ManBird

"‘I flew into my own shadow, which the morning sun exposed on a cloud together with a rainbow. I don’t think anyone has experienced that before.’ ...should read... ‘I flew into my own shadow, which the morning sun exposed on a cloud together with a rainbow. I don’t think there is anyone else in the world but me.’ If he didn't open his canopy over the dirt (and he didn't), then I don't think that qualifies. The fact that he used that Skyray ripoff doesn't help, either. I still stand by the belief that jumping with a carbon fibre wing doesn't qualify as bodyflight. I love how on that video, the narrator says, "unassisted flight" while you are watching his clearly assisted flight. Nothing against the Skyray, though. I think the thing is awesome and there are great people behind it. It's just that I'd classify a jump with it as a glider flight, not a freefall. But then again, I guess skysurfing, with a rigid thingie, is still considered freefall." "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Never looked at it like that. My definition has always been more in regards to the ability to shape the wing with body position and movement, as opposed to body to wing ratio of effect on the flight. Does the cat's wing get 60% of the lift from the body? I'd believe that figure would be a bit offset by the size of the wing. Don't get me wrong, the Skyray is a very, very cool device that I'd love to put on and would buy if I had the extra cash (that's not a criticism on the price (which I believe is justified and fair)). I realize how completely different the Skyray and wingsuits are, and that the forward speed and fall rate are much faster on the Skyray. It's the same reason that even though I have the S3, I also want to get a Classic, and I still fly my GTi... they are all very different experiences. True airspeed, with a wingsuit, I think we're getting up to 2.4:1, but are getting as high as 4:1 with the right tailwind, and would probably go above that with the uppers at much higher altitudes. What type of glide ratio were Christoph Aarns, Patrick Barton, and other accomplished Skyray flyers getting on the prototype... or even the regular Skyray, based on both true and indicated airspeeds? I'd think this stunt was cool if anyone else in the world did it. Especially Don Johnson. He'd go Miami Vice on that shit, yo. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Did he open his canopy over land? "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

NSFW girl-on-girl, eh? Let's see what I can do. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

He'd get a better glide ratio out of a wingsuit, and most likely won't make it. The Skyray needs some serious tailwind to catch up to the glide ratio of a well-flown S3 with no wind. Throw a hefty tailwind behind the S3, and you'll have no problem reaching the ~3.4:1 glide ratio needed to make the trip. This isn't human body flight (the shape of the wing is not formed by body position), and is therefore assisted. A carbon fibre wing on his back would definitely be classified as a glider, making it one of the lowest performance (in terms of glide ratio) glider flights. Felix puts the glory before the experience. He does this for the wrong reasons. I'm sure he's having fun and getting some skill along the way, but it's pretty obvious that he doesn't have the intrinisic desire to cherish and experience what he does for the sake of what he does. Note that journalists aren't knocking on his door, he's contacting them. It's like the guy can't take a breath unless he can find someone to stroke his ego for doing so. My bet is that even if he gets a screaming tailwind, he won't get a better glide ratio than 3:1 and will either open way high (and still claim that he made it, if he makes it) or will have to rely on rescue to pick his ass up. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I guess if you swing out hard enough to get slack in your lines, that'd be a bad thing. I usually fly hard, dive a bit, deploy, and then get small/collapse everything and bring my knees way forwards into sort of a "cannonball" position. I gives a good airflow through the deployment and then starts to burn off some forward speed through opening. I get swung forwards, but never too severely and nothing gets "whipped". When he says tiny skydiving canopies, I wonder how tiny he means? Did my Sabre 120 qualify, or was that a reference to ellipticals? Line twists on my Sabre 120 were VERY seldom... pretty much non-existent after getting a modded rig (maybe 1 or 2 over ~200 WS jumps on my Wings, as opposed to maybe 10 out of ~50 WS jumps on my Racer). I might have to change things up a wee bit for my Sabre2 107... which I really, really can't wait for. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

