Daredevil to walk on moving, 400-foot-high Ferris wheel

FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2014 file photo, daredevil Nik Wallenda walks on a tightrope uphill from the Marina City west tower across the Chicago River to the top of the Leo Burnett Building in Chicago. On Wednesday April 29, 2015, Wallenda will walk _ untethered _ atop the Orlando Eye, a 400-foot high Ferris wheel in Orlando, Fla., as it spins. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty, File) FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2014 file photo, daredevil Nik Wallenda walks on a tightrope uphill from the Marina City west tower across the Chicago River to the top of the Leo Burnett Building in Chicago. On Wednesday April 29, 2015, Wallenda will walk _ untethered _ atop the Orlando Eye, a 400-foot high Ferris wheel in Orlando, Fla., as it spins. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty, File)

By Associated Press April 28, 2015 4 min read

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – In the days leading up to one of his craziest stunts ever, tightrope walker Nik Wallenda has done the following: drop his kid off at school. Paint windowsills. Mow the lawn.

“It’s not like I’m preparing for the end of my life,” laughs the 36-year-old Sarasota, Florida, resident. “I’m a father, a husband and a homeowner.”

One with a highly unusual, risky job. Born into a famous family of daredevils, Wallenda has traversed a tightrope stretched across the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and in between skyscrapers in Chicago.

On Wednesday, Wallenda will walk – untethered – atop the 400-foot high Orlando Eye, the city’s new, flashy observation Ferris wheel.

As it spins.