PAYERNE, Switzerland (AFP) - A 36-year-old Swiss amateur parachutist made a successful 650-metre (2,130-foot) drop Saturday using a replica of a parachute designed more than 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci.
"I came down... smack in the middle of the tarmac at Payerne military airport," said Olivier Vietti-Teppa. "A perfect jump."
Vietti-Teppa is the first person to have made it safely to the ground with the Leonardo model.
In 2000, Britain's Adrian Nicholas tried it but had to pull the ripcord on a modern backup parachute to complete his descent safely.
Vietti-Teppa jumped from a hovering helicopter and the Leonardo parachute opened at 600 metres, he reported.
The parachute he used was made using modern fabric along lines designed by the Renaissance genius. The specifications were found in a text dating from 1485.
Link with pictures here...
Swiss Man jumps using Leonardo da Vinci-designed parachute
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