Does your dropzone allow wingsuit night jumps?

[VectorBoy 0]

Just got back from the DZ. They are hosting night jumps, a bunch of them. Double the usual. Looks like a nice gathering. Then I was told " Sorry no wingsuits". I wasn't the only one turned away. Man I'm bummed.

Four years ago this was the position of the former manager,..... no problem I was sure things would progress in the future with the change in both the DZM and my number of night and wingsuit jumps. And I have seen a few wingsuiters on night jumps in the years in between but I was committed to other night jumps. This left me jones'n for a nightsuit.

I didn't ask for a reason because if you understand wingsuit fundamentals/ capability there really isn't one. If they don't have the understanding then the reasons become nebulous and pointless. Besides I wouldn't want someone to tell me how to run my business and I'm not going to tell someone how to run theirs. Lacking my other night jump toys I just bailed.

I know plenty a wingsuiter has done a night jump or two name where!! List the hoops you had to jump through if any and if the current policy still supports suits.

I smell road trip .

[tr027 0]

It was no different for me than non-suit night jumps. The only tricky part is canopies are much harder to see and rangefind at night, but if you don't do night-buzzing you're fine. Wingsuits have been around for awhile now, so it's pretty sad that people have such a serious lack of understanding still, but that's just the way it goes.

edit: to answer the question, the DZs I jump at don't have a problem with them (hence why I jump there).

"The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it. " -John Galt from Atlas Shrugged, 1957

[VectorBoy 0]

Unless they are flying tandems, a big no-no at night, there won't be any canopys when you get down low. If they pull high, lets say 5, by the time you get to 5 minutes later any sport canopy will be at 3.

There will be more canopy traffic from the fallers of the same group. Solo wingsuiters will have none.

[bofh 0]

Unless there is some unintentional high opening...

[avenfoto 0]

come to palatka. we can do night jumps whenever you want, and you can fly your wingsuit from star to star with no worries.

check out the hog flop in two weeks.. come on.

[LouDiamond 1]

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Then I was told " Sorry no wingsuits"....If they don't have the understanding then the reasons become nebulous and pointless.

Sorry to hear you couldn't get a night flight in. Unfortunately there are still some DZs that are lacking in understanding wingsuits and how to integrate them. Night flights is one of several topics I'll be covering in my wing suit seminar at the PIA Symposium in an effort to educate the people who run or manage DZs. Continued education is the only way to overcome these problems and hopefully the information will have a trickle down effect to DZs still behind the times. The more familiar DZSOs,S&Ts and pilots are with wingsuits the better. As wingsuits continue to get more exposure and more people start or continue flying them, DZs behind the power curve will have to learn to adapt them into their operations.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[Tonto 1]

No problem with night wingsuit at Johannesburg Skydiving Club! (It's quite a road trip though.)

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[kallend 2,106]

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Then I was told " Sorry no wingsuits"....If they don't have the understanding then the reasons become nebulous and pointless.

Sorry to hear you couldn't get a night flight in. Unfortunately there are still some DZs that are lacking in understanding wingsuits and how to integrate them. Night flights is one of several topics I'll be covering in my wing suit seminar at the PIA Symposium in an effort to educate the people who run or manage DZs. Continued education is the only way to overcome these problems and hopefully the information will have a trickle down effect to DZs still behind the times. The more familiar DZSOs,S&Ts and pilots are with wingsuits the better. As wingsuits continue to get more exposure and more people start or continue flying them, DZs behind the power curve will have to learn to adapt them into their operations.

Taking a devil's advocate position here for a moment, I can see that issues of separation on opening when wingsuits are thrown into the mix are a potential problem if the pilot/jumpers haven't been properly briefed with an effective plan.

So what is an effective plan?

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

No problem with wingsuit night jumps here at Z-hills. Same goes for Raeford.

[VectorBoy 0]

Taking a devil's advocate position here for a moment, I can see that issues of separation on opening when wingsuits are thrown into the mix are a potential problem if the pilot/jumpers haven't been properly briefed with an effective plan.

So what is an effective plan?

[KrisFlyZ 0]

It was not an issue at SDC. Everyone was opening at 4 ish...I opened at 6 ish.

Kris.

[VectorBoy 0]

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Unless there is some unintentional high opening...

We are approaching ludicrous speed to the nebula, set weapons to stun.

An unintentional opening will be bad on any group jump, day or night. Belly or vertical. This DZ has a very well established Wingsuit operation area. Unless the fast faller can track like a monster those that fall will be in a completely different area than the flyers. That is up until closer to entering the pattern for a landing but hopefully the canopy pilot will have acquired most traffic, either from their group or unplanned from a previous group, that may offer a conflict.

Chances are, and as observed by those lucky enough to get their wingsuit night jump in under the wire previously, there is adequate separation in time between wingsuits and sport canopys. Usually they are the only ones in the air. In the case of a solo, you have the pattern to yourself, often the landing area also.

[TALONSKY 0]

I personally have not made a night wingsuit jump yet, but Skydive Oregon is fine with them. This year there were two wingsuit pilots doing wingsuit night jump. I would have but felt I was too uncurrent with my canopy to do it since in 6months I only had 12 jumps on it.
Kirk

[Martini 0]

I have done night suit jumps at Eloy (New Years eve from a DC-3 jump into new year) and a 2-way with a long dock at Skydive Snohomish from a 182. Incredibly fun. I wonder about Lodi?

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

[VectorBoy 0]

Skydive Oregon is fine with them. This year there were two wingsuit pilots doing wingsuit night jump. Kirk

[always 0]

Kamloops did one last night.

Veggie, Nicky B, and Gregger with docks.

Would have been a 4way from the 182 except I stepped off to let a junior solo jumper go for it.

Nick

[TomAiello 26]

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I wonder about Lodi?

I made a night jump several years ago in Lodi with a wingsuit on the plane. This was at a time when Lodi was much less wingsuit friendly, so I can't imagine they've gone backward in that regard.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com