thought this was a great story and I don't think these guys seem nuts at all. They prepare in advance and understand the risks. Stories like this always inspire me to seek more adventure in my own life. And the scenery was beautiful!

[SHEETPAN]

Google Anita Dunn. CBS refuses to tell the story

[skinnypixie]

This guy should have quit the moment his child was born. That's what's really troubling about all this. Doesn't he care about his family? Sad.

[SPORTING-SAILS]

Truly Inspiring! And to think it all started with Leonardo Da Vinci's simple sketch of a "maximum drag decelerator" back in 1485...with the imagination of sporting heros from the 1930s, such as Leo Gasperl, the sport has really "taken off" in so many directions...even downhill skateboarding!

Check it out here: www.sporting-sails.com

[orinfagel]

Hell, I'd try this in a second! I'll be 70 years young in a year. Looks like a hoot to me. You're a long time dead so you better get your kicks now!

[AttentionDeficit]

orin: i agree. i do extreme stuff (skydiving and i did my first ultramarathon last month) and i am amused by the stay-at-home-on-the-couch crowd's "you MIGHT die" warnings. i "might" die? what a relief....until they warned me of this, i thought that i was definitely going to die. how nice to know that it MAY NOT happen.

[SHEETPAN]

If these guys want to jump off mountains at thier own expense. Then so what. They are not infringing on the rights of anyone else. And under those circumstances, they can do whatever they want. Of course you are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to stop them. I personally think they're a little crazy. But you have to admit. They have some serious Big ****.

[waiwill]

In ancient Hawaii, the great 18th-century chief Kahekili was famous for "lele pali," or cliff jumping, which he did off 2000-foot cliffs Maui, using a specially constructed cape. He was also known as an outstanding athlete and warrior.

[Ms_enza]

Birds fly, men drink

[Oregon_State_OSU]

I saw this last night. I though they were IDIOTS jumping off cliffs like that. They could see their shadows on the Cliff face >> one strong blast of wind and they will hit the cliff and be dead.

It would be so much more fun doing that and jumping out of a plane at 11 or 12,000 feet. Now that would be fun.

[AttentionDeficit]

OSU: Why do they call these people idiots? Because they are risking their lives? You want to do the same by jumping out of an aircraft 11,000 or 12,000 feet in the air. I am a skydiver. I have about 1200 jumps. Many of my friends have done BASE jumps. They aren't foolish. They take calculated risks and are serious about their sport, as am I.

[freeasabird1]

We are still holding the backs of our knees as we watched them skim the cliffs and eye tearing speed. This was enlightening and I am sure the flying folks are approaching enlightenment when they 'take off'. Great segment to show we are enjoying our brief time on planet earth.

[pubsrtoast]

Wile E Coyote did it first.

[AttentionDeficit]

Wile E Coyote had the benefit of the perpetual life and health of a cartoon figure. How many times has he fallen off cliffs, been hit in the head by falling bolders, smacking the side of a canyon on an Acme rocket? Still, when he has the presence of mind to pull up a sign with a comically droll statement as the shadow of the falling boulder gets increasingly larger.

[pubsrtoast]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ouxxa0eFam8/SY8p9Vu5_QI/AAAAAAAAA-k/rX0bfgesQfM/s400/BATSUIT.jpg

[pubsrtoast]

by AttentionDeficit
-----------------------

All true, and some of his ideas (like instant hole) still bring a smile to my face decades later.

[AttentionDeficit]

Pubs: I like the comically droll statement in the face of impending doom (at least what passes for it in 'toon town).

[KjellGjerde]

Want to visit Norway?

www.visitnorway.com
www.fjordnorway.com
www.visitmolde.com

[Emmy2]

Well, unlike the previous posters, I did enjoy this segment. I agree that these guys are nuts, but less so than the football players in the previous segment, who are apparently doing the equivalent of jumping out of a car going 40 mph and landing on their heads. That's *really* nuts. Thanks for letting me watch the crazy people from the comfort of my TV room.

[incog-nito]

Just a bunch of adrenaline junkies, nothing more. Man already knows how to fly. It's called an airplane.

[AttentionDeficit]

If you think that being in an airplane is flying, do you think that being in a boat is swimming?

[Ms_enza]

Birds fly; Men drink.

[mstrauch]

We just finished watching the Birdmen story -- what a waste of time when there are so many real news stories to cover! Who funds these daredevils? Maybe the money should be used for help with brain injuries or something else that would contribute to society. Glorifying these guys isn't worthy of 60 minutes.

[AttentionDeficit]

Maybe you should not complain about people spending their money the way they want. If you want your money to be used to help those with brain injuries, I am sure that organizations that do that will not refuse your check.

[Anonymous_3]

In response to the comment... I can understand why the sport does not appeal to all much in the same way as getting on a race track with a large number of high performance vehicles or motorcycles with the intent of performing similar or greater speeds to that of a "Birdman" in flight with similar life treating obstacles surrounding the track does not appeal to all. Does the fact that a race track is purpose built for these "daredevils" change the fact that these sports enthusiasts also put their lives and the lives of others on the track at risk?

As a keen BASE enthusiast I can honestly say its a great way to see the world and already it has taken me to places I would never have imagined exploring if I hadn't have walked the road less travelled. The sport is made up of many great people that look out for one another and have a great appreciation of life. The individuals understand the risks involved with the sport in much the same way a race car driver, Moto Gp rider or extreme MotoFx rider understands the risks of the sports they are participating in. The only difference between these sports being nature has provided us with our "race track".

In relation to funding participation in this sport, unfortunately in many countries it is not recognised as a sport but more often than not as a criminal act, as a result sponsorship deals are very hard to come by unlike motor sports. The majority of enthusiast work hard in the European winter save what money they can to fund their equipment, airfares, travel cost & essential emergency equipment. As a result they pay their tax's which in turn is distributed as the government see's fit, wether it be toward emergency services, improving medical facilities or to assist in supporting disabled personal. I myself have a very high paying job in which I have paid considerable tax's over the years which I believe helps fund these services? In addition I have total disability insurance and death cover in which I have specified that if I were to be involved in an accident the cost involved in the rescue/recovery are to be covered by the funds from these insurances. These "Birdmen" and lets not forget about the "Birdwomen" are great athlete's whom with a great deal of skill, expertise and experience take calculated risks. If the risk is too high they? like you will have their two feet planted firmly on the ground as we are not immortal, nor are we bird?s, just mere humans that dream of flight.

I hope this clears up some of your queries.