aspiringwriter

Wow, thanks for the continued comments on this, sorry I haven't been back, somehow I quit getting updates and thought the thread had died out. It should soon, you've all been very helpful, and I'm keeping myself busy working on writing this thing out. As soon as the story is in shape, I'll make sure to get some sort of link to it to post up here as a thank you, and I hope that I won't have buggered things up too badly. Again, thanks to everyone who has commented, this is a very friendly forum you have going here. -Iain

If I wasn't in Japan, I might, but the idea of getting jump instructions in a language I don't understand well is, well, scary....

Thanks a million for the vocabulary lesson. I've got no problem if I sound dumb, but my character is supposed to be an expert, no way she can get away with it. I hadn't thought of landing on the boat itself. I'll have to look into that, my original plan was for her to land on the little river-level bank on the east side of the river, just past the horseshoe. Might still do that, although from Google Earth it looks like a broken leg waiting to happen. Again, thanks to everyone who has chimed in to help out with this, its going to be a much better story for your help. -Iain

Thank you for your prompt replies. I'd pictured her jumping from a plane some distance off and gliding in. I'll get back to work on my story, again, thanks for the fact-check. -Iain

Hi all, I hope you'll allow me to explain myself. I'm not a skydiver, parachutist, or anything like that, I'm a writer. It'll soon be obvious that I know nothing about your sport, but I've got a question that I hope someone will be good enough to answer: Would it be possible for a highly skilled individual to birdsuit over the top of Niagara Falls, and then parachute into the river? I know this would be incredibly dangerous and very illegal, and I have no intention of trying it. I've read about the young man who lost his life trying to jet-ski off the falls and then parachute down, and I know there's a $10,000 fine for going over. However, I'd like to have my character try it. I've been doing some online research, and it seems that a birdsuit/wingsuit can fly at a 2.5:1 angle in the control of a skilled pilot. From what I can find, a parachute can do 3:1. I made up a model of the Falls and added in my character's projected flight path (see attachment). She would come in out of the south, trying to go over the top of Horseshoe Falls about 50m (~150 feet) over the lip, and then pop her chute once over the brink. She's aiming for the right side of the river where the water is calmer, and has about 300 feet (150 foot waterfall + 150 of air over the top of the falls) to get down using her parachute. She'll be picked up by the Maid of the Mist and the RCMP will handle her accommodations for the evening. Problems I can think of: 1. 300 feet isn't enough to get control of the parachute while trying to unzip your birdsuit. 2. The mist off the falls might cause problems with her chute. 3. She might drown getting tangled in either the lines or the birdsuit. So, is this do-able? If not, are there any changes you could suggest to make it do-able, or is it just a stupid and impossible idea that I should chuck in the waste-bin right now? Thank you very much for reading. -Iain