Where will it go now?

[WrongWay 0]

Okay, so here's what we've accomplished in human flight so far, in no particular order.

We've learned that we're capable of flying on our belly, back, feet, butt, back, and our heads. (RW and VRW...) We've learned that we can track, covering distance and flying like birds. We've learned that we can mix these styles and do big ways diagonally. (like atmonauti...) We've learned that we can sport nylon suits to track even slower, and really fly. (wingsuits....) We've accomplished many, many other things throughout the last 50 years, and dreamed about even more.

The question now is, in your opinion, where will the sport go next? What will be the next body position, the next style of flying, or even the next popular craze?

Wrong Way
D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451
The wiser wolf prevails.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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The question now is, in your opinion, where will the sport go next? What will be the next body position, the next style of flying, or even the next popular craze?

I'm not sure about skydiving ... I'm sure freeflying will become more organized with big-way multi-point slots and all that working for those with the skill and talent. But for the base jumping community, look for some very interesting things to develop in the years to come (tons of birdman base innovations are likely to evolve).

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[AggieDave 6]

Who knows where the sport will go. If you read the history of the sport, FF is where RW was 30 years ago and the thought of doing RW in orientations besides belly (or even back) to earth was not really taken seriously.

So honestly, who knows, although I think the big thing to watch now is the progression of technology with canopies. I think there will be new inovations to make our wings more efficient, faster and produce more lift, although I think we've reached the bottom of the sizes with our 46's and 60's being jumped.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[MarkM 0]

Maybe the next craze will be doing a lot wing suit stuff. Loops, rolls, ground swooping and even to the point of landing in them once the tech gets to that point.

[SullyFlyer 0]

I'd love to see GPS used to track where a skydiver is in space. I know Bird-people are looking into this already to track their flights.

And, I don't think it will be soon, but eventually someone is going to safely land without an open parachute. With a Bird suit, ya know...

But, first, we need to invent a much more efficient flying machine to take us to altitude for less money!

And a machine to pack a parachute....

~
Fear is the thief of dreams...

[AndyMan 7]

The two most exciting parts of skydiving right now are formation freeflay, and advancements in wingsuits.

I have absolutely no doubt that in the next year we'll see freeflying-rw eclipse belly-rw. What do I mean by this? Well, in 10 years freeflying formations will be bigger then RW ones. Yes, I mean 300+ jumpers.

Wingsuits now are cool, but its where its going that gets me really excited. Wingsuits will progress into the epitome of human flight. Continually bigger wings and more control. Humans will eventually be able to "flare" and land just like a bird does. None of this runway silliness.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[weegegirl 2]

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And a machine to pack a parachute....

Damn, THAT will be the day!

Pbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbt!

IMO... though it is not "new," i think we'll be doing a lot more big way 3D/hybrid stuff in the near future.... which will be really cool!

[WrongWay 0]

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Well, in 10 years freeflying formations will be bigger then RW ones. Yes, I mean 300+ jumpers.

I completely agree. Many years ago, the guys who did the first baton pass were considered legends, the best of the best. Now a student with only ten jumps or so could do that. Now the only only people doing the huge freefly bigways (ie. 24 way) are the pros. I feel it will go the same way, people learning to freefly exponentially better than the way the pros do even now (though impossible it may seem to us now). I also see huge freefly ways in the future, with another 300 way record in the making.

The next question with freefly is, what other positions can we fly? For instance, I've seen people briefly fly on their sides while doing a dock, or slowing a transition to fly on their side for a brief moment, but I wonder if it's actually a position you can truly fly around, take docks with, be stable. This is just one example, but in theory you should be able to find a way to fly your body in ANY orientation. I wonder which will be next??

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Wingsuits now are cool, but its where its going that gets me really excited. Wingsuits will progress into the epitome of human flight. Continually bigger wings and more control. Humans will eventually be able to "flare" and land just like a bird does. None of this runway silliness.

I agree with this as well. It is said that Patrick had a working (or NEAR working) prototype of a new wingsuit. People had always asked him when he would land it...but he had another thing in mind. He wanted to launch it from the ground. How, I dunno, perhaps a ski slope?? Anyway, this will be the first step. The next step will be people landing them for sure. Like you said, more wings, more control, and you'll be able to flare. I'd bet we'll see it in ten years.

Wrong Way
D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451
The wiser wolf prevails.

[bch7773 0]

being able to flare and land a birdsuit would kick ass.

And I think you have something witth the side-flying wrongway... I bet you at some point people will try doing that.

MB 3528, RB 1182

[PhreeZone 20]

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And I think you have something witth the side-flying wrongway... I bet you at some point people will try doing that.

http://www.winddance.com/InfoPages/Photos/Photos_SignatureMoves1/images/A018-Cleopatra.jpg
http://www.winddance.com/InfoPages/Photos/Photos_SignatureMoves2/images/A020-Eifel-over-Elsinore.jpg

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[JJohnson 0]

And the exit altitude will be 35K? or 50K? With FF having fallrates so much faster than RW, I doubt the formations will be that large..unless you get more time...but it would make for some cool video.

JJ

"Call me Darth Balls"

[Mad47 0]

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Well, in 10 years freeflying formations will be bigger then RW ones. Yes, I mean 300+ jumpers.

I seriously doubt that. Well, at least not conventional HD big ways. HD formations fall faster and therefore HD bigways will have less time to complete the formation and more potential for level problems. I agree that freeflying RW will become more and more popular but I don think it will eclipse classical 4-way in near future.

