Mach 1.67 skydiving!
From Landings web site.
High-jump
At the end of the year, a French parachutist plans a freefalling adventure that will see him propelled through the speed of sound from the stratospheric height of more than 120,000 feet -- almost 23 miles straight up.
Michel Fournier, 56, is going to try the big jump from a balloon, since there are no aircraft in civilian hands that could reach that altitude, according to the Federation Aeronautique International in France.
A top multi-disciplinary athlete and an ex-parachute officer with more than 8,000 jumps to his credit (more than a hundred from high altitude), he also holds the French record for free-fall flight from 12,000 meters (36,000+ feet). His performances have earned him the Gold medal for Youth and Sport and the Aeronautics Medal as well as the title of Officer of the National Order of Merit.
The feat will take place in France, on the Crau plain. The day of the jump a weather probe will bring in the last details needed to plan the exact trajectory for the stratospheric balloon which will be taking Fournier up.
Less than 50 minutes before the launch, the balloon will be filled with helium. The pod will be held down on the ground until the last second before taking-off.
The balloon will climb for about two hours and 30 minutes. For security reasons, in case there should be a problem during the climb, a remote-controlled canopy liberator, linking the balloon to the flight chain, will be operated by the ground computer in order to parachute the pod back down to earth.
A machine in the pod will regulate the pressure. Once at the ceiling height, Fournier will unpressurize the pod and pressurize his suit, open the glass door and finally accomplish his life's dream -- admire the roundness of the Planet Earth before plunging out to break the wall of sound.
It will only take him 30 seconds to hear the double "bang" of breaking the sound barrier and 51 seconds to reach the speed of 1,782 km/h (1.67 mach), a speed never achieved by man so far.
Then, after a free-fall of six minutes and 25 seconds, he will open his parachute at 3,000 feet and will be able to take advantage of the remaining four minutes needed to reach the ground. It will be the accomplishment of 10 years of preparation for a few historical minutes and the setting of four world records.
The current high jump record is just over 100,000 feet.