bodypilot1 0 #1 December 16, 2004 Yo Flockers With all the "hype" and "new designs" coming into the market on wingsuit, what are the main things you are looking for in a wingsuit? With every wingsuit flyer thinking they are flying the "BEST" wingsuit made, are you really thinking you can out perform, out fly or out distance any other brand suit on the market, in every aspect, when you put on that suit? Truly the proof is in the pilot with every suit, but mark in order what it is your looking for when you purchase a suit. Be honest in your anonymous answer. Be safe Edwww.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
speedformula 0 #2 December 16, 2004 Personally I choose answer a (longest freefall time) hands down !!, And Your statement about the pilot making the difference cannot/will not be argued, but it also makes sense to me that if I can fly "X" suit which gives me a longer freefall time right out of the box and its safe to fly why not. different suits I think are slowly coming out and Im sure eventually there will be different suits custumized for different birding disciplines, as this segment of the sport develops.. take for example.. a freefly suit and an rw suit with grippers. just my .02 u in this sat or sun ? weather is looking pretty good. Paul Keeping it real 22x7 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TALONSKY 0 #3 December 16, 2004 I think one of the thing that really should be considered when looking to buy a suit is what kind of suits do the other wingsuit flyers have at your DZ. I know from my experience that trying to fly my S3 with someone that is not flying a Classic efficiently is really a pain. I did a six way with 3 Classics 1 GTI and 2 S3 and the body position I had to use to fly with them was rather unique and hard to find. I had to fly with my arm wings punched out for fall rate and my legs bent and almost 90° at the knee in order to kill the forward speed. The other S3 found almost the same body position. I personally would like to buy a V1 next year for the longer freefall time and distance but I think it would be a total pain to try to fly on next to anything other than an S3 or another V1 Kirk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bodypilot1 0 #4 December 16, 2004 Quote it also makes sense to me that if I can fly "X" suit which gives me a longer freefall time right out of the box and its safe to fly why not. Then distance means nothing to you. Quote different suits I think are slowly coming out and Im sure eventually there will be different suits custumized for different birding disciplines, as this segment of the sport develops.. take for example.. a freefly suit and an rw suit with grippers. Correct. The person that buys the largest wing suit will have the suit "fly them" at times when trying to flock with others, I have seen it many times. Unfortunatly some flyers dont like to hear, on a big way flock, "Your suit is flying you!". Multiple suits for flocking, solo's or base will be the future I think too. ps. sat is Mike's memorial so I'll be out sunday. Edwww.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The111 1 #5 December 16, 2004 QuoteMultiple suits for flocking, solo's or base will be the future I think too. My S3 is coming in any day now but I will keep my GTI forever (and use it when it is the best choice). One day in the distant future I will have a collection of 20 wingsuits to hang on my wall and show the grandkids. I'll point at the S3 and V1 and say, "people used to think these were good!" www.WingsuitPhotos.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyinfishman 0 #6 December 16, 2004 Forward speed, glide ratio and distance is what does it for me! V-1 is coming and will satisfy that need for sure. It may become a DZ requirement on all V-1 flights to be outfitted with a transponder and 2-way radio comms with Seattle ATC. Will keep the GTi for aerobatics and fun flocking ( if we ever get more birds to fly at my DZ ) Not into superfloaty time records, but I would love to fly a Sugarglider. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 2 #7 December 16, 2004 How about an option for a suit that is just plain FUN to fly?! ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deuce 1 #8 December 17, 2004 I wanna hang with the tall, skinny guys. The simple truth is that the Nords have to fly dirty to play with me. My S3 gives me every advantage, but my weight and body type are what they are. For me, it's all about relative work, Relative, Vertical, or Wingsuit. Plays well with others. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Jiggs 0 #9 December 17, 2004 I want the suit that gives me the best range to fly with my friends and gives me the freedom to get photos that I want to get. I am a short, solid guy 169cm and 72kg - there will always be people that can smoke me for FF time. Eg I have a mate that is a foot taller than me at the same weight! Hammering back at a fast pace is fun and the responsiveness of the wings is so much fun. I just want to be a good flyer and share the fun with those that want come up and play. I would love to see the suits to be cheaper so more people could afford them. Probably with more freefall time as that is what seems to blow ~most~ people away I have an S3 and a MTR2. When flocking with I think the Matter is better but I love the feel of the S3 - now all I need is a few more people to get into it hard core so we can start doing aerobatics together (things like split-s, etc) and anything else I can think of. Canopy wingsuit docks are lined up for next year (but unfortunately I will only be camera)"Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites unclecharlie109 0 #10 December 17, 2004 Nice post Ed, very thought provoking. May I ask which one you selected? I went for Glide Ratio. If you can fly the suit with a good GR a long freefall delay is implicit btw. Congratulations on becoming a BM Chief Instructor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites VectorBoy 0 #11 December 17, 2004 I want the one that gives the greatest amount of performance without putting grueling demands on the pilot. I want it to feel like I'm not wearing a wingsuit and I'm just flying my body. doing manuevers that the top freeflyers are doing in a track but at a better glide ratio. With the precision and range. I don't want my suit to feel twitchy or some to tell me my suit is flying me. I do want distance and time but not at the expense of a suit that is just a bitch to fly. I already know that these requirements will put more demands on me as the pilot than the suit as the platform to achieve these goals. