Skydiving-South African Wallis pushes wingsuit flying to global heights
Jean-Jacques Wallis wingsuit flying near Table Mountain
Photo by Reuters
Jean-Jacques Wallis glides with a parachute after a jump from Table Mountain
Photo by Reuters
With the jagged peaks of Cape Town's Table Mountain beneath him and the wind roaring past his wingsuit, South African Jean-Jacques Wallis is redefining the limits of human flight – and putting South Africa on the global map of extreme aerial sports.
Wallis, 35, is one of the world's fastest wingsuit flyers, achieving speeds of 230 km/h (143 mph).
After more than two decades mastering the sport, he is preparing to take aim at one of the world's most prestigious aerial competitions – the eleventh WWL Grand Prix, set to take place in mid-September at Tianmen Mountain, Zhangjiajie, China.
He will compete in two high-stakes formats: the slalom speed race, which tests precision and velocity through tight turns, and the target punch competition, where pilots must hit a designated mark mid-flight – a challenge requiring pinpoint control at speeds exceeding 200 km/h.
"I've pushed the sport of wingsuiting and base jumping to quite a high level and some jumps are a lot more technical than others. I have to put in a lot of training to do them," Wallis told Reuters.
Wingsuit flying remains one of the most dangerous aerial sports. Global data compiled by Reuters shows injury rates between 1% and 3%, with fatalities estimated at 0.25% to 0.5% per jump.
"Skydiving is a very diverse sport. It has a lot of variety. I think there's a bit of a misconception that it's very dangerous or extreme," Wallis said.
His recent jumps over Table Mountain – captured in July 2025 – show him gliding within meters of the ground before deploying his parachute and landing at dusk.
His flights have helped position South Africa as a rising hub for wingsuit flying.
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