ManBird

While I'm not in the position just yet to get into the details of flying a wingsuit with a high performance canopy, I would like to open up discussion regarding safety issues and share what I've learned from the little bit I've done. First off, don't "buzz" tandems anymore. It puts yourself and others at serious risk. Any bodies moving at vastly different speeds in the air is deadly if the event of a collision. It'd be like trying to cork strategically on a freefly. Even if done safely, it's a good way to get grounded or 86ed from a drop zone, even your own. Yes, I've done it and it's really, really stupid and really, really bad news. I don't do it now. A good number of us have given buzzes to much slower canopies, and it's been fun. There hasn't been an incident yet and there is no reason for there to ever be one. Let's put this stunt aside and move to something less dangerous, more fun, and more challenging. At most, you can say "hello" to your friends from a safe distance (minimum of 500 feet at most DZs). Avoid students like the plague. A collision would be extremely severe. The sight of a wingsuit flyer in flight can be frightening to someone that doesn't recognize it, and it's a gamble as to whether or not a student is freaked out already or not. Don't buzz students. Don't buzz students. Don't buzz students. Don't buzz students. Don't buzz students. Don't buzz students. The real challenge, the real fun, and the real future of wingsuit flying is in staying relative to high performance canopies that match your flight. Those flying canopies with wingloadings between maybe 2.6:1 and 3:1 can match a wingsuit's flight really well. The role of the canopy pilot is simple: Track off the line of flight, open, aim your canopy at the drop zone and don't touch anything. We just need your incredible ability to land such a highly loaded canopy. Those thousands of jumps are paying off, eh? Don't make any turns whatsoever. If the wingsuit pilot is outdriving you to the side and you turn... collision. A breakoff altitude should be determined where the wingsuit pilot should leave the scene and the canopy pilot may start flying as they please. 5K is usually good for this. The role of the wingsuit pilot is more complicated. Your are the faster one. Your are the high one. You are making the approach. That means that the responsibility avoiding a collision is in your hands. This is top tier wingsuit flying. I did my first flight with a high performance canopy after about 180 wingsuit flights, and I still feel I wasn't ready for it. With over 300 now, I am warily approaching it again. Some more skydiving experience in general would, too. Someone who's done RW for thousands of jumps and many, many years would do much better than me, had they put in wingsuit experience on top of it. Be really, really current if you attempt this and make sure you have complete control over your flight. The last place you want to run into instability is three feet away from your buddy's lines. Flying "knees down" will slow your forward speed so that you don't out-drive or worse... drive into the canopy pilot. Maintain a good A-frame. Trying to maximize lift while slowing forward speed requires a very solid and efficient body position. Keep in mind that this will fatugue you more quickly than usual. If that happens, get the hell out of there. It's difficult to maintain total control while fatigued, and you should not be near someone under canopy when this happens. Do not approach from directly above or behind. When you are flying to the canopy, do not look directly at it or aim straight for it. Look at where you want to be. Going directly for the jumper or the canopy may result in a collision. Keep in mind, the only documented dock to date was done by someone who had about 1,300 wingsuit flights at the time, and it took 17 tries. I have not docked, nor have I gone for a dock yet. I've been fairly relative, but will spend a great deal of time slowly, slowly, slowly working towards that goal. Rushing for a dock = collision. I would like to continue working safely towards flying with canopies. It will take a long time, but I hope to eventually see a new discipline arise. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I wonder if Dwain and Nik have hooked up yet... "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Twenty bucks says you buy the Crossfire 2. It's fucking sweet. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Just went through Kevin's again. It's frikkin' nUts how we did almost the exact same thing without having consulted each other at all. I didn't catch the bit about the velcro ON the BOC at first. On my Wings with open corners (or a lot of rigs with open corners), you probably don't need that at all. However, on rigs that don't allow you to tuck the bridle away all the way down to the backpad, having a little bit of velcro on there to hold the exposed bridle in place is an excellent idea. Highly recommended. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