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bodypilot1 0 #12 December 17, 2004 QuoteQuoteMay I ask which one you selected? Truthfully I chose, "I want a suit I can fly comfortably with others in!" Having an long RW past in skydiving, I enjoy flying tight formations with others, and with the wingsuit interest growing among the skydiving community I'd love to see some tight precision flying, taking multiple formations on a single jump, not just flying one formation the entire skydive. QuoteI went for Glide Ratio. If you can fly the suit with a good GR a long freefall delay is implicit As I suspect, your mainly a base jumper, and I can why you would choose this. Good glide ratios will definitly get you a longer flight, should the area allow for the distance you are able to travel, and have a landing area you are able to possibly land in. In some cases I have seen though, a smokin glide ratio has lead to having to pull early to land in an area you are able to land safely in also. I suspect for the future, everyone will have mutiple suits for different disciplines in wingsuit flying. Myself having 4 different RW suits, 2 different FF suits, and 2 different tandems suits, I now have 3 different wingsuit. Be safe Edwww.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites TomAiello 26 #13 December 17, 2004 I want: 1) Best possible glide angle. 2) Suit that is easy to launch stable in dead air. This is important to me because launch stability is sometimes a life or death issue to me. 3) Simple, easy to use cutaway system that eliminates all restriction. I'd also like a cutaway system where it was impossible to accidentally drop the handles (it's a pain to hang on to them, sometimes, and I've found that I always end up carrying an extra set for that reason). I cut away the wings on virtually all my wingsuit jumps. Ease of re-assembly would be a plus, too, but is not as important as function. 4) A suit that starts flying at lower (vertical) airspeeds. If it could somehow be flying the moment of launch, that would be ideal. Impossible perhaps, but ideal. 5) Easy to hold physical position. 6) A suit that "wants" to fly in the right position. I've heard reports that wings with mylar stiffeners not only hold their shape better, but "push" the jumpers arms into the right configuration. I can't report this personally, but have heard it from multiple experienced jumpers who were testing S3+ prototypes with mylar ribs. I'd also like a variety of strange things, like a self-stabilizing wing profile and some kind of convertible covers I could use to help streamline the main lift web (i.e. cover up the handles) when I was jumping gear that doesn't have front handles for in flight use. Well, you asked... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites TomAiello 26 #14 December 17, 2004 QuoteGood glide ratios will definitly get you a longer flight, should the area allow for the distance you are able to travel... This is especially true on many American objects. We often find ourselves on towers in woods, where the only clear landing is right at the base of the tower. You end up pulling high because you need to be able to fly back to the landing area. Truthfully, I'm not sure that the wingsuit designs have progressed to the point where the lift=glide=hang time thing is necessarily completely true in practice, yet. I've seen Sugar Glider pilots getting more hang time, but worse glide, than S3 pilots. Obviously, this is going to depend (as is pretty much everything wingsuit related) completely on the pilots themselves.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bodypilot1 0 #15 December 17, 2004 Didn't the little Genie ever tell you that you only get 3 WISHES! Edwww.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. 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Jiggs 0 #9 December 17, 2004 I want the suit that gives me the best range to fly with my friends and gives me the freedom to get photos that I want to get. I am a short, solid guy 169cm and 72kg - there will always be people that can smoke me for FF time. Eg I have a mate that is a foot taller than me at the same weight! Hammering back at a fast pace is fun and the responsiveness of the wings is so much fun. I just want to be a good flyer and share the fun with those that want come up and play. I would love to see the suits to be cheaper so more people could afford them. Probably with more freefall time as that is what seems to blow ~most~ people away I have an S3 and a MTR2. When flocking with I think the Matter is better but I love the feel of the S3 - now all I need is a few more people to get into it hard core so we can start doing aerobatics together (things like split-s, etc) and anything else I can think of. Canopy wingsuit docks are lined up for next year (but unfortunately I will only be camera)"Don't blame malice for what stupidity can explain." "In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom" - Aeschylus Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
