After Jay's two triumphs in China walking over Qutang Gorge and Shanghai in 1995 and 1996, Niagara was his goal. Jay performed several skywalks at the turn of the 21st century on his quest to reach Niagara.
One of the most notable took place on November 11, 1998, between the towers of the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas. A mere distance of 800 feet and 300 feet high, it was one of Jay's "smaller" highwire walks. But this one he did blindfolded.
Produced for FOX Network's "Guinness World Records: Primetime," Jay earned a world skywalking record for the highest and longest blindfolded skywalk, which took 15 minutes to complete. He removed the tether line which the producers forced him to create, and began the walk before anyone realized. It became a major plotline in the show.
The episode premiered on Tuesday, February 23, 1999.
In a behind-the-scenes moment, Jay joined Susan Anton and the Rockettes on stage at the Flamingo following his skywalk. When she said how scary it was, he said, "Scary was walking above Shanghai at night with spotlights blinding. That's when I knew I could do this walk."
Jay Cochrane is congratulated by Susan Anton and the Rockettes on stage at the Flamingo Hilton following his world-record blindfolded skywalk. ©Mark D Phillips