A FRENCH daredevil stuntman is lucky to be alive after he fell while trying to tightrope walk between two flying hot-air balloons in midair.

    Tancrede Melet and his partner Julien Millot, part of a team called the Flying Frenchies, decided to attempt a daring walk between two balloons in midair in Saint Hilaire du Touvet, France, after conceiving the idea over a year ago.

    The hot-air balloons were tethered to the ground to prevent them from drifting too far apart, but while Tancrede managed to complete the entire walk between the two balloons, he was almost blown from the wire, catching it at the very last minute.

    Because of the extreme wind conditions Julien was unable to follow suit.

    The stunt was set up as part of an annual paragliding festival, north of Grenoble, which is currently in its 42nd year.

    Pierre Chauffour, a photographer attracted by the prospect of the hot-air balloon event captured the entire show, including the stomach-churning moment that Tancrede fell from the wire, only to catch it at the last minute.

    Pierre said, “The entire project was very hard and they needed a lot of time before planning it.

    ‘To make sure that the hot-air balloons didn’t get too far away, they were attached to the ground.

    “But because of the weather, the stunt was delayed — the guys were supposed to have done it on Saturday evening, but the wind was too strong.

    “On Sunday when they did manage to complete the walk, it was just before nightfall. The wind made it hard for them.

    “Tancrede did manage to get across the line with a fall in the middle, but Julien didn’t get enough time to cross the line as the wind became much too strong.”

    (SD-Agencies)