TomAiello 26 #1 June 5, 2006 I had a chance to look at the Impact last week. Anyone have any inflight feedback (I didn't get to jump it)? It looks to me to be pretty well suited to BASE, with the built in pads and tough materials. I'm not sure about flight performance, though, for the same reasons. I think it would be super cool if there was a spine protector built in, perhaps available as an option.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #2 June 5, 2006 QuoteAnyone have any inflight feedback There is a video of it here and on Skydiving Movies pending approval that will be available shortly. Flight characteristics are very similar to a mid level wingsuit. Jarno(Mccordia) and Jari were flocking with the IMPACT suit in their S6/Firebird last week in Spain. I'll try and put a picture of that up later. I will have demos of the IMPACT available during the GBWorld Record attempt in Germany and as usual, they are also available to all BMIs from the BirdMan demo fleet. Quote think it would be super cool if there was a spine protector built in You want that with padding or in shaped and formed plastic?"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 74 #3 June 5, 2006 I'll see if I can post the video of the 2 ways I did with jari. Both wearing an Impact suit, I could fly about 1,5 meter above him, wingsuit style, and not catch any burble..and filming Jari's opening (who pulled a bit higher for video, showing different opening methods...classic skydive pull and wingsuit pull the next jump) the openings look exactly like a wingsuit opening (with me continuing to fly forward, and the canopy disapearing behind me) even with me rolling over on my back.. So for in-flight feedback....it feels like a wingsuit....the arms inflate to such a nice wingshape...it feels like the wings on a classic..same goes for the legwing...you can push on it hard, and you can feel it drive you forward..its amazing...and way easy! From the experiences we had in Empuria, also taking a few first flight students up in it (and them perfoming, in terms of time and distance, quite like most first jump students), it is now being taken into account for wingsuit training (as an option). With rules (as for jump-numbers) being a bit vague...is this a trackingsuit (lower jump numbers would be ok?) or a small wingsuit (200 jumps rule)? We also did some awesome fourways with wingsuits, but story and pictures on that one later I've jumped tracking suits before, and this definatly feels more like a wingsuit then it feels like a tracking suit. I know Pete and Markus jumped the Impact in a base envirmoment (but choose to first try it without the legwing) and they where both extremely happy.. Some of their footage is in the Impact promo (linked to in my sig. line), but like I sayd earlyer...when I get home from work tomorrow, I'll post the whole video..JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #4 June 5, 2006 QuoteYou want that with padding or in shaped and formed plastic? Something like the spine protector on a Dianese Jacket--articulated pieces of hard plastic, with a honeycombed crush pad underneath, and foam padding between that and the jumpers back.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
voodew1 0 #5 June 6, 2006 Quote I will have demos of the IMPACT available during the GBWorld Record attempt in Germany So i guess i will be missing you at Skyfest --Send Chuck in your place -- that would rock The pimp hand is powdered up ... say something stupid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #6 June 6, 2006 QuoteSend Chuck Unless something has changed, Chuck said he would not be attending Skyfest. BirdMan will more than likely be sending another well known BMI out to Skyfest to keep you company."It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MB38 0 #7 June 6, 2006 Now here's a few questions for those with flight experience: To my [untrained] eyes, the Impact seems to fall somewhere in between the PF track suit and Prodigy. How do the flight characteristics compare? Beyond that, from briefly glancing at the videos it seems that most of the suit's lift is derived from the upper body. Obviously the leg wing has a huge effect when in place, but how 'powerful' are the pants sans-wing? It seems that they rarely achieve significant inflation [though I'm probably wrong, I just played the video once a while ago and I can't play it again here]. Additionally, with the larger arm wing and the presence of a leg wing, what becomes an appropriate experience level to jump such a suit? It seems that it would require more control and ability than, say, a PF suit. Does this fall into the "wingsuit" category for proper experience or the generic "50+ jumps" track suit category? Obviously both "categories" can cause tremendous problems without [or sometimes with...] the proper knowledge, experience and know-how. This isn't for my sake, I just think it's information that should get into this thread for any wingsuit-happy students who come through here. With fall-rates and ground-speeds apparently similar [I could be wrong] to small-medium wingsuits, it seems like a more serious piece of equipment than it might appear at first glance.I really don't know what I'm talking about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