unclecharlie109 0 #10 December 17, 2004 Nice post Ed, very thought provoking. May I ask which one you selected? I went for Glide Ratio. If you can fly the suit with a good GR a long freefall delay is implicit btw. Congratulations on becoming a BM Chief Instructor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VectorBoy 0 #11 December 17, 2004 I want the one that gives the greatest amount of performance without putting grueling demands on the pilot. I want it to feel like I'm not wearing a wingsuit and I'm just flying my body. doing manuevers that the top freeflyers are doing in a track but at a better glide ratio. With the precision and range. I don't want my suit to feel twitchy or some to tell me my suit is flying me. I do want distance and time but not at the expense of a suit that is just a bitch to fly. I already know that these requirements will put more demands on me as the pilot than the suit as the platform to achieve these goals. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bodypilot1 0 #12 December 17, 2004 QuoteQuoteMay I ask which one you selected? Truthfully I chose, "I want a suit I can fly comfortably with others in!" Having an long RW past in skydiving, I enjoy flying tight formations with others, and with the wingsuit interest growing among the skydiving community I'd love to see some tight precision flying, taking multiple formations on a single jump, not just flying one formation the entire skydive. QuoteI went for Glide Ratio. If you can fly the suit with a good GR a long freefall delay is implicit As I suspect, your mainly a base jumper, and I can why you would choose this. Good glide ratios will definitly get you a longer flight, should the area allow for the distance you are able to travel, and have a landing area you are able to possibly land in. In some cases I have seen though, a smokin glide ratio has lead to having to pull early to land in an area you are able to land safely in also. I suspect for the future, everyone will have mutiple suits for different disciplines in wingsuit flying. Myself having 4 different RW suits, 2 different FF suits, and 2 different tandems suits, I now have 3 different wingsuit. Be safe Edwww.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites TomAiello 26 #13 December 17, 2004 I want: 1) Best possible glide angle. 2) Suit that is easy to launch stable in dead air. This is important to me because launch stability is sometimes a life or death issue to me. 3) Simple, easy to use cutaway system that eliminates all restriction. I'd also like a cutaway system where it was impossible to accidentally drop the handles (it's a pain to hang on to them, sometimes, and I've found that I always end up carrying an extra set for that reason). I cut away the wings on virtually all my wingsuit jumps. Ease of re-assembly would be a plus, too, but is not as important as function. 4) A suit that starts flying at lower (vertical) airspeeds. If it could somehow be flying the moment of launch, that would be ideal. Impossible perhaps, but ideal. 5) Easy to hold physical position. 6) A suit that "wants" to fly in the right position. I've heard reports that wings with mylar stiffeners not only hold their shape better, but "push" the jumpers arms into the right configuration. I can't report this personally, but have heard it from multiple experienced jumpers who were testing S3+ prototypes with mylar ribs. I'd also like a variety of strange things, like a self-stabilizing wing profile and some kind of convertible covers I could use to help streamline the main lift web (i.e. cover up the handles) when I was jumping gear that doesn't have front handles for in flight use. Well, you asked... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites TomAiello 26 #14 December 17, 2004 QuoteGood glide ratios will definitly get you a longer flight, should the area allow for the distance you are able to travel... This is especially true on many American objects. We often find ourselves on towers in woods, where the only clear landing is right at the base of the tower. You end up pulling high because you need to be able to fly back to the landing area. Truthfully, I'm not sure that the wingsuit designs have progressed to the point where the lift=glide=hang time thing is necessarily completely true in practice, yet. I've seen Sugar Glider pilots getting more hang time, but worse glide, than S3 pilots. Obviously, this is going to depend (as is pretty much everything wingsuit related) completely on the pilots themselves.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bodypilot1 0 #15 December 17, 2004 Didn't the little Genie ever tell you that you only get 3 WISHES! Edwww.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
TomAiello 26 #13 December 17, 2004 I want: 1) Best possible glide angle. 2) Suit that is easy to launch stable in dead air. This is important to me because launch stability is sometimes a life or death issue to me. 3) Simple, easy to use cutaway system that eliminates all restriction. I'd also like a cutaway system where it was impossible to accidentally drop the handles (it's a pain to hang on to them, sometimes, and I've found that I always end up carrying an extra set for that reason). I cut away the wings on virtually all my wingsuit jumps. Ease of re-assembly would be a plus, too, but is not as important as function. 4) A suit that starts flying at lower (vertical) airspeeds. If it could somehow be flying the moment of launch, that would be ideal. Impossible perhaps, but ideal. 5) Easy to hold physical position. 6) A suit that "wants" to fly in the right position. I've heard reports that wings with mylar stiffeners not only hold their shape better, but "push" the jumpers arms into the right configuration. I can't report this personally, but have heard it from multiple experienced jumpers who were testing S3+ prototypes with mylar ribs. I'd also like a variety of strange things, like a self-stabilizing wing profile and some kind of convertible covers I could use to help streamline the main lift web (i.e. cover up the handles) when I was jumping gear that doesn't have front handles for in flight use. Well, you asked... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #14 December 17, 2004 QuoteGood glide ratios will definitly get you a longer flight, should the area allow for the distance you are able to travel... This is especially true on many American objects. We often find ourselves on towers in woods, where the only clear landing is right at the base of the tower. You end up pulling high because you need to be able to fly back to the landing area. Truthfully, I'm not sure that the wingsuit designs have progressed to the point where the lift=glide=hang time thing is necessarily completely true in practice, yet. I've seen Sugar Glider pilots getting more hang time, but worse glide, than S3 pilots. Obviously, this is going to depend (as is pretty much everything wingsuit related) completely on the pilots themselves.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bodypilot1 0 #15 December 17, 2004 Didn't the little Genie ever tell you that you only get 3 WISHES! Edwww.WestCoastWingsuits.com www.PrecisionSkydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
