John Berry and his 'squirrel suit'.
A Queenstown daredevil is planning to jump 1200m from a helicopter and land without using a parachute in an effort to become a human version of the flying squirrel.
John "Chuck" Berry, 41, intends to fly through the air without a hang-glider or parachute and land safely on
skis on a snow-covered slope.
It will be a world first - if it comes off.
Berry's secret weapon is his wing suit, of the type he wore when he set the national "unassisted flight" record in Northland in 2003.
Then, he used a parachute for his landing. In the new challenge, he will carry a parachute but he hopes he won't have to use it.
Instead, he says, he will use skydiving techniques to slow down enough to land on snow after a fall of up to 1200m.
Berry is not alone in his desire to "fly". Teams in the United States, France, South Africa and Russia are also reported to be attempting the feat.
Berry told the Weekend Herald he was among a handful of people in the world with the skills and desire to give it a go. "It will be a big day when someone does front up to do it."
He said he was continuing to train but was unlikely to make his attempt this year.
Many experts don't believe that what Berry has planned can be done.
One skydiver, who would not be named, said wing suits - also known as squirrel suits - should be used only by experienced skydivers and always with a parachute.
It was crazy to rely on a wing suit alone. "I've never heard of that. That's like driving at a million miles an hour with no seatbelt," said the skydiver.
Berry has been working on his plan for about seven years.
He has done extensive high-speed training on skis, which he will use to smooth his landing, expected to be at about 140km/h.
He says ski jumpers fly through the air with skis in an aerodynamic fashion, "and they've learned to touch down at speeds not too dissimilar to a wing suit".
The jump had been put on the backburner while a flare-up of decade-old injuries - including a broken neck and dislocated shoulder - were treated.
Other "technical hitches" included seeking approval from the Civil Aviation Authority and the Parachute Federation.