christus 0 #8 June 6, 2006 Hey! @Tom as far as the in flight preformance goes, I say it's great. Two weeks ago I made the first jump with the Impact together with McCordia at Empuria. Since I have 210 jumps the Impact was a great "suit" to get the feeling of a regular wingsuit and start learning how to fly :). It feels really natural and free (compared to the feeling that you are stuck in a sleepingbag you get in a wingsuit ) so it make's a great suit for me as an introduction in the wonderfull world of wingsuiting. About the flight specs; Jarno will probably post these later on this week togheter with the flocking pics.... To put it in short: Yes sire, I like it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakee 1,489 #9 June 6, 2006 QuoteAdditionally, with the larger arm wing and the presence of a leg wing, what becomes an appropriate experience level to jump such a suit? It seems that it would require more control and ability than, say, a PF suit. Does this fall into the "wingsuit" category for proper experience or the generic "50+ jumps" track suit category? I would be careful with that assumption. IMO the PF suit requires more control than a small wingsuit like a classic.Do you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 74 #10 June 6, 2006 QuoteNow here's a few questions for those with flight experience: To my [untrained] eyes, the Impact seems to fall somewhere in between the PF track suit and Prodigy. How do the flight characteristics compare? I think this is about 2/3 of the way up to a prodigy/classic in terms of flight characteristics.. QuoteBeyond that, from briefly glancing at the videos it seems that most of the suit's lift is derived from the upper body. Obviously the leg wing has a huge effect when in place, but how 'powerful' are the pants sans-wing? It seems that they rarely achieve significant inflation [though I'm probably wrong, I just played the video once a while ago and I can't play it again here]. Even though the arms seem to be the biggest on the suit, when flying it, its mostly the leg-power you notice. It puts you at a high angle of attack, and really pushes you through the sky.. QuoteAdditionally, with the larger arm wing and the presence of a leg wing, what becomes an appropriate experience level to jump such a suit? Technicaly, the name says tracking suit, and the lack of wings would free it up for people with lesser jumps. But seeing the distance traveled on a jump, the need the need to fly a good patern its definately something open for debate.. I personaly would classify it as a small wingsuit, and think it should be treated like that (experience-wise)JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mikki_ZH 0 #11 June 6, 2006 QuoteBeyond that, from briefly glancing at the videos it seems that most of the suit's lift is derived from the upper body. Obviously the leg wing has a huge effect when in place, but how 'powerful' are the pants sans-wing? It seems that they rarely achieve significant inflation [though I'm probably wrong, I just played the video once a while ago and I can't play it again here]. I have seen 3 ways, aprox. 10s, two had the impact pants (without the funny looking leg wing...) and one the phoenix-fly tracking pants. All three where good trackers but the phoenix-fly guy gained much faster forward speed and tracked further from the wall. Maybee these pants are very good for "nowegian style tracking" where you track realy fast and have some altitude to beginn your track. But I think for subterminal tracking the phoenix-fly pants are better. But this is only a guess, I have no jump with the impact pants. A good thing in my opinion is that there is space to put in protection. My 2 RappenMichi (#1068) hsbc/gba/sba www.swissbaseassociation.ch www.michibase.ch Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MB38 0 #12 June 6, 2006 QuoteQuoteAdditionally, with the larger arm wing and the presence of a leg wing, what becomes an appropriate experience level to jump such a suit? It seems that it would require more control and ability than, say, a PF suit. Does this fall into the "wingsuit" category for proper experience or the generic "50+ jumps" track suit category? I would be careful with that assumption. IMO the PF suit requires more control than a small wingsuit like a classic.T'wasn't an assumption. See page 9. I put the quotes there because I, personally, feel that 50 jumps is too few to start jumping the PF suit. [edit: for many/most jumpers] But, regardless, I don't want to lead the thread astray. Thanks for the responses to my questions. To those with experience, is there a noticeable performance difference when wearing the pantz over one's leg straps?I really don't know what I'm talking about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 74 #13 June 6, 2006 QuoteSee page 9. I put the quotes there because I, personally, feel that 50 jumps is too few to start jumping the PF suit. But, regardless, I don't want to lead the thread astray. Thanks for the responses to my questions. To those with experience, is there a noticeable performance difference when wearing the pantz over one's leg straps? I think that having a decent amount of experience (and whatever that may be is always open te debate) is definately a wise thing when it comes to anything outside normal skydiving...trackingsuits/wingsuits etc. definately fit that catagory I think... As for a performance difference when wearing it over the leg straps..you'll definately get more inflation..but we didnt jump it this way, so I have no first hand experience in that department.. I've just compressed a short video with some flocking done in the Impact suits...I'll upload it first thing tomorrow morning when I come into work (need to catch some sleep now, spent too much of my day fighting pixels)JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakee 1,489 #14 June 7, 2006 Sorry, my last post was a bit ambiguous. I meant I would be quite surprised if the Impact system turned out to need noticeably more control then the PF suit, which IMO can be pretty twitchy anyway (at least for the first few jumps).Do you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 74 #15 June 7, 2006 EYey...here's the promised video http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=4001 This was my first jump on the tracking-gear (I'm the one filming) and its quite easy and smooth in terms of flying. The only thing I kept forgetting was that backflying is a bit impossible (arms loose presure, legwing