IPC Wingsuit Working Group Recommendations

[DSE 5]

The IPC wingsuit workgroup has released their recommendations for Wingsuit Big-Way formations to be submitted to the IPC board at the next meeting.
The gist of it is that there will be no FAI recognition of a judging system submitted prior to 2013. The process for creating a records category is a lengthy one, and the IPC is looking at a 3 year process. They have chosen to hold off making any recommendations for a while.
The IPC specifically commented on two factors in their decision to put off a decision:
~Lack of input from the overall wingsuit community (due in part to technical/website functionality issues the IPC forum experienced)
~The tremendous divide between those that did offer input.

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Excerpted from the IPC document:

Go-Forward Plan
The Wingsuiting Working Group would like to make the following recommendations
and timeline with regards to No-Contact Wingsuiting Big Way Formations.

5.1. 2011 Plenary: Wingsuit Definition accepted by IPC
Consensus was reached on the definition and will be the starting point for the
parameters. Refer to recommendations on Objective 1.

5.2. 2011 – 2012: Setup of Parameters for No-Contact Wingsuit Large Formation
Records
A recommendation that the Wingsuit Working Group continues next year to gather
more information with regards to the parameters by having examples submitted by
different NAC’s, groups etc. It was decided that the WS community started
participating too late in the year in order to generate enough information. The
parameters can be set and a recommendation for the inclusion of Wingsuit Large
Formations into the IPC Sporting Code as an outcome.

5.3. 2012 – 2013: Judging Terms of Reference
The Working Group recommends that the Judging Committee be involved to determine
the best method of judging big way formations. The Working Group would like to have
at least 1 member or advisor from the Judging Committee added to it. A possible
outcome is the establishing of a formal IPC judging method or system.
Once these objectives have been reached, the Working Group can then recommend
further investigations into other events within the Wingsuiting Discipline.
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Kudos to those that offered input, solutions, ideas, definitions, etc. Hopefully over the next couple of years we’ll have some formations and measuring methods that have been tested on more than just one formation, and ideas from not only the experienced but also newer wingsuiters.

Hopefully as the discipline moves forward, we’ll find a means of communicating as a community vs small “islands” of very diverse opinion.
Moreover, it appears the IPC wishes to see methods actually tested on multiple formations vs using a single formation as the benchmark for which all others should be judged. It’s beneficial that the IPC has a conservative perspective vs how the USPA acted in haste based on incomplete information, input, and potential judging methods. Perhaps at some point the USPA will follow the IPC’s lead, wherever that may take us.

There is so much more possible (in terms of how tight we can fly and how we can measure that performance flight isn’t terribly important) compared to figuring out what constitutes a ‘great performance." The best possible performance by the top skilled flyers in the discipline should be something that every wingsuiter can look at and say “Damn, that’s NICE!”
Those 16-way performances/events put on in Lodi and Pepperell a couple of years ago set a bar that to date, nothing else has surpassed. Those formations were flown to “best possible” vs “grid/superwide” spacing that has become the US norm. I’d suggest that as a community, we work towards flying TIGHTER vs flying BIGGER. “Bigger” doesn’t equate to skill/better. I do not believe that bigger is the effort that will lead us to discovering record performance. Just as docking shows us as a community what our skill level can be, non-contact can be flown dock-tight. Isn’t this what we’re after? Quality vs quantity?
If we can return to exploring a level of quality such as those 16 ways, we will likely see a record definition and judging method arise which can measure that performance....judging the constant progression....(probably in mere inches or cm) and it’ll be an event in which which everyone can feel a sense of pride.

http://www.fai.org/parachuting/meetings/2011
You'll find this document in Annex 26. Lots of reading there for a rainy weekend.

[piisfish 140]

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Kudos to those that offered input, solutions, ideas, definitions, etc.

in case tehre is another meeting in LAusanne Switz, I can again offer accomodation for 2-3 people, plus organize jumping from chopper or plane, depending of number of people and weather and airfield condition
Was a blast to have Jarno and Benedikt at home last year.

Jarno, my dog wants you back

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