Rex Pemberton: Dare Devil or Insane?

Ever watched a superhero show on television where you just wanted to put on a blanket and fly like superman? Well, for most of us, we probably gave up that idea after the first time we hit the floor. Unlike most people, Rex Pemberton never gave up that dream. Pemberton lives for the adventure of climbing up colossal mountains such as the Himalayas, waiting for that small gust of wind to take him down hundreds of feet with his paragliding equipment. Talk about being on top of the world.

Not only does Rex Pemberton soar through the skies of various countries, but he films and documents his adventures as well. For people like me who think jumping from the third step of a staircase to the floor is a dangerous, heart pounding thrill, watching Pemberton’s flight from first person point of view will sure get you to a whole new level. Watching his flights in full screen makes you feel like you’re the one actually hanging from a few ropes and plastic, thousands of feet in the air. Not only does Pemberton paraglide, but he also uses a more sophisticated type of “blanket”, and I’m not talking about a snuggie. Pemberton uses a wing suit, made of special fabric sewn between the arms and legs, it takes an airfoil shape at the right altitude. If necessary, the flier can deploy the special parachute used by skydivers and unzip the wings to direct themselves to a normal parachute landing.

With the rate at which technological advancements are occurring, the wing suit may soon be replaced by an even niftier flight gear. Known as the wingpack, a strap on wing made of carbon fiber is attached to the pack. Although the pack does not have all the sound effects and flashy lights such as the one Buzz Lightyear used in Toy Story, the pack does include small jet engines attached to the wings for greater travel distance. Unfortunately, it’ll be quite some time before the general public can start using these to get to work and school. Due to the high cost of the fuel and materials, the wingpack will still have to undergo much more experimentation and improvements.