Illusionist David Blaine Flies Over the Arizona Desert Holding 52 Helium Balloons, Live Stunt ‘Ascension’ Breaks YouTube Record (Watch Video)

American illusionist David Blaine floated above the Arizona desert holding balloons! The live video of the artist's live stunt Ascension holding helium balloons, has even broken YouTube record. The 47-year-old's stunt kicked off in Page, Arizona on Wednesday morning. He floated at 24,000 feet in the air with 52 balloons. Blaine had estimated he would reach about 18,000 feet but he went upto 24,900 feet, so he used the parachute attached to him and skydived back down. Daredevil Vince Reffet Performs 'Jetman' Stunt by Flying Like Iron Man on Dubai Coast (Watch Video)

He began his ascent on Wednesday morning and stunt lasted only for an hour but it broke a record and left people amazed. Blaine lifted off shortly before 8 AM PT and within 40 minutes had risen to a height of over 19,000 feet. Before the performance, Blaine said was quoted as saying, "Every single stunt that I've ever done is about endurance and pushing past what I thought would be possible. I can't imagine that many people would dream of doing it." After the stunt, he said, "This thing feels insane. Normally I feel like I have control... this I have no control over anything." Swiss Parachutist Raphael Domjan Becomes World’s First Solar Skydiver, Jumps From 5000 Feet From Solar-Powered Plane (Watch Video)

David Blaine's 'Ascension' Stunt Video:

The live stream event was hosted by YouTube Creator and tech expert Marques Brownlee and featured appearances from Casey Neistat, Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Olivia Wilde, Jason Sudeikis, professional surfer Jamie O’Brien, among others. His daughter Dessa was present to see her dad's stunt.

Blaine’s original plan was to fly over his hometown New York, but decided to shift to Arizona because of weather concerns and logistical issues. Blaine had earlier said that he was inspired to duplicate the image from the 1956 French film Le Ballon Rouge where a little boy goes floating into the sky holding onto a pack of balloons.

Blaine added that he spent the last two years preparing for this stunt. He obtained a pilot's license, a commercial balloon pilot's license and learned to skydive ahead of the stunt. Blaine is known for his adrenaline-pumping stunts leaving people shocked. In 2012, he spent 72 hours standing on a pillar in New York City while being hit with one million volts of electricity. Once he buried himself in a plastic box under a three-ton water-filled tank. In 2003, he carried he kept himself inside a suspended box over the Thames River without food for 44 days. He also spent nearly 64 hours trapped in a huge block of ice in Times Square. Once, Blaine spent seven days submerged in an eight-foot diameter water-filled sphere in front of New York City's Lincoln Center.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 03, 2020 09:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).