Max Manow's aerial stunt: Redefining skydiving challenges
Max Manow from the Red Bull Skydive Team was the first in the world to perform a maneuver in the air where he attached himself to a flying airplane. This remarkable achievement took place over a canyon, into which the daredevil flew shortly afterward along with the towing plane.
German parachutist and skydiver Max Manow, a Red Bull Skydive Team member, accomplished this extraordinary feat. As shown in the shared video, Max jumped out of a helicopter to grab a handle extended from an airplane, allowing him to be towed by it.
Max Manow was wearing a wingsuit—a special suit with aerodynamic surfaces that allow for lift, enabling him to glide after jumping from a height. He made a series of such jumps in the United States over the Little Colorado River and the canyon it carved.
After he jumped from the helicopter, Max Manow began a stable dive, following a flat trajectory toward the canyon. Shortly after, a plane appeared with a unique handle under its fuselage.
Using this handle, Max Manow, towed by the plane, flew into the canyon of the Little Colorado River and rose above it. He then disconnected from the plane and safely landed on the ground with a parachute.
During this unusual trial, the lightweight Cessna 182 airplane played a key role. Not only was a boom placed under its fuselage, but a large perforated airbrake was also added. This allowed the airplane to slow down sufficiently during a shallow dive, enabling Max Manow to grasp the boom with the handle after flipping onto his back.
The method of evacuating CIA agents
The aerial maneuver somewhat resembles an inverted Fulton STARS system, a method developed in the United States for evacuating people or loads from the ground, used among others by the CIA.
This method involved a low-flying airplane capturing a balloon with a rope attached, to which a person dressed in a special protective suit was tied. After capturing the balloon, the airplane "snatched" the person from the ground, towing them through the air.
