wingsuits

[arai 0]

Well I wont waste anytime with "what skills should I need pre-wingsuit" as I've already read through 36 pages of the wingsuit forum and know how to use the search funtion.

I just wanted to get in a forum introduction and say how cool wingsuit flying looks. I've got a couple great videos of flocking and just have to say it looks more like a fighter jet formation than birds, but that only furthers my interest in the sport.

I've skydiving a few years ago, went SL from 3500' and as soon as I hit the ground asked if I could go again, after a few trips that day I havent dived at all due to various reasons but am looking to get back into the sport in a serious way.

I know I have at minimum 200 jumps before looking at a wingsuit but I know what skills to workon in the meantime.

I tend to pickup anything I try quite quickly so I'm hoping I can show proficiency in the skills required to wingsuit jump at 200 or perhaps be one fo the few that can attempt it even a bit earlier, but to be honest I know that safety is more important than getting in a wingsuit a few jumps early.

I'm in vancouver, canada but it might take a month or two to actually start any freefall courses as I might be sent over the the uk to do some work for a few months.

so for now I'm reading all the forum and downloading as many vids as I can find.

anyway, just wanted to say hi and man those wingsuits look sweet.

[The111 1]

Well, you know what you want and that's the first step. I must say I love reading about people who want to get into skydiving for the sole purpose of flying a wingsuit - although I have never met a wingsuit flyer who actually started in this way, but I'm sure they exist. I didn't really know about wingsuits early on enough, but I'm sure they would have attracted me if I had.

Next thing to focus on is becoming a safe, licensed skydiver and getting your own gear (parachute).

Preparing for wingsuits is a long way off, but the next step would be doing a lot of tracking jumps, and "wingsuit-style-procedures" - ask what these are once you are at this point in your progression.

There are people that break the jump # recommendations just like there are in every other part of skydiving. That's up to you, the dropzones you jump at, and the person you ask to teach you to fly. The recommendations are there for a reason, though.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[Zeemax 0]

You know you CAN jump in the UK

Where abouts are you going, i'll be happy to bore you tears about wingsuit flying over a beer...

Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE
Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies

[arai 0]

I'll be headed to london in january. working in the soho area.

I guess the reason I thought of waiting was to establish a relationship with my local dz, and the higher uk prices (relative to canada)

[skyflyingbecca 0]

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I have never met a wingsuit flyer who actually started in this way, but I'm sure they exist.

I started skydiving solely to fly wingsuits and BASE jump, although I must admit BASE was slightly more of a driving factor. The only skydiving that really looked fun was wingsuits, and it was the only thing I wanted to do then.

I have dabbled in a bunch of stuff, but I still say my two disciplines are those, the ones I have listed in my profile, and now that my jump numbers are getting higher, hopefully I can concentrate on just them.

"I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

[moonglo 0]

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I must say I love reading about people who want to get into skydiving for the sole purpose of flying a wingsuit - although I have never met a wingsuit flyer who actually started in this way, but I'm sure they exist.

That would be me! But along the way to 200 jumps and finding a suit that would fit me I fell in love with the rest of the sport as well. Of my last 300 jumps (since I got my hands on a decent fitting classic) only 200 were wingsuits....

[pbla4024 0]

Come on. Nobody jumps wingsuit cause it's fun. We do it cause freefall time is three times cheaper :-)

Fido

[Zeemax 0]

are you suggesting that skydivers are tight?

Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE
Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies

[mccordia 74]

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Come on. Nobody jumps wingsuit cause it's fun. We do it cause freefall time is three times cheaper :-)

Showoff!
I haven't gotten any further then 2,5 times cheeper yet

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[The111 1]

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Showoff!
I haven't gotten any further then 2,5 times cheeper yet

An easy way to increase that ratio is to fall faster without the wingsuit.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[KrisFlyZ 0]

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Showoff!
I haven't gotten any further then 2,5 times cheeper yet

An easy way to increase that ratio is to fall faster without the wingsuit.

Or compare the amount you pay for a jump to U.K jump ticket prices . Unless you jump in the U.K to begin with ofcourse.


Kris.

[pbla4024 0]

Here at South we have really really strong ascending airstreams. Ask James. Skinny guy could spend few hours in air without landing. He needs just supply of coke and MREs. Role of KC-130 is played by freeflyers (they are otherwise totally and utterly useless).
Ps.: Who said I watch Monty Python Flying Circus too much?

Fido

[mccordia 74]

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Showoff!
I haven't gotten any further then 2,5 times cheeper yet

An easy way to increase that ratio is to fall faster without the wingsuit.

Or compare the amount you pay for a jump to U.K jump ticket prices . Unless you jump in the U.K to begin with ofcourse.


Kris.

I gues freeflyers probably get the best increased/cheeper freefall times in a wingsuit yea. I was still thinking RW, with those 'longer' 1 minute freefalls

As for UK jump prices, I think the 27 euros we pay in Holland for 12000 ft probably comes quite close?

I want to go to Russia again..6 euros for 13k

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[pbla4024 0]

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... I want to go to Russia again..

Really?

http://www.buty.cz/muzika/rastakayakwanna/10.mp3

Fido

[skyflyingbecca 0]

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I gues freeflyers probably get the best increased/cheeper freefall times in a wingsuit

Yeah now that I am pulling at normal altitudes, my instinct keeps screaming at me during freefall that my alti is wrong.

As a former freeflyer and new wingsuit pilot, my body clock has been thrown way off. Especially now that I am starting to pull at non-paranoid heights. First 10-15 ws jumps I was pulling at 5-7 cause I was getting used to unzipping as well as flying a new main (had to give up the Vengeance for a Sabre2 ) Meh, I don't miss freeflying or the unpredictable openings anyway.

Last weekend at the Keys boogie, oooooh, jumping over a small island is also kind of a cool groundrush. At altitude, it's all caribbean-aqua with a little speck of brownish green, and as the skydive progresses, it's less and less aqua and then when you can see the houses it starts getting slightly alarming. Just a different environment I guess, but combined with my first full-length wingsuit flights, it was definitely weird.

I just kept reminding myself mechanical altimeters can't break (unlike my friend's neptune that broke at that boogie) or at least I don't think they can break..

"I know it's friday night, but come on. Surely there's something better to do than yell at people on the internet?" - Tom A.

[Martini 0]

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I just kept reminding myself mechanical altimeters can't break (unlike my friend's neptune that broke at that boogie) or at least I don't think they can break.

I hope you're joking. Altimeters can stick anytime. They're pretty useful but not perfect. I've had several altimeters stick at various altitudes, most recently one stuck at 2500' on a 2500' hop & pop. It gave me the weirdest sensation of floating.

Sometimes you eat the bear..............

[The111 1]

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I just kept reminding myself mechanical altimeters can't break (unlike my friend's neptune that broke at that boogie) or at least I don't think they can break..

Sure they can, but I will agree that something was weird about the "sight picture" from 2-4k ft in the Keys. I always felt waaay lower than I was, slightly before pulling, and while flying my canopy down to about 1k ft. Below 1k ft it seemed normal again.

Even my whuffo roommate, who has never jumped and only watched my videos, the first thing out of his mouth when I started playing my footage from the weekend was "woa, that looked like a really low pull". Impressed me that he caught that, even if it is just an illusion.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com