practice wingsuit deployment without wingsuit

[mixedup 0]

Is it ok to do a practice wingsuit deployment, ie two hands behind, without a wingsuit? Perhaps that would be too hard an opening without a wingsuit? Thought I saw someone practicing this without a wingsuit however on a video, getting ready for their first wingsuit jump....

Parachutist Game IOS Android YouT

[Arvoitus 1]

Why would it be harder then with a wingsuit? Have you ever pulled from full track?

Your rights end where my feelings begin.

[mixedup 0]

not sure, that why I'm asking I guess...

Parachutist Game IOS Android YouT

[DSE 5]

There is nothing wrong with practicing it, provided you have someone with knowledge help you with it.
I'd advise against starting this too early, you may develop poor habits.
We do train for ws jumps without a ws at our school, but if your jump numbers are accurate, I'd focus on other belly skills, and worry about the deployment process (which is quite simple, if taught correctly) when you are much closer to your FFC.

[mixedup 0]

ok thanks

Parachutist Game IOS Android YouT

[johnmatrix 21]

I did a few of these in the leadup to my first wingsuit jump (between 180 - 200 jumps) and I think it helped. The openings were a bit wild though - moreso than with a wingsuit, but I don't see that as a problem with a big docile canopy.

[mccordia 74]

Similar to not training anything on your own for AFF before you do the course, I'd recommend just focussing on 'skydive and have fun' and leave the learning/teaching up the the actual course you'll be attending for your first flight.

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[johnmatrix 21]

What about sleeping with the wingsuit in bed with you - how many nights is necessary? I think I did only one.

[DSE 5]

Were you wearing it?
And...
If it's a new, custom WS, you need to 'bless it' by having sex in it (with yourself doesn't count)

[robinheid 0]

johnmatrix

What about sleeping with the wingsuit in bed with you - how many nights is necessary? I think I did only one.

Actually, you're not too far off. Long ago, a cutting edge jumped named Kevin Shea wrote about getting to know your gear, and he strongly advocated wearing it around the house, even eating meals in it, so that it felt as much a part of you and as second-nature to you as your clothes.

He was talking about harness/container systems, but adding the wingsuit to it makes sense too.

Think about it. Even without it being inflated, you start to get familiar with where the handles are, how the material moves when you move, what happens to all of the orientations and relationships between suit, gear and body as you go through your day. And of course, you can watch TV on your belly and do those practice pulls you asked about. You can't duplicate the inflation, but you can duplicate the body position and pull motion and develop the muscle memory that will help you when you do "take it live" and start jumping it. (One caveat here: If any of the experienced WS instructors think you should not practice the pull in your living room because you might do it wrong and then have a bad habit to break, I defer to their judgment.)

Whatever the exact details, the idea is to get to know your suit well enough before you jump it that it's a friend, not a stranger.

In the meantime, I second McCordia's advice to just develop your overall skydiving skills and save the live pull practice for the FFC.


44

SCR-6933 / SCS-3463 / D-5533 / BASE 44 / CCS-37 / 82d Airborne (Ret.)

"The beginning of wisdom is to first call things by their right names."

[mrubin 0]

DSE

If it's a new, custom WS, you need to 'bless it' by having sex in it (with yourself doesn't count)

Also known as dirt diving a backfly rodeo.

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[dthames 0]

The reason for my very first skydive was so that I could fly a wingsuit someday. I was also very eager to learn things what would better prepare me for flying a wingsuit. I got much the same advice that has been given on this thread. Because of where I jumped, it was not uncommon for me to have to jump solo. When I jumped solo, I would often track. Note, don’t run out and do 150 tracking dives. But if and when you do any solo tracking dives you can practice determining what your flight route/path will be to return you to a good deployment point both upwind of the DZ and safely away from other jumpers.

Being practiced at flight path planning and navigation was a skill that did help me when I started wingsuiting. Would it be worth dropping some group jumps to focus on navigation? Most likely not. I just did it because it was an opportune time, as I made some solo jumps.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[nickfrey 0]

Like this guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zyZA4cVLnk

[piisfish 140]

nickfrey

Like this guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zyZA4cVLnk

great work there. Very funny vid :-)

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[robinheid 0]

nickfrey

Like this guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zyZA4cVLnk

Not unless you're going to fly the suit without the rig.


44

SCR-6933 / SCS-3463 / D-5533 / BASE 44 / CCS-37 / 82d Airborne (Ret.)

"The beginning of wisdom is to first call things by their right names."

[johnmatrix 21]

DSE

Were you wearing it?
And...
If it's a new, custom WS, you need to 'bless it' by having sex in it (with yourself doesn't count)

Sadly after making the second payment on mine I didn't have enough money for sex.

[DSE 5]

johnmatrix

Sadly after making the second payment on mine I didn't have enough money for sex.

Umm... if you got a wingsuit, that suffices for those that require payment for services rendered. Just sayin'...

[johnmatrix 21]

DSE

***
Sadly after making the second payment on mine I didn't have enough money for sex.

Umm... if you got a wingsuit, that suffices for those that require payment for services rendered. Just sayin'...

"You got pretty inlets, boy..."