Dean’s tall and lithe build helps him catch air and propel forward during a BASE jump. To maximize float, he cups his body precisely: “You arch your back and hollow out your chest,” he says, “just as if you took a feather and held it concave towards the ground. It’s that natural curve that exists in so many places. You manipulate your body into that curve and create the airfoil.”

Even without a wing suit his glide angle (hortizonal to vertical distance) is almost 2:1. When he flies his custom wing suit, he reaches 3:1—falling about 30 mph as he rockets forward 100 mph.

“In ‘Embracing Insanity’ I do spell out where I’m hoping to go,” Dean says. “Finding a way to land without a chute? Yeah, it’s such a dream of mankind. And I feel I’m getting closer and closer…. I may be the one who will be able to do it.”

Dean Potter BASE jumping in Ratikon, Switzerland.