Wingsuit pilot becomes the first person to fly in and out of an active volcano in Chile [Video]
Wingsuit daredevil becomes the first person to fly in and out of an active volcano as he soars through the smoking crater at over 100MPH in stunning footage filmed in Chile
Wingsuit pilot Sebastián Álvarez skydives out of helicopter flying 11,000ft in the air and dips into volcanoHe flies in and out of Villarrica in Chile while travelling at more than 100mph after multiple attempts at featSkydiver, who began his career in Chilean Air Force, said it was ‘the most complicated project’ he has done
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This is the heart-pounding moment a wingsuit daredevil soared through an active volcano after skydiving from a helicopter flying 11,000ft in the air.
Sebastián Álvarez, 36, who began his career flying for the Chilean Air Force, teamed up with fellow skydiver Dani Roman in order to fly through the 656ft-wide crater of Villarrica, also known as ‘the devil’s house’, in Chile.
Footage shows the extreme sports enthusiast take multiple attempts to execute his mission before eventually managing to fly in and out of the smoking volcano at a speed of over 100mph.
During the clip, which was shared on November 29, Mr Álvarez prepares for the dangerous feat ahead and tells viewers this is ‘the most complicated project’ he has worked on.
Sebastián Álvarez, who began his career flying for the Chilean Air Force, sits at the edge of the helicopter before taking the plunge
The adrenaline junkie flies through the crater of Villarrica, also known as ‘the devil’s house’, in Chile during the stunt
The skydiver soars through the air after jumping out of a helicopter and heads towards the active volcano
He says: ‘It’s definitely been the most complicated project that I’ve worked on due to the unpredictable factors.
‘For me the mind work was the most relevant aspect, understanding that I wanted to fly into an active volcano and attempt to get out of it.
‘So there is a moment during that flight I find myself in front of a wall.’
He adds: ‘All factors are controllable or predictable. So there is the human factor which in my case is training and there is the weather factor, which is predictable, but the volcano activity was completely out of our control.
‘One day it could be really active and pulsing lots of smoke and the next day it could be super calm so having all of these variables for one flight is extremely complicated.’
Meanwhile fellow skydiver Dani Roman, who filmed the stunning feat, says: ‘The truth is that when he told me I thought it was insane, right?
‘At the beginning I don’t know I didn’t see it clearly.
‘After some calculation, it seemed to be possible and later I realised it was doable but I still had doubts.’
Afterwards he said: ‘Basically what Seba has done is to fly with his own body inside an active crater and fly his way out of it. Just with his body, no motor, only a little bit of fabric.’
During his first attempt at the stunt, Mr Álvarez sits at the edge of the helicopter before plunging towards the smoking crater below him.
However his flare, the manoeuvre that allows wingsuit pilot’s to get a final slingshot of speed, is not strong enough and the skydiver cannot complete the stunt.
Mr Álvarez gets into position and heads towards the smoking volcano below him while in his wingsuit
Mr Álvarez uses his arm to move towards in the direction of the crater before managing to fly in and out
The skydiver said the stunt was ‘the most complicated project’ that he had worked on and there were multiple variables affecting the challenge
The skydiver, who completed 500 jumps in preparation for his latest stunt, looks out of the helicopter before jumping out
Undeterred, the adrenaline junkie takes to the skies for a second and third attempt but the smoke emitted by the volcano and the winds are too strong and he is unable to complete the task.
The following day, Mr Álvarez flies to a height of 11,482ft before jumping out of the helicopter once more.
The skydiver, who completed 500 jumps in preparation for his latest stunt, is able to gain enough speed and air pressure this time and dips into the crater before flying back out.
Mr Álvarez has also completed a number of other stunts – including passing through the twin towers of Vina del Mar in Chile, BASE jumping from Mont Blanc in the Alps and carrying out a wingsuit flight on Cerro Manquehue, Santiago, Chile.
Villarrica, near the tourist resort of Pucon around 460 miles south of the capital Santiago, is one of South America’s most active volcanoes.
It has had historical eruptions dating back to 1558, and there have been a series of eruptions since December 2014.
The eruptions create a lava lake at its summit which can lead to small explosions, send jets of ash and gas hundreds of feet in the air and generate volcanic bombs.
In March 2015, more than 3,000 people were evacuated from the area before the volcano spewed ash and lava over 3,000 feet in the air.
