"I'm not a Harakiri type"

Someone who says they’ve sailed 17.6 kilometers through the air without any technical assistance is either crazy, an uninhibited show-off – or Ueli Gegenschatz. Superman’s next human relative managed this feat as the first wingsuit flyer ever.

On June 3 you crossed Galway Bay in Ireland, covering 17.6 kilometers. Can you explain to us mortals what that feels like?

It’s perhaps a bit like racing down a mountain with an open windbreaker on a bike or skis. Parachuters will have had a similar feeling, except that you can steer which direction you fly with the wings.

Nobody has ever flown as far as you in a wingsuit without supplementary oxygen. What made this record flight possible?

The conditions were ideal, above all due to the strong tail wind. We abandoned two prior trial flights because the wind conditions weren’t good ... and there was a boat in the water, just in case I didn’t make it to the shore.

You not only set a distance record but also won a duel with a passenger plane ...

The local airline promotes the service of getting passengers to the mainland in seven minutes. Passing such an advertising board one day, I was bitten by the ambition bug. I sensed that this time limit could be undercut with the wingsuit due to its sharp gliding angle. And I really then managed the distance in 5:45 minutes.

What else does a wingsuit flyer have to do during such a flight – besides not losing their nerve?

You have to keep the ideal body tension and an aerodynamically optimal position – and at the same time apportion your strengths well. Because five minutes can feel like a lifetime.

You’re probably aware of the fact that you can’t tell this story in a normal conversation because it just sounds so unreal. Have you experienced a situation in which acquaintances think you’re a show-off or totally crazy when telling them about your experiences?

Just one situation? [Laughs]. Since 1995 this has been happening to me about once a week. People say something like ‘nice story’ and then roll their eyes. Usually they don’t believe me until they’ve seen the pictures and clips on my website.

Is there something in the way you live your everyday life that shows that you tick a bit differently to most people?

I live a very normal life, and I work as an insurance advisor. This requires being very serious. One time I even jumped from a rock face in a suit and tie because I came directly from work and didn’t have anything else to wear. In my job I specialize in risk assessment ...

... which is not insignificant when it comes to skydiving, BASE jumping and wingsuit flying.

It’s actually what it’s all about. I’m not a Harakiri type. When I first started, a lot of people thought I was a crackpot. These days I’m considered a sportsperson because people have recognized that I work professionally and that safety is the most important thing. I also have other plans in life.

How did your passion for flying actually start?

In 1989, when I was in the military. I wanted to spend my time doing something that interested me, and registered for parachuting. And I was bitten by the bug. In 1995 to ’98 I then participated as a paraglider in international competitions. Since ’97 I’ve been focusing on jumping and flying without aids.

Was the record flight in Ireland also a personal highlight – or do you have even more exciting memories?

It’s hard to single out one jump. In 2000 I was the first person to jump from the Eiger North Face, and in 2002, together with Hannes Arch, jumped from the Matterhorn. At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve 2002 I jumped from the highest tower in the world in Malaysia. In 2005, in one day, I climbed the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains and jumped off them all. And the jump from the Eiffel Tower last spring wasn’t half bad ...

But it must have been a walk in the park, considering everything else …

Not when you think that the Eiffel Tower is guarded by 16 military police 24 hours a day. I needed Appenzellian craftiness ...

What dreams do you still want to realize? A walk in space? Reincarnation as an albatros?