first suite - what to choose?

[phoenixlpr 0]

Hiall,

I'd like to get involved. I got lost among wingsuites.

Most of the new wingsuite fliers are flying with BM S3 nevertheless its not recommended by BM. There are plenty of suites on the market: S3, GTi, MTR-3, Phi, Firebird...
I have no idea what to choose if I can't find a used suite.

Thanks for your ideas.

[birdynamnam 28]

The Firebird is the newest design from BirdMan. It can be flown by first timers, but you should be able to fly with the big suits when you get the pilot skills . Check the article on news on www.bird-man.com

[Tonto 1]

There are many suits which are OK for your 1st flight.

These may include the Classic, S-Fly, Matter 1, Prodigy, GTI, Firebird and possibly the PHI.

I wouldn't recomend the S3 as a first suit, especially not at your experience level if your profile is up to date. This would also count out the S3-S the GS-1 and the Vampire.

Do your homework on a suit that will build your confidence and your skillset, and then begin to explore the realm of higher performance suits.

Feel free to PM me if you want specific advice.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[mccordia 74]

I suggest finding a BMI/PFI or someone else who is willing to teach you, that has an entry-level suit which you can use/rent to make your first dozen or so jumps in.

After having done so, you'll be able to choose a slighly higher level suit you'd be comfortable owning/flying for the rest of the time, without 'waisting' money one an entry-level suit (although it's never money waisted ofcource)

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[notsane 0]

Like Tonto said, there are many suits out there that are good for first flights.

I usually recomend that folks look for a used GTi (since there isn't much of a used market yet for the newer suits). Get 40 or 50 jumps on that, build your confidence and decide what you really want from your "real" suit. Then you can sell the GTi for basically what you paid for it.

My $0.02

Scott

[The111 1]

I agree with Scott that if you want to get a used suit, the GTi is a good choice. However, if you do plan on buying a new suit, like another poster said, the Firebird is an excellent new (new meaning just released) suit. I got a chance to fly one at WFFC and it can keep up with the big boys, but is also suitable for a newbie.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[KrisFlyZ 0]

My choices are S-fly and Prodigy due to the wider leg stance. The leg stance on these suits is almost as wide as any top performance suit in the market.

There is no doubt that you will be moving up to a bigger suit. When you do, it will be a more natural progression.

I moved from a Classic 2 to a GTI before moving up to the bigger suits. The wide leg stance took a lot of getting used to.

Kris.

[TomAiello 26]

Definitely go with the Chevy. Fords suck!

Seriously, though. I'd also say your best bet is to find a used intermediate suit (GTi is probably the best bet, since there are the most of them out there), then fly it until you decide to trade up. By then, you'll hopefully have had a chance to fly with (and possible demo) other suits, so you can make a more informed decision for yourself.

There are several competing manufacturers, and you can read all about why each of them is the best, and all the others are terrible, in various threads in this forum. Pretty much everyone thinks that whatever suit they have is the best. This may be a good viewpoint, since "best" in this context usually means that you are having the most fun with it, and it's hard to have fun in a suit you don't have.


Bottom line: find something cheap, used, and intermediate, and use it to learn more so that you can make a better informed decision for yourself when the time comes to throw down the big bucks for a custom fit, high end suit.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com