Mansfield man performs 'world's highest zipline' from dizzy heights of 15,000 feet

Wingsuit pilot Dan May and free flyer Lee Rhodes successfully pulled off the ‘world’s highest zipline’ at an airfield in Lancaster last week.

A feat very few have previously attempted, the high-risk stunt involved wingsuit pilot Dan speeding through the air while Lee hung underneath attached by a tether.

Dan, who grew up in Mansfield Woodhouse and now works as a commercial pilot, has a passion for flying wingsuits recreationally and became interested in the trick.

Dan said: “A while back in the base-jumping community, a couple of guys had the same idea and they jumped off a cliff – it was terrifying but it looked absolutely amazing.

“We just took the idea one step further and thought why not take it much higher into the sky?

“We attached a rope and handle to my wingsuit and exited the aircraft at around 15,000 feet.”

Once airborn, the pair then travelled horizontally at 125 miles per hour above the Lancashire countryside.

Dan added: “The idea is that I would be the zipline and fly across the sky, and Lee would try and hang on underneath as long as possible.

“We only thought it’d be a few seconds but Lee actually managed to hold on for 2.8 miles – all the way until the planned separation.”

The stunt was definitely a ‘don’t try this at home’ achievement, with many dangerous elements.

“We had to take it very seriously,” former Manor School student Dan said.

“Usually these two disciplines don’t go together – the wingsuit pilots and the free flyers.

“They normally try and stay as far away as possible from each other for safety.

“Not only were we next to each other, but we were actually connected to each other by a tether.

“It took a lot of training to pull this off safely.”