Red Bull Tower Bridge Wingsuit Flight

Stunts of this magnitude don’t come together overnight – and that was certainly the case with this jaw-dropping activation for Red Bull. This was a project two years in the making.

Preparations began in April 2022, with Livett’s involved from the outset. Ed Livett served as marine coordinator, advising the Red Bull team on what was possible, how to make it happen safely and successfully, and overseeing the process of gaining the permissions and licences required.

At the same time, skydivers Marco Fürst and Marco Waltenspiel commenced their extensive training for the once-in-a-lifetime flight. This involved constructing a training ground in Oxfordshire, which featured two cranes to mimic the dimensions of Tower Bridge.

Following two years of meticulous planning working hand-in-hand with Red Bull, and with all necessary permits and river closures obtained, it was time for this world-first stunt to take place.

On the day, Livett’s provided:

• Six safety boats – Echo Lima I, Indigo Lima, Romeo Lima, and three supporting Pioners.
• Three barges – sourced from National Pontoon
• Two tugs – Thames Vixen and Thamescraft’s Emilia D
• One camera boat – Bravo Lima GB

The duo jumped from a helicopter 3,000ft in the air – almost ten times the height of Big Ben – before freefalling to 35 metres above the River Thames, soaring through Tower Bridge, and completing a complex manoeuvre known as a “flare” to rise up again to 80 metres, the height required to open their parachutes before landing safely.

From takeoff to landing, the wingsuit flight lasted 45 seconds, covering a distance of 1.2km and reaching an astonishing top speed of 246 kilometres per hour.

You can watch the jaw-dropping stunt from a first-person perspective on Red Bull’s Instagram.

Our Butler’s Wharf Pier home, located a stone’s throw from Tower Bridge, was used as a base for all production and support crew. It was also where the skydivers returned to following their safe landing on the barges.

We oversaw all marine coordination throughout the day, including vessel movements and drone filming.

We are absolutely delighted that everyone’s hard work and dedication paid off, with the never-to-be-repeated flight going off without a hitch. The footage from the stunt is absolutely spectacular and unsurprisingly went viral with worldwide media coverage.

This marked our second collaboration with Red Bull, following the River Thames Music Odyssey in 2018.

We can’t wait to find out what they have in store next time… here’s to another world-first on the Thames!