tips you headdown) so as soon as I do a transition onto my back, you see me drop out of the sky like a homesick fridge These 2 jumps where made to get some promotional shots of the Impact. So a few flyby's and different style openings (wingsuit pull/classic skydive pull) etc. not real fancy flocking/docking.. But looking at the ground at 1:28 in the video, and then again just 12 seconds later, (for those who know the layout of Empuria a bit) you can see there's quite a lot of distance traveled.. I could also fly directly above and even slighly lagging behind the other Impact suit, which means there is plenty of forward speed, otherwise I would have been eating burble Anyways..I definately enjoyed flying the suit and will be putting a lot more jumps on the suit when I get my own order in.. Like mentioned earlyer by scott, there's some cool photo's David Haygarth took on the wingsuit/Impact dives but you'll need to have some patience..those will be out soon as well...enjoy!JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MB38 0 #16 June 7, 2006 QuoteSomething like the spine protector on a Dianese Jacket--articulated pieces of hard plastic, with a honeycombed crush pad underneath, and foam padding between that and the jumpers back.It's my uninformed opinion that I'd want to buy my body armor from a body armor company and my tracking suit from a wingsuit company. I'd trust a company like Dianese to save my spine and Bird-Man to keep me in the air. I'd just hate to see somebody remove their purpose-built body armor in lieu of what would potentially be sub-standard body armor in their tracking suit and pay the price. The pads in the Impact suit seem wonderful for those individuals who have an apparent opposition to body armor [It's too hot, it doesn't fit in my gear bag, I don't have time to put it on at the exit point, too many snag points, it's not cool] because they can suddenly remove the complications and get some of the benefit. You and I have both seen body armor save lives, I just think that the R&D necessary to build a truly effective piece of armor would be overkill for BM when the work has already been done in the motorsports industry. Cliff's notes: The pads in the Impact are great, but I don't think they should replace a full set of body armor for BASE. But, of course, I don't know much in that department. I suppose that on many of the objects where such a tracking suit would really shine [I.E. terminal walls with landing areas the size of football fields], many consider body armor to be unnecessary... overkill, even. But hey, to restate, I wouldn't want to see somebody leave the armor in the car because of the pads in their tracking suit... on the one jump where they'll inevitably need it.I really don't know what I'm talking about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #17 June 8, 2006 QuoteIt's my uninformed opinion that I'd want to buy my body armor from a body armor company and my tracking suit from a wingsuit company. I'd trust a company like Dianese to save my spine and Bird-Man to keep me in the air. Dianese (and other companies) sell the pads for their armor systems separately, so that you can replace just a pad or two. You could easily buy the entire set and sew them into some other suit.-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phoenixlpr 0 #18 June 8, 2006 QuoteIt's my uninformed opinion that I'd want to buy my body armor from a body armor company and my tracking suit from a wingsuit company. I'd trust a company like Dianese to save my spine and Bird-Man to keep me in the air. There are packets on the Impact where you can put protective pads. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MB38 0 #19 June 8, 2006 QuoteQuoteIt's my uninformed opinion that I'd want to buy my body armor from a body armor company and my tracking suit from a wingsuit company. I'd trust a company like Dianese to save my spine and Bird-Man to keep me in the air. There are packets on the Impact where you can put protective pads.Just to clarify, I'm aware of this. The point of my post was that I would't want the [minor] padding in the Impact to replace a full set of armor for those who choose to wear it. Anyway, I've led the thread astray.I really don't know what I'm talking about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phoenixlpr 0 #20 June 8, 2006 Ok. I've tried the jacket on on the ground. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skreamer 1 #21 June 8, 2006 QuoteYou could easily buy the entire set and sew them into some other suit. Why would you want to? My knee/shin, elbow/forearm and spine protector all fit very nicely under my PF tracking outfit. By incorporating the pads into the outfit I think you only stand to lose performance since the fabric can't pressurize freely and also could move around. I want my pads secured around the areas they are meant to protect, not built into fabric that moves around. These suits don't fit snug like motorcycle suits that have built in armour. Will Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caspar 0 #22 July 7, 2006 bump just wondering if anyone had any other opinions on the suit. interested in it."When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 74 #23 July 7, 2006 From what I get, most people who ordered one recieved them last week. So a few reviews/oppinions should probably pop up here and there..JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeemax 0 #24 July 7, 2006 Jari's bringing some demos over to the Sibson wingstuit weekend this weekend, so i'll hopefully get to jump one and see what it's like... Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #25 July 7, 2006 QuoteJari's bringing some demos over to the Sibson wingstuit weekend I am bringing an IMPACT and demos as well with me so there should be plenty to fly this weekend."It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
