Zhang Shupeng, the first person in Chinese wingsuit to fly through Tianmen Cave: I just conquered myself

Dialogue with the first person in Chinese wingsuit flight through Tianmen Cave

Zhang Shupeng: I just conquered myself

Recently, Zhang Shubeng, a well-known wingsuit pilot and explorer, successfully completed the challenge of "wingsuit flight through Tianmen Cave" in Tianmen Mountain, Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province. At 4:30 on April 12, Zhang Shupeng took a helicopter and rose to an altitude of more than 30,2000 meters above sea level behind Tianmen Cave, and at a distance of 850 meters in a straight line from Tianmen Cave, he jumped from the cabin in a wing suit and crossed Tianmen Cave at an average speed of 180 kilometers per hour.

The moment he passed through the Tianmen Cave, the camera couldn't help but shout. With the parachute successfully opened and landed safely, Zhang Shupeng also became the first wingsuit to fly through the Tianmen Cave Chinese.

Recently, a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily talked to Zhang Shupeng to understand the story behind his feat.

dialogue

Familiarity with Tianmen Mountain may exceed that of scenic staff

Beiqing News: Why did you choose Tianmen Cave in Tianmen Mountain for this wingsuit flight challenge?

Zhang Shubeng: I have been training in Tianmen Mountain for many years, and the venue here is particularly suitable for wingsuit flying. The relative height of the cliffs – around 1000,<> metres from the take-off to the ground – and the World Championships in wingsuit flight have been held here many times. In China, this is also the most mature venue. I learned more and more about the topography and landforms, and I wanted to do a challenge activity, so I chose Tianmen Cave in Tianmen Mountain.

Beijing Youth News: What preparations did you make before the challenge?

Zhang Shupeng: Every wingsuit flight must be fully prepared before each flight, and such a major flight activity must be rehearsed in advance. My bases in Shenzhen and Guangzhou have also conducted targeted training. After training in Tianmen Mountain for a long time, I actually have a three-dimensional imprint on my mind.

Beijing Youth News: Have you conducted test flights before?

Zhang Shupeng: I have made more than 1200,4 wingsuit flights to Tianmen Mountain, and my familiarity with Tianmen Mountain may have surpassed that of the scenic staff in some aspects. I paid attention to the terrain and mountain shapes that had an impact on flying, so I was not nervous. On April 29, I also conducted two test flights to verify relevant data, such as the influence of light on the back mountain of Tianmen Mountain at different times. In the end, I decided to challenge at the best time at noon.

Weather is the biggest factor affecting flying

Beijing Youth News: Generally speaking, what has the greatest impact on wingsuit flight?

Zhang Shubeng: Weather is the biggest influence. If the weather conditions on the day are not good, such as rain, wind, clouds, these may cause the flight activity to be impossible.

According to the past law, at the end of April and the beginning of May, the weather in Tianmen Mountain is generally good. Team members need to have a professional assessment of the flight weather. Coupled with our use of online real-time industry weather information, the judgment of weather is very accurate. It takes more than a minute from the helicopter to open the parachute, plus about two minutes for the landing. If the weather is very suitable, within a few minutes or even ten minutes, the meteorological conditions generally do not change much.

In the future, I want to win the gold medal at the World Wingsuit Flying Championships

Beijing Youth News: Please introduce your personal experience?

Zhang Shupeng: My hometown is in Inner Mongolia. After coming into contact with wingsuit flying, he has been working and living in Beijing for most of the time for more than ten years. Before wingsuit flying, I was a member of the paragliding national team in 2009, and won the paragliding world championship that year, which was also the first world championship gold medal in Chinese paragliding.

After the race, I wanted to adjust my life trajectory and goals, and then by chance I became obsessed with wingsuit flying.

Beijing Youth News: What achievements have you achieved in wingsuit flying?

Zhang Shupeng: In September 2017, I finished second in the precision target piercing competition at the Wingsuit Flying World Championships in Tianmen Mountain, setting the best result for an Asian in this event. Later, he also won the third and fourth places in similar competitions. In the future, I want to win a gold medal at the Wingsuit Flying World Championships.

With scientific training, ordinary people can become enthusiasts

Beijing Youth News: Wingsuit flying is an extreme sport, are many people participating?

Zhang Shubeng: From the perspective of professional athletes, there are only more than 100 people in the world engaged in this sport. Of course, there will be many wingsuit flying enthusiasts.

Beijing Youth News: Does your family support you in this sport?

Zhang Shupeng: As a professional athlete, I received scientific training, so my family is not worried about me. In addition, the athletes are steadily advancing, gradually improving, and will not come up to challenge high difficulties.

Beijing Youth News: There are two voices on the Internet, one believes that we should respect nature and cherish life, and should not engage in dangerous projects. Another view is that human beings can only make more progress if they continue to challenge. What do you think?

Zhang Shupeng: People often say that they have conquered the sea or mountains, but I don't see it that way. I think just conquered myself. When I fly, I feel like I am in nature, and nature accepts me with open arms at this moment.

Beijing Youth News: If someone wants to engage in this movement, what do you want to say to them?

Zhang Shupeng: If someone is really interested, they must correctly and objectively understand this project to see if their physical condition can meet the requirements. Through scientific training, little by little, ordinary people can also become enthusiasts. (Beijing Youth Daily / Dong Zhenjie, reporter of this newspaper)