Success for Irish wingsuit skydivers!
Congratulations to The Irish Wingsuit Team who were recently awarded the FAI “Group Diploma of Honour” for outstanding achievement in aviation sport. On the 25th of October 2018, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) granted the team this prestigious award at the FAI General Conference in Luxor, Egypt.
Brothers Stephen & David Duffy (Rathcoffey, Co.Kildare) and Marc Daly (Armagh) were presented this Diploma in recognition of their high altitude project during which they broke 4 World, 3 European and 23 National Records in April 2017.
After a decade of preparation, the team leaped into the record books from an altitude of 34,400ft, the same height as a commercial airliner. Wearing custom made wingsuits and life support systems the team reached speeds of 411.1 km/h and endured temperatures of -58°C or -115°C including wind chill. The team are delighted that their success has been recognised at such a high level and to receive such a momentous award.
Moving on from this the team has also announced their intention to glide from Ireland to the UK. They will attempt cross the sea in free fall alone using their wingsuits once again creating aviation history. The team are currently actively seeking a commercial partner for this project which boasts immense marketing potential…
See video below featuring some footage from the jump. More details about the award can be found here
About the Author
Mark Dwyer Mark is an airline pilot by profession flying the Boeing 737 for a major European airline. In addition he is also a Type Rating Instructor on the B737. Outside of commercial flying Mark enjoys flying light aircraft from the smallest 3 Axis microlights up to heavier singles. He also instructs on them including tailwheel differences training and is a UK CAA Examiner. He also flies the Chipmunk for the Irish Historic Flight Foundation (IHFF). Mark became the Chairman of the National Microlight Association of Ireland (NMAI) in 2013 and has overseen a massive growth in the organisation. In this role he has worked at local and national levels. In 2015, Mark won ‘Upcoming Aviation Professional Award’ at the Aviation Industry Awards sponsored by the IAA. Mark launched this website back in 2002 while always managing the website, he has also been Editor and Deputy Editor of FlyingInIreland Magazine from 2005 to 2015.
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