Sugar Glider/Wing Suit comparison

[bertusgeert 1]

Take a look at the picture.

It seems that a sugarglider reaches much further forward, therefore expanding its surface area, producing more lift. Can you adjust this at all with a wingsuit? add extenders?

Also, the profile, (as from the front) is pretty different. A sugar glider has a rounded anhederal shape, bigger "radius" in the front, smaller in the back. A wingsuit seems to have a much more dihederal shape.

This makes for a minimal "jet engine" effect, in the sense that the air gets pressured the further back it is. wide in the fron and narrow in the back...you get the idea.

Also, the width in the back is smaller than the width in the front, therefore giving the sugar glider a positive angle of attack. So the effect is much more of a parachute effect, a lot more drag. Would this extend the glide ratio, or is it simply slower?

Keep discussing other differences, I think many times we forget how much we can learn from nature.

(Julian's Suit is obviously much closer to an actual sugar glider than birdman or V-1)

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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

[JaapSuter 0]

I'm no biology expert, but I believe the depicted animal gets its forward speed from the jump or leap from a tree branch. Afterwards, the wings are for glide and floatyness, and ultimately for landing. I don't think such animals ever lean headdown to go faster.

As such his wings have much different goals than human wingsuits.

But that's just my layman's biology observation. Maybe these creatures actually do some hardcore flocking.

[piisfish 140]

I've seen some flying between trees and they fly head up.

Maybe Jeb can pick up their technique for landing on tree trunks.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[PhreeZone 20]

Come see me some time this summer at the DZ and I'll show you why suits are'nt built like that.

Basically... you arms could'nt take it and still be able to pull.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[bodypilot1 0]

Like JaapSuter said,
The animals wings aren't designed to create lift, but instead used mainly to slow itself down for landing after it leap.



Be safe.
Ed

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[bertusgeert 1]

Thanks, I might do that
All the other answers explain it as well. You cannot stick your arms that far out.

So what is the future for wingsuits? Just like airplanes have become better and better for the last 100 years, wingsuits have to become better. What is going to be the areas of improvement?

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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

[bodypilot1 0]

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What is going to be the areas of improvement?

The Pilots flying them.




Be safe.
Ed

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[unclecharlie95 3]

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What is going to be the areas of improvement?

An interesting question
I totally agree with Ed, the knowledge and skill base is growing rapidly which means bigger, better, slower flocks

In terms of performance it will intersting to see the results of BirdMans wind tunnel testing, the S5 will be the first suit developed and tested using a wind tunnel.

For sure there will be improvements in the design, knowledge and of course the materials used which will also lead to increased performance.

I guess as long as there is imagination and passion there will always be improvement

BASEstore.it

[pilotdave 0]

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This makes for a minimal "jet engine" effect, in the sense that the air gets pressured the further back it is. wide in the fron and narrow in the back...you get the idea.

Aerodynamically, that's a very poor design for a wing. Pressure will naturally increase toward the trailing edge... that's a positive pressure gradient. That's not a good thing. Lower pressure sort of "sucks" the air around the wing. Increasing pressure has the opposite effect, like pushing against the flow of air. This leads to separation of the boundary layer. An efficient wing places the separation as far back as possible.

The whole purpose of those little turbulators (or whatever they call them) on the leading edge of some of the modern wingsuits is to delay this effect.

Dave