Latest news with #TheBoyWhoCanFly
NDTV
25-06-2025
- NDTV
24-year-Old Wingsuit Flyer Dies While Attempting 8,000-Foot Jump In The Swiss Alps
A 24-year-old Scottish wingsuit flyer died on Saturday during a jump from 8,000 feet, the BBC reported. Liam Byrne, who starred in a documentary about his journey to become a champion skydiver, plunged to his death on the Gitschen mountain in the Swiss Alps. The 24-year-old, from Aberdeenshire in Scotland, had completed more than 4,000 jumps in his 10 years as a wingsuit flyer and was featured in a BBC documentary called 'The Boy Who Can Fly'. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and the Cantonal Police of Uri have said the fatal wingsuit incident is being investigated, per the BBC. The statement added that Mr Byrne had jumped with two others on Saturday when he died. Mr Byrne's parents confirmed their son's demise. In a statement to the outlet, the family said, "We would like to remember Liam not just for the way he left this world, but for how he lived in it. Liam was fearless, not necessarily because he wasn't afraid but because he refused to let fear hold him back. He chased life in a way that most of us only dream of and he soared." "Skydiving and base jumping was more than just a thrill for Liam - it was freedom. It was where he felt most alive. Liam was more than just an adventurer. He was a son, brother, grandson, cousin and friend. He was a source of laughter and strength. He inspired all of us and made life better with his bold spirit and kind heart," the statement added. The BBC described Mr Byrne as a very experienced wingsuit flyer. He took to extreme sports from a young age. At 12, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. By the age of 14, he was a licensed paraglider, and at 16, he began skydiving, and by 18, he started using a wingsuit. In the documentary, he said that no matter how safe he tried to make the sport, he did think about how much it worried his family. He told the documentary makers that preparation was key to being safe. "I've spent the last decade training to increase the skills and decrease any risk. For me I'm about as far from a reckless adrenaline junkie as you can possibly get. Preparation is always been at the heart of all my challenges. The more I prepare, the more control I have," he said. An investigation into Mr Byrne's death is ongoing. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed it was supporting the family of a British man who died in Switzerland.
7NEWS
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
British wingsuit flying champion Liam Byrne dies ages 24 during Swiss Alps base jump
A 24-year-old British wingsuit flyer was killed on Saturday during a base jump in the Swiss Alps, local police said in a statement. The man was later named as Liam Byrne by his parents, who released a statement to the BBC, paying tribute to their son's 'bold spirit and kind heart'. Byrne was experienced in wingsuit flying, a strand of skydiving that involves wearing a specially designed suit to maximise gliding time before deploying a parachute. He became a British champion in the sport in 2022, recording the fastest speed in the advanced category. More recently, he was the subject of a BBC documentary 'The Boy Who Can Fly', which traced his dreams of flying like a bird and his careful preparations to do so. But his family always lived with the fear of losing him. 'I have buried him 10 times already in my head,' his dad Mike said in the documentary. On Saturday, Byrne and two other wingsuit flyers launched a jump from the Gitschen mountain in central Switzerland at approximately 2400m above sea level, but he deviated from his intended course for unknown reasons. He crashed into a rocky outcrop at approximately 2100m above sea level and suffered fatal injuries, Swiss police added in the statement. 'We would like to remember Liam not just for the way he left this world, but for how he lived in it,' his family said in its statement. 'Liam was fearless, not necessarily because he wasn't afraid but because he refused to let fear hold him back. 'He chased life in a way that most of us only dream of and he soared. 'Skydiving and base jumping was more than just a thrill for Liam — it was freedom. It was where he felt most alive. 'Liam was more than just an adventurer. He was a son, brother, grandson, cousin and friend. He was a source of laughter and strength. 'He inspired all of us and made life better with his bold spirit and kind heart. 'We will miss Liam's wild energy and contagious laugh. Though he has now flown beyond our reach, he will always be with us.' Growing up in Stonehaven, a small town on Scotland's northeast coast, Byrne was always drawn to adventure and extreme sports. He had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro by the age of 12, covered 500km with his own team of huskies through Norway, Sweden and Finland by 14 and qualified as a skydiving instructor by 19.
New York Post
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Fearless' wingsuit champion, 24, dies during 8,000-foot jump
An experienced wingsuit flyer who starred in a documentary about his journey to become a champion skydiver has died during a jump from 8,000 feet. Liam Byrne, 24, plunged to his death on the Gitschen mountain in the Swiss Alps on Saturday in his latest jump in the specialized webbed suit, the BBC reported. Byrne, from Aberdeenshire in Scotland, had completed more than 4,000 jumps in his 10 years as a wingsuit flyer and was featured in a recent BBC documentary called 'The Boy Who Can Fly.' 6 Champion wingsuit jumper Liam Byrne, 24, has died following a crash in the Swiss Alps. liambyrne0/Instagram He had jumped with two others on Saturday when he died, Uri Cantonal Police said while calling for witnesses to come forward, the Telegraph reported. 'One of the jumpers, a 24-year-old man from Great Britain, deviated from his intended course shortly after take-off for reasons still unknown and crashed into a rocky outcrop at approximately 2,100 metres [6,900ft] above sea level. He suffered fatal injuries,' a police spokesman said. Byrne previously said that no matter how safe he tried to be, he knew how much his family worried about him skydiving. 6 The British national jumped from Gitschen, at a height of 8,000 feet, when he crashed. Stefan – 'I have buried him 10 times already in my head,' Byrne's father said in the BBC documentary, aired November 8 last year. 6 Byrne starred in a documentary last year about the sport. liambyrne0/Instagram Byrne's parents Mike and Gillian confirmed their son had died, paying tribute to his 'contagious laugh' and 'wild energy.' 'We would like to remember Liam not just for the way he left this world, but for how he lived in it,' they told BBC Scotland News. 'Liam was fearless, not necessarily because he wasn't afraid but because he refused to let fear hold him back. He chased life in a way that most of us only dream of and he soared,' the grieving family said. 6 He got into extreme sports from a young age. liambyrne0/Instagram 6 Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward. liambyrne0/Instagram 'Skydiving and base jumping was more than just a thrill for Liam – it was freedom. It was where he felt most alive,' they said. 'Though he has now flown beyond our reach, he will always be with us,' the family added. 6 His family has paid tribute to his 'contagious laugh.' liambyrne0/Instagram Byrne's death is being investigated by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, as well as the public prosecutor's office of Uri. A lover of extreme sports from an early age, Byrne was just 12 years old when he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the Telegraph reported. He started skydiving at 16 and began using a wingsuit at 18. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed it was supporting the family of a British man who had died in Switzerland in a statement shared with the Telegraph.
