Cape Town - A daredevil is all set to fly from Robben Island to Cape Town hanging from 200 helium-filled balloons.
Adrenaline junkie Matt Silver-Vallance is doing the death-defying stunt for a good cause.
He is trying to raise R10 million for the construction of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in Gauteng.
And, as his launch date approaches, he has detailed how he plans to do it.
“I will be strapped in a harness and I’ll be able to control the height by popping the balloons,” he told the Daily Voice on Wednesday.
Silver-Vallance will float 600 metres above sea level – the height of a 50-storey building.
He says: “Of course you have to take many precautions, but I’m not really scared. This is a calculated risk I’m taking.”
It is going to take at least two hours for the stunt team to inflate the 200 specially-made helium balloons.
It’s expensive as well as dangerous – the balloons were made in Amsterdam and cost more than R90 000 to manufacture.
“It’s really just giant party balloons,” Silver-Vallance explains. “We are using all the colours of the South African flag.
“I’m not really scared. People see this as a big risk but compared to what Nelson Mandela did, it’s not.”
A team of experts is now closely monitoring the weather, which is the most important factor in determining the date and time of the daring flight.
They want Silver-Vallance to take to the skies before the end of April.
”The logistics of all of this is what’s really keeping me awake at night,” Silver-Vallance says.
The team of 60 people planning the stunt include Mike Howard, the world record holder for the highest cluster balloon flight.
* SMS the word “balloon” to 40301 to make a R20 donation to the construction of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital.
Daily Voice