Extreme traveler and daredevil says he's living out a childhood dream
French man leaps off mountainside and 'flies' into air on carpet
A real-life "Aladdin" by the name of Freddy Montigny of France takes to the skies over Croix des Têtes in this dramatic video. He's been practicing extreme air sports for years and calls himself a "professional carpet rider."
A French daredevil has turned his childhood dreams into reality by "soaring" from mountain cliffs — on a flying carpet.
Freddy Montigny, 44, has spent years honing his skills in extreme sports to live out a dream of becoming a real-life Aladdin, according to SWNS, the British news service.
He developed a unique stunt by using expertise gained from paragliding, skydiving and hang-gliding over the years — all of which gave him the control he needed, he said, to "fly" on a carpet.
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Dramatic video shows Montigny's daring jump from the Croix des Têtes, a 2,400-meter-high mountain in the Vercors range in France. (See the video at the top of this article.)
He can be seen falling rapidly to 1,600 meters while "riding" a carpet.
Freddy Montigny, 44, is pictured jumping off a mountain on a carpet. The French daredevil has turned childhood dreams into reality by soaring from mountain cliffs on a "flying" carpet. (SWNS)
Montigny of Choranche, France said, "I’ve always wondered what part of the myths and legends we were told as kids was true," as SWNS reported.
He said he started "paragliding at 25, skydiving at 30, and hang-gliding at 35."
These activities, he said, "helped me master the art of carpet flying."
He called the parachute his "main safety net."
Fox News Digital reached out to Montigny for further comment.
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In his social media postings, Montigny has stressed "linking childhood dreams to adult reality."
He has also noted his "years of experience," including practice at Vercors Massif — a range in France consisting of rugged plateaus and mountains — and a trusty parachute.
Montigny is shown in both images above on his "flying" carpet. He stressed his "years of experience," including paragliding, skydiving and hang-gliding. (SWNS)
He called the parachute his "main safety net."
He told SWNS, "If anything goes wrong, I just release the carpet and open it. With the height I’m jumping from, I have plenty of time to correct any mistakes."
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He also said, "With this flying carpet, I’ve learned that while you can’t fly at any speed or to any destination, it’s still an amazing way to defy reality."
He said he "wanted to play with reality and use the skills I’ve learned in life to chase this dream."
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Montigny previously worked as a professional drummer and stage technician, SWNS said.
Montigny, 44, who previously worked as a professional drummer and stage technician, today calls himself a "professional carpet rider." (SWNS)
He now calls himself a "professional carpet rider."
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On his YouTube channel in mid-August this summer, Montigny showed off what he called "the fastest way to go fishing or [to] work."
He went on, "Remember the little child playing in the wind or simulating the plane with his jacket open ... And now … it's real," he wrote, wearing what appeared to be a modified raincoat.
Video shows him running and then leaping off a cliff in "maybe the most efficient, low-tech, minimal-dyi, no-modification flying suits we have tried and tested at Aladdin SkyLab."
Maureen Mackey is managing editor of lifestyle at Fox News Digital.
