James Bond location manager captures real life stunt
03-Feb-2006 • Bond News
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The unknown pair's astonishing stunt was caught on camera by a film location manager taking shots for the new James Bond film Casino Royale.
Astonished Charlie Somers, 35, was walking past the 28-storey building when he spotted the men parachuting past the Windows restaurant and bar.
He said: "I just heard this almighty whoosh. It was like someone had just set fire to a whole load of petrol, a huge crack above my head. It was unbelievable
"I looked up and saw the first man sailing down, land on the grassy area outside the hotel, calmly gather his parachute and walk over to his car.
"Then the next man leapt off and he must have fallen about 100 feet before he pulled his parachute out - it was amazing. They jumped right off the top and at first I thought may be they had not paid their bill in the Windows restaurant or perhaps the food had been really bad.
"I have been in the film business a few years and we have shot some exciting scenes but this was really something else. It was such a dangerous thing to do but both men were so calm - they just gathered up their gear and sped away in the waiting car.
"I could not really say what they looked like because they never took their helmets off and it was dark."
Mr Somers, from Clapham, south London, said he would love the chance to base jump himself.
He said: "I know it's dangerous but it must be so exciting. I have to take my hat off to these two guys. I have bungee-jumped and done a parachute dive in the past and would love to have a go at base jumping."
Base jumping - parachuting from high buildings, cliffs and mountains - became a popular extreme sport in the mid-eighties.
Fourteen years ago, Darren Newton, 25, was killed when his attempt to base jump from the roof of the Hilton went wrong.
Londoner Jason Rooney was killed when his parachute failed to open trying a 25 storey jump in Sydney in 1993.
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