[dreamsville 0]

As far as I know, the time limit is being challenged now to build head-down big ways. That would mean people would have to fly better than they do now to beat the shorter working time and yet get more people in. In head down there are such small tolerances in docking speed. Maybe that closes my mind to imagining head-down ways even double the size we have seen now. But it may happen.

There was a head-down 4 way sequential scramble at ZHills on Thanksgiving. A friend of mine who participated said it was a real challenge if all the players on the team weren't pretty experienced.
|

I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane.

Harry, FB #4143

[skr 1]

>where will the sport go next?

I have thought for a while that organizing
to produce various emotional experiences
was a more fruitful direction than the technicalities
of some new body position or maneuver.

That came to me in 1976 when I spent a
summer in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and
realized that maneuvers in themselves are
meaningless.

It's the way people feel about things that counts,
and maneuvers are just tools to produce feelings.

When I got back to Pope Valley I tried to make
that more concrete and predictable and called
it Skydance.

I wrote a couple things about that.

The Skydance Approach at

http://indra.net/~bdaniels/ftw/fr_ref5_skydance.html

and Freedom is Not a Body Position at

http://indra.net/~bdaniels/ftw/fr_ref4_freedom.html


This may be too nebulous and new agey, or
maybe I didn't explain it very well, but other
than Pope Valley the main stream world has
pretty much focused on body position and maneuvers
as the medium of expression.

Skr

[WrongWay 0]

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And I think you have something witth the side-flying wrongway... I bet you at some point people will try doing that.

http://www.winddance.com/InfoPages/Photos/Photos_SignatureMoves1/images/A018-Cleopatra.jpg
http://www.winddance.com/InfoPages/Photos/Photos_SignatureMoves2/images/A020-Eifel-over-Elsinore.jpg

It's possible, yay!! I've been so freakin curious about that for a while, but I admit, I don't see much freestyle.

Wrong Way
D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451
The wiser wolf prevails.

[feuergnom 28]

just had a very good time reading your site (kept me from working

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666

[melstarr 0]

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It's possible, yay!! I've been so freakin curious about that for a while, but I admit, I don't see much freestyle.

I am so happy phree posted that pic of dale ~ i was thinking of her when you mentioned flying on our sides* oh j*, you need to watch dale's video (it is old, but never stops amazing everyone ) that woman can fly ANY position---and she is the pioneer of freestyle!

there are 2 of my favorite female freestylist's videos on mondial03 ~ gi* & manu* ~ those girls can fly like sweet little birds--- manu* has this one really cool part of her routine: i am not sure what the term is...but she is headdown/legs in a split/ and spins it with her hands in a "praying position"... she also does this head-up* her legs are soooooo powerful & flexible! gi* is REALLY awesome in her compass-spin with her arms linked behind her! she can also fly the atmonauti feet-first! it is CRAZY!!! check out the men's freestyle too ~ it is Sickly Sweet***

~ meL* Pink Mafia / Tunnel Mafia Sister

[riggerrob 643]

But, first, we need to invent a machine to pack a parachute....

[feuergnom 28]

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In two or three years time - once they have worked the bugs out of the round parachute packing machine - they will develop a machine for packing square parachutes.

hmmm - my guess: the packers won't like it at all

The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle

dudeist skydiver # 666

[riggerrob 643]

Yes!
Those Luddites will be smashing packing machines left right and center!

[bor 0]

Nowhere! Jump tickets wil be more and more expensive. The earth will run out of oil! Only BASE will remain...

[relyon 0]

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Wingsuits now are cool, but its where its going that gets me really excited. Wingsuits will progress into the epitome of human flight. Continually bigger wings and more control. Humans will eventually be able to "flare" and land just like a bird does. None of this runway silliness.

I agree with this as well. It is said that Patrick had a working (or NEAR working) prototype of a new wingsuit. People had always asked him when he would land it...but he had another thing in mind. He wanted to launch it from the ground. How, I dunno, perhaps a ski slope?? Anyway, this will be the first step. The next step will be people landing them for sure. Like you said, more wings, more control, and you'll be able to flare. I'd bet we'll see it in ten years.

It's great to dream, but I wouldn't hold my breath on this. Your talking about windloadings in the area of 12 lb/sq ft (think light aircraft) and aspect ratios of 1:1 or less. I highly doubt we'll be landing at Cessna 152 touchdown speeds anytime soon. So unless some incredibly efficient low aspect lifting body is designed (with a greater cl max than anything to date), it ain't gonna happen in this planet's atmosphere.

I'd love to be wrong though.

Bob

[osuskydiver 0]

Maybe more people will start getting into style and accuracy??

By the time you read this you have already read it.

[WrongWay 0]

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Maybe more people will start getting into style and accuracy??

Nope, don't bet your life on it pal.

Wrong Way
D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451
The wiser wolf prevails.

[rendezvous 0]

One creative dicspline I can think of is hybrid formation skydiving i.e turning points with a mix of RW and VRW on the same jump. We already have people trying hybrid jumps and we have an increasing number who want to excel in both FS and FF. I think we are probably seeing the birth of a new discpline. Ofcourse every thing from exit orders, seperation and fall rates to jump suit designs, formations, points, helmets etc will probably under go a complete overhaul if and when this catches up. I'm sure it'll be a huge challenge to work out issues like fall rate and the dangers associated to it and a lot of brain storming and creative thinking will go into it, but I think eventually it will happen if it hasn't already started. I for one would look forward to the possibility.