Remember Disney’s famous movie Up which featured a floating house? American illusionist and endurance artist David Blaine probably took inspiration from this animated flick for his new stunt: flying 24,000 feet in the air while being attached to helium balloons. Read on to know more about the daredevil’s latest performance. By Bayar Jain
While ascending from over 20,000 feet is scary in its own right, doing so without a safety shield is another level. Taking to Instagram to announce his new move, American illusionist David Blaine, however, saw this as a challenge itching to be overcome. The 47-year-old endurance artist strapped himself to 52 helium-filled balloons and gleefully glided into the Arizona sky. The journey was also live-streamed on his YouTube channel, which went on to set a record as the most-watched YouTube Originals live event with over 7,70,000 viewers tuning in.
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For the stunt, the extreme performer set off at around 07:30 am local time, post which he gradually dropped small weight to the ground to speed his flight. With a parachute to accompany and an oxygen mask to facilitate easier breathing at the high altitudes, Blaine flew effortlessly. The half-hour ride came to an end when he freed himself from the balloon cluster and deployed a parachute to slow his downfall.
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Earlier, Blaine has undertaken equally scary—if not more—stunts such as being electrocuted by seven Tesla coils producing a continuous electric discharge of one million volts or more; hanging upside down without a safety net for 60 hours; locking himself in a fishbowl; staying trapped in a block of ice for two days; staying inside a suspended, transparent Plexiglas case for 44 days, and more.
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