Skyray in Time

[kallend 2,027]

The Nov. 17 issue of Time has a nice picture of a guy flying a Skyray, with the caption "Skydivers' Delight" and a brief description.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[WrongWay 0]

Yeah I'd like to get ahold of one of those, NOT.

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

[cpoxon 0]

http://www.time.com/time/2003/inventions/invskyray.html

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

[billvon 2,998]

Doesn't seem to give you much of a better glide angle than an S3.

[lazyfrog 0]

and slightly more expensive
but for the moment nobody crossed the channel with an S3

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Fumer tue, péter pue
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ourson #10, Mosquito Uno, CBT 579

[FrogNog 1]

Quote

Doesn't seem to give you much of a better glide angle than an S3.

Looks hard to launch from a 182, too.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[VectorBoy 0]

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Doesn't seem to give you much of a better glide angle than an S3.

So my Hero what kind of glide are you getting on your S3?

[billvon 2,998]

>So my Hero what kind of glide are you getting on your S3?

I think I'm getting around 2:1 - and the article claims a glide ratio of "two or three."

[davelepka 4]

I like where the text says 'when the ride is over, the diver pulls the ripcord as usual'.

With a handull of wingsuit jumps, and taking one look at the Skyray, I have trouble believing that the deployment would be anything close to 'usual'.

[billvon 2,998]

>With a handull of wingsuit jumps, and taking one look at the Skyray,
> I have trouble believing that the deployment would be anything
> close to 'usual'.

This time I think the story is literally correct. A throwout looks like it won't work with the Skyray - a ripcord and spring-loaded main PC might be a requirement for this thing.

In any case, I think a plain ol wing that you lie on is still a better option - you can drop it if there's a problem. Saw two of them at Eloy at the bigways but I haven't seen any mention of them since.

[VectorBoy 0]

I saw JC playing with one of those a summer ago. They may still have it in the team office.

[Aviatrr 0]

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In any case, I think a plain ol wing that you lie on is still a better option - you can drop it if there's a problem. Saw two of them at Eloy at the bigways but I haven't seen any mention of them since.

A wing that is UNDERNEATH you can cause serious problems if you need to get rid of it. You'd have to roll over on your back to cut it away and fall away from it. In the case of a rigid wing, the best scenario, IMO, is one that is back mounted that you can cut away and fall away from it. According to the Skyray website, you can cut it away and it will deploy a recovery chute(like a smaller skysurf board).

Mike

[TheJokergs 0]

umm. tyhe latest bond film feateures something like this, but your sort of ride it like a body board.
is it real? does anyone know what it's called? and are they any good?

Build a man a fire and he will be warm for a night, set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life.???

[base283 0]

http://www.kineticaerospace.com/
have fun,
take care,
space

[D22369 0]

So, how many slots would you have to purchase on a skyvan or a casa to actually use that contraption?

I would hate to have it on during a malfunction...... might complicate things....

Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[jumpinfarmer 0]

The first line says. "If your crazy enough to jump out of planes for kicks"

I resemble that remark.

[AndyMan 7]

You guys are funny. I would give my left ass-cheek to play with this for a weekend. You're honestly saying you wouldn't jump it if you had the chance?

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[billvon 2,998]

>A wing that is UNDERNEATH you can cause serious problems if you need
>to get rid of it. You'd have to roll over on your back to cut it away and fal
>l away from it.

The wing I referred to is not attached to the jumper. You lie on it and hang on to handles. Seems safer than using a mechanical release system that can fail. What little experience I have with jumping objects (like inflatable whales and boats) is that the thing wants desperately to get _above_ you in freefall anway, since it's considerably lighter than you are.

>In the case of a rigid wing, the best scenario, IMO, is one that is back
>mounted that you can cut away and fall away from it. According to the
>Skyray website, you can cut it away and it will deploy a recovery chute
>(like a smaller skysurf board).

That seems even scarier to me. Imagine a premature recovery chute deployment.

[billvon 2,998]

>You're honestly saying you wouldn't jump it if you had the chance?

I'd jump it to see what it was like. Don't think I'd pay for one though. (Of course I once said the same thing about wingsuits.)

[mccordia 74]

I seem to recall a post here from the skyray people, saying the 'Felix Red Bull wing' was not a skyray, but rather a 'stolen' design (based on their proto-types that where bought by felix&co earlyer)

The Skyray was quite a bit smaller then felix-wing I think, but performed about the same..or so they sayd...

Skyray must be happy with the free promotional stuff in Times though :)

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[base283 0]

It was not a stolen design according to the Skyray guys, Their design had used the body profile as a factor. The Rudi (cross channel) model did not use this concept.
take care,
space