Skateboarder Leticia Bufoni jumps from plane 2,750m high above the ground for skateboard trick in California sky.
Brazilian Leticia Bufoni took to the sky in California at the end of August for a cinematic stunt in the vein of the Fast & Furious and Mission: Impossible movie franchises as the skateboarder unveiled a trick at 9,000ft (2,750m) high for ‘Sky Grind’ that took flight this week for viewers worldwide.
Bufoni has carved out a reputation as one of the best global skaters with six X Games golds to her name, three silvers and three bronzes as well as being the first woman signed to the Nike SB team.
For this project, Bufoni hopped on an airplane used in the Fast & Furious films and made history with a distinctive trick shot by the aerial cameraman from the film Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
Bufoni has spent her life breaking boundaries. In her endless search for skateboarding thrills, she recently spent an intensive few months of training in order to combine her love of skating with her second passion: skydiving. In the months leading into the stunt, Bufoni spent her time at Aerotelier – Red Bull’s aerosport base in Argentina – by skydiving more than 100 times to prepare for this challenge.
Bufoni was trained for the skydive aspect of the project by none other than legendary Red Bull Air Force member Jeffrey Provenzano, who was extremely impressed by her aptitude: “As a skydiver, she’s amazing,” he explained. “I was surprised. Athletes tend to learn fast, but she was beyond expectations. She gave 100 percent of attention to all of the details.”
When Bufoni finally felt ready, she travelled in late August with more than 50 people from the production and shooting crew to shoot in a tailor-made skatepark inside a C-130 Hercules airplane.
“It’s crazy to think that I’m the first person to skateboard inside an aeroplane and do a feeble in the air. That’s something I didn’t know if it was possible or not,” said Bufoni. “I still don’t believe that it happened. I’m dreaming. It looks like it hasn’t hit me yet. It happened and was much better than I imagined. That was one of the greatest days of my life.”
California Skateparks founder Joe Ciaglia, who built the skatepark used in the Tokyo Olympics, has known Bufoni for more than 10 years and built the first skatepark designed inside an airplane.
Wearing a parachute of almost 20 pounds (9.1kg), she skateboarded and jumped captured by Craig O’Brien, the same cameraman that jumps with Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’.
