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ArticleLike dan­cing in the sky

Barry Smith was soar­ing at 18,000 feet, kept aloft by a flimsy nylon wing, when a cru­cial piece of equip­ment mal­func­tioned. Without his port­able oxy­gen sys­tem, he became clumsy and con­fused, “a little hyp­oxic,” he said, and plunged toward the...