Swiss extreme wingsuit flyer Ueli Gegenschatz gets set to jump at 4,500 metres. Photo: Andrew Downes

A Swiss daredevil last weekend flew from Inis Mor to Connemara Regional Airport quicker than an Aer Arann aircraft would make the same journey.

Ueli 'Sputnik' Gegenschatz began his stunt by jumping out of a skydiving plane and then proceeded to glide the 17.6 km to land safely at the airport.

The experienced sky-diver, who recently base jumped from the world famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, made the momentous journey in a specially made wing-suit before releasing his parachute 200m out from the landing site.

In what is the longest distance travelled in a suit of this kind, Gegenschatz started at an altitude of 4,500m, and reached an average speed of up to 250 km per hour.

Speaking after his successful attempt, Sputnik said, "I was happy not to land in the ocean, as I've heard the Irish waters are very cold."

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