Baumgartner’s descent lasted just over nine minutes, about half of it in a free fall of 119,846 feet, according to Brian Utley, a jump observer from the FAI, an international group that works to determine and maintain the integrity of aviation records. He said the speed calculations were preliminary figures.
During the first part of Baumgartner’s free fall, anxious onlookers at the command center held their breath as he appeared to spin uncontrollably.
“When I was spinning first 10, 20 seconds, I never thought I was going to lose my life but I was disappointed because I’m losing to lose my record. I put seven years of my life into this,” he said.
He added: “In that situation, when you spin around, it’s like hell and you don’t know if you can get out of that spin or not. Of course It was terrifying. I was fighting all the way down because I knew that there must be a moment where I can handle it.”
HH: HE DID IT! New Record Free Fall Jump. 24 miles up! Breaks Sound Barrier over New Mexico.
