The National Aeronautic Association released its list of Most Memorable Aviation Records of 2012 on Tuesday, and, not surprisingly, topping out the selections was Felix Baumgartner’s 199,431-foot freefall skydive jump in October. The Austrian jumper’s world-watched feat smashed the previous record of 80,380 feet set by Yevgeni Nikolayevich Andreyev 50 years earlier.
The NAA also highlighted the University of Maryland’s 1 minute, 5.1 second human-powered rotorcraft hover in August. Colin Gore powered the university’s giant Gamera II rotorcraft using bicycle-like pedals, keeping the bird afloat for a lengthy 15.2 seconds longer than the previous record set earlier in 2012.
