themaninblack 0 #1 September 10, 2002 hi...quick intro....im a newly minted a-license holder who just got into this weird world of skydiving...my level 1 aff was may 5...since then ive racked up 58 jumps and climbing...(is that a good progress rate? i have no idea what the average learning curve is in this game) and i already know what discipline im shooting for...birdman. when i learned of the existence of the suits and saw some video i was stunned....i didnt think it was possible to fly like that except when asleep. if the bare minimum before i can fly one of these things is 200, if i jump my ass off i might be ready to try a suit by the end of next season. ive been told im perfect for it....5'10" 135 lbs rockclimber build. figured id start a thread with one question and expand it from there...i want to know as much as possible before attempting to use one of those things....ignorance hurts. so: first question is, is it necessary to buy and fly your way through all 3 suits or can you start by taking it easy with something like a used gti? the idea being get into a skyflyer as soon as i can get my skills good enough to have a clue how to use one...im at a dropzone where there ARE no birdmen yet let alone coaching for it, i get the impression id have to travel a long ways to GET any coaching for this and im on a tight budget...casual travel to norway or richmond or wherever isnt really an option. im probably inviting a lot of man-is-he-an-idiot posts but if you have anything youd want to tell a newbie, go ahead and post it here....i still have everything left to learn dammit...im sure any birdman reading this will recognize the terrible case of skylust behind this post...i mean isnt that how you all got to BE birdmen? your comments opinions and smacks upside the head would be appreciated. thanks.evolution WILL be served, one way or another!!!! im not jumping, im imitating a reluctant meteor. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #2 September 10, 2002 Work on a lot of tracking jumps while you are building your jumps up.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TALONSKY 0 #3 September 10, 2002 I had 400 jumps ( about 250 RW jumps and 150 Freefly jumps) when I bought a GTI. I stepped over the Classic 2 and went to the GTI. The advice I was given by the S& TA was prior to getting the suit I should make a few jumps on a camera suit to get a little bit of a feel of having a wing. Also I know that they do not recommend jumping a birdman suit with fewer than 200 jumps and that is with a coach. I did fine on my own; I also spent sometime talking to Kim at Birdman and another Skyflier. I did watch a less experienced jumper(around 300 jumps but mainly freefly jumps) start jumping a GTI he did fine however, it is easy to see in flight that the extra experience I have did help a lot on more stable exits and general flight skills. Oh and I would highly recommend getting some coaching at some point on flying these suits. I did about 10 birdman jumps on my own and then went out with an experienced Skyflier and my skills improved an enormous amount in 5 jumps with his assistance. Blue Skies Kirk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ernokaikkonen 0 #4 September 10, 2002 >.my level 1 aff was may 5...since then ive racked up 58 jumps and >climbing...(is that a good progress rate? i have no idea what the >average learning curve is in this game) I'd say that's over average. >if the bare minimum before i can fly one of these things is 200, if i >jump my ass off i might be ready to try a suit by the end of next season. I wouldn't try the suit any earlier. The general experience on skydiving and the increased "awareness"(this is a bit hard to explain but you'll learn it) on a jump help lot. >so: first question is, is it necessary to buy and fly your way through all > 3 suits or can you start by taking it easy with something like a used gti? I've only jumped Classics myself, but I hear that the difference between a Classic and a GTI isn't that big. Don't go rushing to the Skyflyer though.. >im at a dropzone where there ARE no birdmen yet let alone coaching for it, By the end of the next season there just might be, the flock is steadily growing and spreading... So take it easy, get your two hundred jumps, do the tracking jumps, maybe try the camerasuit(but not too soon, no earlier than 150 I'd say. Ask your S&TA.). And remember to learn the other aspects of the sport too! There's plenty of time to learn FS and freeflying before you go jumping a wingsuit. The minutes you spend in freefall will help you fly the suit. Meaning that 140 hop'n'pops from 1000m will not make you ready for a wingsuit. Erno Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 4 #5 September 10, 2002 Quotehi...quick intro....im a newly minted a-license holder who just got into this weird world of skydiving... Welcome aboard. Smart business is to read through every single thread in this wingsuit forum, then start asking more-educated questions once that knowledge sinks in. There is a very good thread in here about different types of dives you can do that are fantastic pre-birdman preps. Chuck Blue BM-I Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dozer42 0 #6 October 1, 2002 Put me in line too!!! I just got off student status on Sunday, did my 11th jump, and should have my Class A soon. Just learned about Skyflying by stumbling in here, and OMFG I can't wait to try this! It's what I've always dreamed of!!! Now I gotta figure out a way to get a bazillion (real) jumps in faaaast. If'n y'all want a good laugh, read the writeup I did of the weekend's activities. http://www.dozer.com/sky HEY COW!!!! MOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
