Help! Tracking Suit Design?

[ineed2fly 0]

I figured this would be the best place to post this.

I modified some old snow gear into a tracking suit, like the Birdman Impact suit. I just recently got to jump it and it flies awesome and is super fun but seems to have some inflation issues. I'd like to redo the suit from the ground up, but I want to make sure the suit inflates properly. Does anyone have any insight they could share? I'm going to try and look at a PF suit this weekend but I don't have any way of taking one home while I work.

When all the jumpers with PF suits stand in the prop wash of the Otter to board their suits happily inflate, but mine...well, doesn't. If anyone could post some pics of the PF inlets or how many are where on the suit and such that would help a ton!

If you look closely in one of the pictures you can see the scoops on each arm and the inlets on the sides of the legs. The other pic is taken right out the door and the suit is clearly not inflated. =(

Thanks!

Nick

"As soon as you're born you start dying. So you might as well, have a good time."
-CAKE

I'm crazy not stupid. There is a difference.

[LouDiamond 1]

Head over to basejumper.com and do a search on "smoking man" and "smoking pants". There should be a good deal of info there as a lot of the tracking suits you see today, built off of what that individual did back in the day with a simple rain suit, a bungee cord, a roll of duct tape and a cigarette to make the air inlets.

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

[Zeemax 0]

As great as it is being interested, if your profile is correct, you absolutely shouldn't be jumping anything like that.

Whereabouts do you jump? It might be that a local jumper can talk you through how things work
The suit you have a picture of has wings and looks to be more like a prodigy, rather than a tracking suit?

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

[c10edges 0]

If your going of profiles... you should not be giving advice.

Not personal. Just saying.

[mccordia 74]

Quote

If your going of profiles... you should not be giving advice.

Not personal. Just saying.

If someone without a car licence and no drinking experience tells you not to drive while you're drunk because its not the safest thing to do, that person has every right to speak up if you ask me..

You dont have to be a guru to apply common sense...

If it was advice on backflying, barrelrolls, proximity flying etc. I would fully be with you on your oppinion. But in this case, I dont see why not..

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[Zeemax 0]

Quote

If your going of profiles... you should not be giving advice.

Not personal. Just saying.

You're absolutely right. What do I know?

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

[c10edges 0]

Like I said, just saying

When people work for PF, they typically know what they are saying. But i have seen some bad profiles from people who know what they are talking about..

[mccordia 74]

Quote

when people work for PF, they typically know what they are saying.

Can I print that on a T-Shirt and show it to my friends...

Quote

But i have seen some bad profiles from people who know what they are talking about..

I know, but think in this case, it wasn't the weirdest question to ask

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[Zeemax 0]

Quote

But i have seen some bad profiles from people who know what they are talking about..

Not sure that makes a great deal of sense

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

[hjumper33 0]

Youve got to learn, when you reach a certain level of awesomeness its no longer cool to provide your number or jumps anymore. This is confusing if you dont know the super cool people in skydiving already, and could confuse them with commoners. I split the difference by only putting base stats in my profile. Do I have 10 skydives, 10,000? Are those 60 wingsuit base jumps, or wingsuit skydives, and im flying a classic in the picture, how will anyone ever know whether or not to directly follow my advice??? The other end is to put 999999 for both years and skydives, either one really does make you infinitely cooler, but only if youre a known entity.

[ineed2fly 0]

Hi, the suit I am redesigning is more along the lines of a PF suit, the pants are slightly different and it has a few features and changes that are different from the Phoenix Fly suit.

I figured the air inlets in that sketch would be a good approximation for the suit.

Anyone have some feedback on it? anything you think could be improved? It does have the toe clips with the stiffener in it, its just not drawn in.

There's been some back and forth at our DZ about whether or not it's a wingsuit or tracking suit and it's hung up for now to avoid drama. I figured I'd keep my tracking suit simple and keep the wings to my wingsuit project.

Thanks for any help!

Nick

"As soon as you're born you start dying. So you might as well, have a good time."
-CAKE

I'm crazy not stupid. There is a difference.

[Zeemax 0]

Not to get back in to the whole profile drama, but based on what you've said, and what you've updated your profile to since you first posted the question, I really do think you should hang up the suit for a little bit and work on just skydiving.

Seriously, it's great that you've got such an interest in suit design - there should be more people like you - but jumping anything that adds complication to the jump at such an early point in your jump life could help end it quickly.

Where in the world are you? If it's anywhere near the UK, i'd be more than happy to show you a whole range of suits and explain how they work etc, but really, jump for now, have fun then worry about making things harder later on

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

[ineed2fly 0]

Yes, which is why I decided to hang up the suit, it was fun and went off without a hitch, easy to fly, but itd be the smartest choice to wait.

I'm in the U.S. in Colorado, I appreciate the offer though =)

I'll keep you posted on the progress of the suit, i have the right leg done and after I post this will start on the left leg.

Blue skies!

Nick

"As soon as you're born you start dying. So you might as well, have a good time."
-CAKE

I'm crazy not stupid. There is a difference.

[travisjones 0]

Good luck!!! Its alot trickier than it seems. Hope you have a machine with manual tension. Otherwise it is going to be hell sewing a wingsuit. 69 e thread is not going to run well in any home machine. Trust me i know. Thats why i threw the pos home machine out and bought two bigass commercial machines. Also make sure the tension isnt two tight and that you go slow, or the fabric will bunch up and wont look good or or go where you want it. Your going to need a hot knife, alot of safety pins, extra material on top of the extra you already bought, good light, 69 ethread(very important), Around size 18 needle seems to work pretty good, chalk, some whiskey, paper board to draw out patterns. and alot of patients. I am bulding a tracking suit after i finish up the new Phat Bird that i am working on right now. Hopefully i have it done in 6ish weeks or less. I will post some pics soon. It is starting to look way sicker than the orig Phat Bird, and it Should function about 110% better..... Tony and Robi better watch out, im getting better at this wingsuit making business...

[ineed2fly 0]

Hey! Cool, ive seen the vids on youtube a while back, looked pretty good. I've made a few traction kites a few years back prior to skydiving, and them some freefly suits. The pants are actually coming along pretty well. Its just the inlets i seem to be having trouble with. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of riding around in the back of a pickup truck in the parking lot ;) lol

"As soon as you're born you start dying. So you might as well, have a good time."
-CAKE

I'm crazy not stupid. There is a difference.

[travisjones 0]

For my new vent i am using a scoop that is 1/8th inch closed cell foam wrapped in parapak. Make the "scoop" slightly bigger than the actual vent. Then sew it on the vent bending the left over material in a "dome shape" above the vent. Sorry if i cant really explain it. Could show you but i am at my office with no camera or vents. Like i said tricky. but just get a shit load extra materials and start making some prototype vents until you figure out what ones you want to use.

[ineed2fly 0]

So pretty similar to a PF tracking suit vent? Just more rigid? It seems like the PF suit vents have inlets cut in the actual jacket, and then have another piece of material sewn over them, and are bar tacked at intervals to create a narrow scoop.

"As soon as you're born you start dying. So you might as well, have a good time."
-CAKE

I'm crazy not stupid. There is a difference.