AssetID: 55009433
Headline: RAW VIDEO: American Daredevil Becomes The First To Ride San Francisco Bay Bridge Cables In Jaw-Dropping Skysurf Stunt
Caption: An American skysurfer has made history by becoming the first person to ride the suspension cables of San Francisco’s iconic Bay Bridge. 53-year-old Red Bull Air Force athlete Sean MacCormac leapt from a helicopter 5,500 feet above the Bay, strapped to a specialised custom board, before grinding along the steel bridge cables in a heart-stopping stunt dubbed Bridge Rider. After executing the daring manoeuvre, MacCormac completed the three-minute flight path with a sharp right turn before descending the final 60 metres and touching down safely on a floating barge waiting below. Speaking after the breathtaking feat, MacCormac admitted: "This was probably the most intense, wildest project I've ever done. I've never had that view before, and pretty sure no one else has either. To be able to complete this project brings me an incredible sense of accomplishment. We put such incredible focus, math and science into lining up the cable and landing safely on the barge." The stunt was months in the making, requiring extensive preparation, engineering analysis, and cooperation with local authorities. To train for the challenge of lining up with the bridge cables, MacCormac rehearsed at Skydive Elsinore near San Diego, using a 55-metre crane rig designed to mimic the Bay Bridge. Multiple successful practice runs honed his speed, precision and accuracy before he attempted the real thing. Explaining the process, he said: "We have a giant crane with two anchoring forklifts and with Eric, our math magician, we’ve been able to come pretty darn close to emulating the schematics of the bridge, so what we’re able to do is get some repetition and figure out what the best flightlines are and go through this whole process. It’s been really incredible and confidence-building, so we’ve crossed the rubicon of the unknown." The idea for Bridge Rider was born years earlier during a lunch break while filming a BASE-jumping commercial in Los Angeles. MacCormac recalled: "We had a lunch break and I was looking out over L.A., daydreaming about skysurfing... and I just imagined this impossible grind where you could use the canopy to grind a rooftop or something. Seeing lines with this equipment that I wouldn’t have imagined otherwise. From there, it just kind of percolated into this." MacCormac has long been regarded as one of skysurfing’s most influential figures, with more than 22,000 jumps to his name. His career has also taken him beyond the sport, working as a CIA civilian trainer, a Hollywood stuntman, and a civilian trainer for both the US Navy and Air Force.
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