Sam Hardy's Angle of Attack

By The Outdoor Journal LLC

At 140 MPH and just feet off the ground, every flight that professional wingsuit pilot Sam Hardy takes requires a deep connection with nature and ultimate trust in his jumping partner. (Read the full article on The Outdoor Journal). Over the past 14 years, Hardy has completed over 1,800 BASE jumps in 27 different countries, which makes him one of the world’s leading experts on the sport. Hardy runs a BASE jumping school where he teaches students the techniques of BASE jumping and wingsuit flying. Steadfast to Peter Pan’s credo “Never Grow Up,” Hardy believes that we are meant to carry on our childhood playfulness throughout life. Hardy also co-founded Project Base, a non-profit company, in order to combine his passion for wingsuit flying with the chance to give back to others. In 2015, Hardy and his partner Nate Jones flew to Ethiopia to complete a world’s first BASE Jump in the Simien mountains, in conjunction with providing fresh water and school furniture to students. As if wingsuit flying was not difficult enough, Hardy straps various cameras to his gear to capture footage for documentary films, which requires an additional level of air awareness, concentration, and trust to film his subjects at cinematic angles. Wingsuit flying is a sport misunderstood. Athletes jump from cliffs, mountain tops, tall buildings and other objects with the goal to fly in close proximity to the ground, yet at a safe enough “angle of attack” to avoid contact. Each flight takes hours of mental preparation which involves closely reading the terrain and weather conditions. In this episode, Sam will discuss the purpose behind his wingsuit adventures, the mechanics of flight prep, what it was like to be mistaken for the Messiah on his first descent into Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains and how to deal with life’s stressors better by facing ultimate risk. For more stories like this, visit The Outdoor Journal. And if you’d like to go on your own adventure to Ethiopia's highest mountain range, check out our hiking package in Simien National Park on The Outdoor Voyage.Hiking the Roof of Africa to the Hottest Place on Earth - Simien National Park & Danakil Depression