It's entirely possible. TALONSKY and I did. :) "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Thanks, fergs! You'll love it. I'm finding it difficult to go back to the BOC (though I do when working on aerobatics). Deploying is just too easy now. It kinda feels like cheating. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Nope. Your BOC is very easy to access on the Classic II and GTi, and isn't even too tough on the Skyflyer (though there is definitely some material there). The S3's wing can get in the way a lot, though. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I read you right and I know exactly what you're saying. However, you do lose performance, even if it's only a bit, by having any bend in your knees. But the tradeoff is that you gain stability. But as we both know, with experience you can fly the suit to its full potential and maintain stability, though it's not the best thing to do on flocks. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Very true. The suit is a lot easier to fly with a bend in the knees, but it won't perform as well. It all depends on what you're doing on the jump. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Not that type of southern (so cal and maybe Arizona). I need to get my BM-I, so I may head to Florida some time in the next few months. Though, my company is starting on layoffs. My position wil probably be around for awhile, but I'm going to start saving now for the worst case scenario later... which means less traveling. :( "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

It applies to all wingsuit. When you see people bending their legs, it is because they are compensating their flight in order to stay relative to others. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

It's a whole different story when you're using JumpTrack with the ProTrack. :) "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Thanks. My girlfriend and I were talking about that last night... an incredible feat was overlooked in the midst of tragedy. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Just a couple differences: The extra velcro behind the backpad is an excellent idea. I can always hear that rubbing around under canopy. I'll have to put some of that on. I think the placement of the stitch (top vs bottom vs both) is just a matter of preference, as the shrivel flap does its job and then stays in the same place on the bridle. I'm sure some studies might find some minute differences that could give favor to one direction or the other, but none should result in failure. Good work, man, as always. Though you need to change "convince" to "convenience". ;) "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

WOW! What are the chances? Even the stitches are almost exactly the same. I do pack my PC a little bit differently, but's the same principle... a very thin double fold. Good work! "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Just wanted to pay my respect here, as well, to one of the greatest wingsuit flyers of all time, and a man that was instrumental in my own flying. I miss you, man. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Hope this helps. http://www.deepart.org/files/base_pc_pouch_assembly.pdf Note that this is based on my own experience and is not authorized by BirdMan, Inc. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Your ProTrack will only chart 119 seconds of your freefall, but that doesn't mean it doesn't continue to record other information. To get a fairly accurate estimate of your total freefall time without having to rush out and buy a Neptune, use this formula: (e - d)/(f * 1.47) = s e = exit altitude d = deployment altitude f = fall rate in MPH (TAS only -- NOT SAS) s = seconds in freefall Even if you're off by seconds here and there, you can at least use this to gauge progress in your freefall time. (edited for a spelling error) "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I don't have a Cypres. I fought with it until about 2K when I decided it wasn't going to come out. I went back into a knees-down flight to slow my fall rate and forward speed and then pulled silver at 1,800. Nice soft terminal reserve deployment. :) "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I've been having wonderful results with my BASE PC pouch until yesterday. Mistake #1 was forgetting to tell my packer not to pack my PC. Mistake #2 was not repacking it. Mistake #3 was flying hard until I was exhausted (though I gave myself about 800 - 1000 feet to relax my arms). The result was a no pull. I attempted to pull it out with both hands, but it was so bunched up that it still took two hands to pull it on the ground. Lesson #1 is to pack your own PC if you choose to use the pouch. Lesson #2 is that the BASE PC pouch is not the same as a BOC pouch, and you cannot pack your PC the same way as you can with your BOC. The PC must be MUCH thinner and "bunching" of the PC is intolerable on the pouch (guide the PC in with a finger). And I really wanted to fly my main on that one. :( "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

That's for damn sure. As I get used to it and go bigger and bigger, I'm finding that I can consistently get 250'+ swoops in no wind. At a higher loading, you get a big, fat recovery arc that rivals anything that is highly elliptical. Tons of speed and distance. The openings keep getting better, too. I'm more impressed each time I jump it. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I don't know anyone who flew their S3 more slowly (vertically) than their previous suit on their first two or three jumps. However, I guarantee that within ten jumps you'll be in the mid-40s for at least a third of the dive. As you build endurance and strength and get more experience with it, you'll be hitting the low 40s, staying up for closer to three minutes, if not over, etc. It usually only takes three or four jumps to start keeping up with the suit to avoid the twitchiness. Congratulations. We must flock someday. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

1.7:1, as TALONSKY puts it, "depending on what I ate for breakfast". "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

After breaking my Sabre2 in a bit and "training it", I'm consistently getting very smooth, soft, and very on-heading openings. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

You are missed will be forever celebrated. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click