In looking to see if he went for it or not, I keep coming across articles that say that his Jesus statue jump (~100 feet) is the lowest BASE jump ever recorded. I'm pretty dang sure this is wrong, being that I've seen video of sub-100 ft BASE jumps on a few occassions. Plus, even though the statue is 100' tall, I don't think that he landed 100' below it. The statue is up on a hill. I believe he jumped from the statue and then landed much further down the hill. It also kind of gives BASE a bad name to go and hop off something like that illegally and then make a point of publicizing it. Though, I must admit, getting up to the statue via grappling hook would be pretty damn fun. Hmmm... it's no surprise that his site goes fullscreen... "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I just wanted to clarify that "throw out your knees to burn off forward speed" should not be interpreted as "flaring", and is not what you want to do when you dump. I meant more of a "collapse the wings and get small" type of thing than a flare thing. If you flare, you kill a lot of air behind you, and have a higher chance of hesitation or PC in tow. I personally prefer to dive a little bit, maybe pitch my body about 20° down, and get a lot of air going over my back. I jacked up that last one by flying too flat. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Reserve ride was my last option, as well. That's why I began my emergency procedures at about 1,700 feet. I worked to get that PC working right. I have it on video, and I'm definitely working to fix it (flying on my side with wings collapsed for a couple seconds at a time). I left my charger/AC adapter at the DZ, but will get something laid down when I go pick them up. There's some fun footage from that jump that shows just how close you can fly above someone without being in their burble. Though, I did manage to nail some of diveout's dead-air after awhile. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Sheesh... semantics. Tracking without a wingsuit is referred to as human body flight. I still say freefall records would apply. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Mine are on the way and, fortunately, are black and red. Congrats on the pants. They kick ass. I forget, Do you have a freefly jacket? Definitely recommended to balance out a track... unless tracking isn't what you're using them for. And my main was stolen. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Wingsuit flying is still considered human body flight, because you shape the wing with your body. The Skyray is a rigid wing that cannot be shaped by movement. Would still love to try one, though. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

When your heel partially eclipses your view of the pilot chute, there's something wrong. ;) As mentioned earlier, I think deploying while maxed was one part, but a major part, of three problems that summed up to a malfunction: 1: Flying too flat on deployment 2: Packing a little too "big", thus putting pressure on the pin 3: A weak throw This is combination that caused me to chop (and cost me my main). Renter's insurance is looking good so far. I'll be compensated if they decide that my gear was not an aircraft, aircraft part, or aircraft accessory, which I really hope they don't decide. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I have a 108" bridle with a 28" ZP PC and open corners on the container. I'm thinking of putting on a BASE deployment system for the S3. Like a 144" bridle and a wide mesh 38" PC with no hackey, as well as the BASE PC pocket. Either that or the 144" bridle with a 34" kill line collapsible PC. Rather than hopping between wingsuit and non-wingsuit dives frequently, it's usually more that I'm either flying the wingsuit, or it's winter, and I'm doing hop and pops. I think I switch between the two infrequently enough to no mind have two PC setups. Being that I have no pilot chute, bridle, or even a main, now's probably a good time to address this. I wonder if Wings could figure out how to put one of those seriously kick-ass stowless d-bags that Javelin has now. I envy those who use them. They're perfect for wingsuits, too. Hell, they're perfect for any type of skydiving. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

