Sebastián Álvarez aims for multiple FAI records with exceptional wingsuit flight
Chilean wingsuit pilot Sebastián ‘Ardilla’ Álvarez has completed a breathtaking flight, submitting preliminary claims for multiple FAI World and South American records. The attempt demonstrated this extraordinary athlete’s impressive skill and control in the air, developed over almost 20 years of wingsuit experience.
The flight took place on 22 March 2025 over the West Tennessee Skydiving Centre in Whiteville, USA, under official FAI observation.
He has submitted the following preliminary record claims to FAI:
Skydiving - Wingsuit Flying
- World and South American Records, Distance of Flight: 53,448.50 metres
- World and South American Records, Time of Fall: 661.29 seconds
Skydiving - Altitude/Fall
- South American Record, Exit Altitude: 12,639.63 metres
- South American Record, Distance of Fall without a Drogue: 11,707.62 metres
FAI is awaiting the record file submission to ratify his performances as new records.
Credit: Joerg Mitter
Álvarez, a former Air Force pilot, completed the flight as part of the Red Bull Starman mission and later spoke about its personal significance: "This mission was about taking human flight to the next level - not just for me, but to show what’s possible when you dream big and commit fully. There were, of course, moments of doubt, but with the right preparation, training, and technology, we made it happen."
FAI Skydiving Commission (ISC) President Alberto Martin Paracuellos commented: “First of all, I would like to warmly congratulate athlete Sebastian Álvarez on this incredible sporting achievement, which marks a significant moment for the discipline of Wingsuit Flying. His performance takes the sport to a new level and clearly demonstrates that hard work and constant dedication pay off.
“FAI records represent the highest standard in air sports—rigorously verified and deeply respected. Breaking records reflects not only personal mastery, but also supports the growth and visibility of skydiving and air sports worldwide.
“I feel it is also important to acknowledge the role of long-term support from partners such as Red Bull who believe in the potential of air sports and the athletes that drive them forward. Their ongoing commitment makes achievements like this possible and helps our sports continue to evolve.”
According to Michael Cooper, the ISC Wingsuit Judge present at the attempt, the achievement was remarkable not just for surpassing existing records, but for doing so by a significant margin. Furthermore, in his view, it is rare to see such a well-rounded performance in wingsuit flying, as pilots typically optimise for just one element—time, distance, or speed—depending on how they approach the flight.
Flying slowly can increase time aloft but usually results in poor distance and speed, while diving to gain speed often comes at the expense of both time and distance. In this case, Cooper noted, the fact that all performances were so strong suggested that Álvarez had flown a clean, efficient, and impressively balanced flight.
Credit: Joerg Mitter
About FAI records
Drawing up rules and controlling and ratifying aeronautical and astronautical World and Continental records represent an important part of FAI’s activities. Since the first flights were recorded in 1906, FAI has registered more than 20,000 records to date.
Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean, and Yuri Gagarin’s first human flight into space are amongst the great aeronautical and astronautical achievements recorded by FAI. All air sport disciplines are represented in FAI World and Continental record archives, from human-powered flight at one extreme, to space flight at the other.
Credit: Scott Palmer
Photo credit, top picture: Joerg Mitter
