The Chinese couple almost brushed his death during a routine flight. During it, the ascending current was over 8,500 meters, where the air temperature was -35 degrees Celsius. A few days after the incident, the man shared a breathtaking recording.
Last Saturday, the Chinese paraglider Peng Yujiang in a training center in the Chinese province of Gansu wanted to carry out a routine test of recently purchased equipment. A seemingly ordinary flight at an altitude of 3000 meters turned into a fight for life.
– I bought a used paraglider harness and wanted to test it (…). After a while, the wind suddenly raised me up, I tried to land, but I failed – described Yujiang.
As it turned out, the man was kidnapped by the ascending current (vertical air movement occurring in conditions of reduced atmospheric pressure), which took him to a height of over 8,500 meters and trapped among the clouds cumulonimbus.
“It was terrifying”
In the blink of an eye, the paraglider found himself in extremely dangerous conditions related to the temperature of about -35 degrees Celsius and low oxygen content. Without a oxygen mask and the man drifted at an altitude of 8598 meters not fully put on gloves. Ice crystals formed on his costume and face.
– It was terrifying, everything around me was white. Without a compass, I wouldn't know where I'm going. I thought I was going straight, but I really turned. In the end I managed to fly to the north -east – he described.
According to experts, the man experienced a rare phenomenon in which strong convection currents are paragliders at extreme altitudes. The paraglider claims that he could lose consciousness for a moment. He finally landed about 30 kilometers from the starting site.
– I still feel fear when I think about what happened. I am not sure of the future, but now I will not want to fly for some time – said Yuijiang.
The paraglider will certainly not fly for the next six months. The Local Air Sports Association temporarily deprived him of his license because the man had not previously registered a flight plan.
Close to the record
Although the Chinese paraglider rose to an extreme height, it was not the highest flight to paraglider in history. In 2007, the German paraglider Ewa Wiśnierska was also kidnapped by the ascending current, which took it to a height of 9946 meters.
Source of the main photo: Reuters