ManBird

It is pretty dang neglected. We need to populate that soon. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Dwain did, as he had this same time to impact theory. However, he was pretty much the only person I knew who did that and when he had a spinning malfunction once, I think even he started to question that theory. For the most part, we dump high. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I'm definitely there. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Yeah, and if done quickly/briefly (like a two-part 360), you can fly backwards for a moment, and it looks really weird (careful... may result in a flat spin on the Skyflyer or S3). "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Good call, Cherck... I mean Chuck. That's why the canopy pilot essentially has to just hold still and not have any input as soon as they are facing the DZ. The wingsuit pilot flies to a setup point and then goes. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Direct link: http://www.deepart.org/sight/sight.asp?img=wcrwfp.swf&title=BirdDogging&width=915&height=520&type=swf "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Hey jerks, you just have to click on the image to launch it, but if you have Flash Player 6, the image doesn;t show up, so I've added a "Click here to launch" link. I hope you homos are happy now. ;) "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

You need Flash Player 7 to view the stuff (I don't a lot for detection on my site). Thanks for pointing out the broken vid link... was missing an underscore in the file name. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

There are coaches left and right and April is the PERFECT time to go. They recommend 200 jumps, but there... well... you'll see. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Just wanted to add what sort of the prerequisite for the wingsuit pilot is. Basically, you should be able to tell what your fall rate is. It's necessary for pulling off the setup. I can usually tell what the fall rate is within a couple MPH, as long as it's under 80 MPH. That is, “we were probably doing around 48 MPH from 10k to 6k”, and it’ll be right about there. Over 80 MPH, it all starts to sound the same... just loud. I use JumpTrack a LOT. I've planned and done some dives (almost 100) where I just try different body positions for maybe 2,000 feet at a time, then go into JumpTrack and look at the exact fall rates for those sections of the dive. Memorize your body position and what everything sounds like. There's frequency and volume associated with your speed. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

You can fly a BirdMan suit palms to earth, as well. On the Skyflyer and Skyflyer 3, it helps to rotate your arm for the deflectors to work better, but makes no real difference on the GTi or Classic. Flying palm to earth is exactly what I recommend to those with healed up shoulder injuries. Those with current shoulder injuries should not fly a wingsuit until they've recovered. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

In BASE, you generally want a canopy you can land anywhere. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

You can definitely dive the suit (I've gone 160+ MPH head down). Like, SM, I've definitely had to do some agressive diving (which also increases forward speed if your body isn't pitched too far forwards) after first time flyers. In that context, it wasn't whether or not you could dive, but could you lose enough altitude in that amount of time. As I understand it, he would have had to increase his fall rate to about 90 MPH in four or five seconds to get under the bridge. It was also probably so marginal that going under the bridge didn't seem necessary. It's also not a good idea to go into a dive starting at 1300 - 1400 feet in a narrow gorge. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

6,400' down, 14'100' across. Not sure when he pitched, so you may have to take some off the altitude. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

So you're saying I'm not slick and sexy? Damn... "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Yeah, it's surprisingly effective. We missed is once and a flare gave us a second chance... I actually popped back up to him. Probably nothing I'd want to do around the ground, though. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

http://www.deepart.org/index.asp?id=98&trackid=79 This is the first draft. The data is based on the more successful jumps we've done. Yes, a canopy can do 44 down at higher altitudes. In fact, we do 44 MPH down consistently on these flights. Have fun and be safe! There's some foreshortening in the chart to be closer to 3D. I tried to get it somewhat close to scale, but this chart is not actually to scale. It's a close-enough visual representation. Also note the 1,500' swoops. Sorry... I just had to. This is assuming a canopy loaded at maybe 2.5+:1 and a wingsuit that can travel up to 80 MPH forwards (forward speed is not very critical in this activity). A glide ratio of about 1.6:1 is sufficient for both parties... piece of cake for the wingsuit. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

The cliff is 2,000 feet, but there's another almost 2,000 feet of talus. The fall rate was more like 40ish. And Yuri broke two minutes on a BASE jump. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Shut up. The picture is mega-detailed. The stick is flying to the right. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Exactly. Let's keep this thread specifically about canopy and wingsuit RW, not wingsuits and fixed objects. They are completely different and because of the recent tragedy could open up a big can of worms. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I've given some more thought to the possibility, and am realizing a few things. Zaz can land his VX 68 with weights straight in and I can match his flight. This is because a canopy can be flared. Awhile ago, I started working on "flaring" the wingsuit as much like a canopy as I could... deflecting my tail, in essence. I kept a solid A-frame, and would (keeping my legs straight), bend at the hip (see attached pic). The pressure on your legs is very high, so it took a little while to be able to get a good solid "flare" in and hold it. There's good news and there's bad news. The good news is that you can, in fact, hit amazingly low fall rates. If done properly, your flight time can increase dramatically (sort of a cheap trick to get those flights over three minutes), but more importantly is the way that it feels. I had a some flares last weekend that, per JumpTrack (ProTrack worn in front pants pocket), slowed me down to the low and mid 20s for about four seconds on each one. Now here's what's crazy... I was flying in a crosswind and when I flared, I felt and heard the wind coming from my left... not just in front of me. It also picked up my S3 on one side and tilted me a bit. The bad news is that even with practicing big fat flares many, many times over the past while, a "stall" on the suit isn't enough to put you down safely. However, if a suit is ever developed that does get your stall speed down to zero, it could be landed without pullout maneuvers... just put your feet down, come to a stop, and land. You might not want to downwind it, though. ;) "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

There is little better advice than this. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Fortunately, most tandem instructors will tell you straight up, "do not buzz me". I've been told that simply because I was wearing a wingsuit. I didn't even ask if I could or say that I planned on it. They just came right out and said it. This is good. Tandem instructors should make it clear, especially to skyflyers that they haven't seen before; "Stay away from me and my student." "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

There are definitely those on the canopy side that want to fly with us just as much as we want to fly with them. It is much more than a novelty for some people (myself included). It's a testament to the evolution of the wingsuit towards the goal of true human body flight. It's the challenge. It's because we can. Why jump out of a plane in the first place? It's for the same reason that you do anything challenging. It's the controlled accomplishment with the (near) elimination of of risks. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Excellent commentary, SM. I agree that buzzing a "slower" canopy can be done safely, but only when planned by experienced skydivers that are in complete control of themselves and NO students should ever be involved. However, I highly discourage "buzzing" as a goal. This is because once you've done it, what do you want to do? Get closer. Getting close to another human that is moving slowly is a distaster waiting to happen. If the goal is to get close on a buzz then it's only a matter of time before we see a double fatality. We have this bad habit of waiting until something happens to start making precautions. The potential for distaster is so evident here, though, that there is no reason to wait. It's something I'd rather not test, nor see tested. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click