“This is what I’ve been telling you about—what I dreamed about since I was your age” David Blaine tells his daughter on his live steam broadcast on YouTube. Later in the stream he says “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of flying.” On Wednesday September 2nd, David Blaine fulfilled his dream while he performed his latest stunt “Ascension.” Blaine floated four miles above the Arizona desert with the help of 52 large helium balloons. This was one of Blaines first stunts that was streamed live over YouTube, and just a week later has over 17 million views. According to The Daily Magician, Blaine has performed plenty life threatening stunts. Such as: Holding his breath for 17 minutes, not eating for 44 days, standing in an ice block for 63 hours, and was even buried alive for 7 days. Floating nearly 25,000 feet above the Arizona desert fits right into his mix of life threatening stunts. If you’ve seen the movie “up” this may sound familiar. Preparation for the stunt included mastering skydiving and hot air balloon rides. Wednesday morning came, and “the weather conditions were perfect” said Blaines trainer. Blaine was attached to the 52 helium balloons and was off, traveling nearly 500 ft per minute. About a third of the way up, Blaine then started attaching his parachute. Though difficult, it had to be done in order for him to land safely back on the ground. The oxygen levels began to get low. And breathing became more difficult, and the air was thin. Blaine was prepared for this, with the help of some oxygen, according to CNN, Blaine reached 24,900 feet or 4.7 miles, and then began his decent. Blaine safely made his way back down to earth. In the live stream after Blaine lands, his daughter Dessa said “That was great, you did it!” And Blaine tells her “This was all for you!”