Daily Record
23-06-2025
- Daily Record
What is wingsuit flying as Scot tragically dies in Swiss Alps base jump
Liam Byrne, 24, suffered fatal injuries when on the Gitschen mountain on Saturday after taking off from 7,784ft (2,400m). A Scots wingsuit flyer tragically died during a jump in the Swiss Alps on Saturday, June 21. Liam Byrne, 24, suffered fatal injuries when jumping from the Gitschen mountain at 7,784ft (2,400m). The 24-year-old from Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire was described as a very experienced wingsuit flyer. His father, Mike Byrne, paid tribute from Switzerland, telling BBC Scotland News: "Though he has now flown beyond our reach, he will always be with us." In a touching statement his family described Liam as "fearless" who inspired them through his "kind spirit" and "bold heart". The statement read: "We would like to remember Liam not just for the way he left this world, but for how he lived in it. "Liam was fearless, not necessarily because he wasn't afraid but because he refused to let fear hold him back. He chased life in a way that most of us only dream of and he soared. "Skydiving and base jumping was more than just a thrill for Liam - it was freedom. It was where he felt most alive." But as the tragic accident makes headlines, questions have risen on exactly what wingsuit flying entails, and the risks associated with this extreme hobby. Here's everything you need to know about wingsuit flying. What is wingsuit flying? Wingsuit flying, also known as wingsuit jumping or simply wingsuiting, is a form of skydiving in which the diver wears a winged suit with fabric extending between their arms and legs. The extra fabric of the suit forms a webbed effect which allows them to glide through the air after jumping from a plane or another high point. By shifting the position of their body, the diver can control their fall and 'fly' through the air, before using a parachute to land safely. This extreme sport requires extensive training to be carried out safely, and it comes with its fair share of risks. How dangerous is wingsuit flying? According to Explorers Web, more than 400 people have died doing this extreme sport since 1981. The death rate for wingsuiting is an astonishing one death per 500 jumps, and it is statistically much more dangerous than ordinary skydiving. Liam Byrne's family continued their touching statement to the flyer who had successfully completed hundreds of jumps in the past, and starred in a BBC documentary The Boy Who Can Fly last November. The statement added: "Liam was more than just an adventurer. He was a son, brother, grandson, cousin and friend. He was a source of laughter and strength. "He inspired all of us and made life better with his bold spirit and kind heart. We will miss Liam's wild energy and contagious laugh. "Though he has now flown beyond our reach, he will always be with us." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Yahoo
British wingsuit champion Liam Byrne, 24, dies in Swiss Alps base jump
A 24-year-old British wingsuit flyer was killed on Saturday during a base jump in the Swiss Alps, local police said in a statement. The man was later named as Liam Byrne by his parents, who released a statement to the BBC, paying tribute to their son's 'bold spirit and kind heart.' Byrne was experienced in wingsuit flying, a strand of skydiving that involves wearing a specially designed suit to maximise gliding time before deploying a parachute. He became a British champion in the sport in 2022, recording the fastest speed in the advanced category. More recently, he was the subject of a BBC documentary, 'The Boy Who Can Fly,' which traced his dreams of flying like a bird and his careful preparations to do so. On Saturday, he and two other wingsuit flyers launched a jump from the Gitschen mountain in central Switzerland at approximately 2,400 meters (7,900 feet) above sea level, but he deviated from his intended course for unknown reasons, Swiss police said. He crashed into a rocky outcrop at approximately 2,100 meters (6,900 feet) above sea level and suffered fatal injuries, the statement added. CNN has reached out to Byrne's family and Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for comment. Growing up in Stonehaven, a small town on Scotland's northeast coast, Byrne was always drawn to adventure and extreme sports. According to his LinkedIn profile, he had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro by the age of 12, covered 500 kilometers (310 miles) with his own team of huskies through Norway, Sweden and Finland by 14 and qualified as a skydiving instructor by 19. 'Liam was fearless, not necessarily because he wasn't afraid but because he refused to let fear hold him back. He chased life in a way that most of us only dream of and he soared,' his family said in its statement. 'Skydiving and base jumping was more than just a thrill for Liam – it was freedom. It was where he felt most alive.'