True, true. He's just managed to bug me is all. Though, I think his dream is more about the glory than the experience. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Just a reminder to not fly maxed out and deploy at the same time. That's pretty much what caused my PC in tow that I couldn't clear on Saturday (wherein my main was subsequently stolen). Either dive a bit to get a lot of air over your back or throw out your knees to burn off forward speed. Two other factors contributed to the malfunction. One was were a tight pack job... it wasn't so tight that it was just too hard to get out, but it was tight enough to need a "normal" amount of force. The other was a weak throw. I was flying pretty hard right at the end, and when I went to pitch, my thumb got so stiff from holding the grippers that I couldn't bend it! I got the PC between my fingers just under the handle and pitched that way, but couldn't get a good throw out of it. Moral of the story: Don't have spazz thumbs. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Kevin Love tore it up for the whole meet. Very consistent on his Xaos 27. He'd never swooped a pond before coming to Skydive Oregon, and he did it very, very well. The quality of landings throughout the meet was absolutely top notch. It was also really cool to see JJ (Jeff Johnson) compete in the PST under a Stiletto 107. He was the only one without a cross-braced canopy, and probably had the lightest wingloading. He was, I think in the last ten on all events, but was never dead last. He's my new hero. He also packed the reserve I rode on Saturday, so I guess I could say, "Last night a JJ saved my life". Well... I could on Sunday. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I'd rather it be stolen by a whuffo than a skydiver. I'd rather not have to be too concerned about what's on the ground when I'm in the air. This sort of theft isn't too uncommon, unfortunately. Check out the stolen gear database and look at main canopies. Several of them were swiped after a cutaway. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Soon. There's a film coming out titled, "Flying With Falcons" that documents Andy Montreau (sp?) and Leo Dickinson's flights with these birds from various flying and fixed objects. I can't wait. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

The images are good enough at http://www.bird-man.com/?n=piece&a=category&v=photo "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

In terms of indicated airspeed (which is what matters here), a 3.4:1 glide ratio is achievable with a SCREAMING tailwind in a wingsuit, but probably not the Skyray (which he is using). In my Skyflyer 3, if I'm going for the best glide ratio, my airspeed is about 90 - 94 MPH, and fall rate is around 44 MPH. On days where the uppers around 45 - 65, I can fly with the wind and get up to a 4:1 glide ratio. My glide ratio based on true airspeed goes up to 2.3:1, but is definitely much higher, and I cover WAY more ground, when there's a strong tailwind. So it's not impossible. I just hope that he doesn't make, and that someone else does. The last thing he needs is further ego inflation. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

No, the Skyray is his wing, not himself. Cool as the Skyray is, it is not human body flight. I'm pretty sure he'd be able to get a better glide ratio from a wingsuit, and then would actually be able to make the human body flight claim. I'd still call the Skyray an "assisted" flight... it's a composite wing that cannot be formed by body movement. A couple quotes from him: "I'm my own plane. I'll be using no engine, just perfect aerodynamics and my skills," he told the Daily Telegraph. "I want to be known as the God of the Skies." If he really has to rely on his skills, then I wish him a great deal of luck. Felix Baumgartner is one of the most arrogant, self-absorbed bastards in the sport. There are so many jumpers out there doing FAR more than him, yet he always sees himself as the best. He gets out there and does some stuff, but doesn't do it all that well. He caters to the whuffo and disregards his piers. He's also once said if and when he goes in, he wants a museum of his "accomplishments" to be built. I will say this though, if he does cross the English channel, this will indeed open quite a bit up in terms of human flight. Because if he can do it, anyone can. Even if his skills are going up, his ego is definitely not going down. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

I've notified all the DZs in the area, called the police, posted to the stolen gear database, called the insurance company, and ate some noodles... not necessarily in that order. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

All too true. I went through this same thing, but survived because my parents came home and found me soon after my attempt (pills). At the time, I wasn't even thinking about it. There wasn't any event. There was no reason I could identify. I just stood in the kitchen, nothing going through my mind, and went for it. It builds and then consumes you. You can be the greatest person around without any real problems, but things like boredom, poverty, guilt, etc, negative emotions that lead to depression, that don't get addressed get bigger and bigger until they take you over. Rob will be very, very missed for quite some time. We've lost a hell of a guy. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click

Long story, but the Harleys definitely don't have it. The old man, Ron Harley, holds a grudge against his neighbors, and that's about it. Outside that, they're a pretty good lot. "¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯" Click