Zoter

Good job on establishing the event...

Head over to Nethers.....loads of people have Phantoms there and Liz has a couple of demo suits as well I believe. I have one (gathering dust in my gear bag since I have my SM1)...welcome to boz it for a few jumps if we are around at the same DZ.

And you came to that damning conclusion after '2' demo jumps..? outstanding ! The cutaway system is perfectly reliable on my SM1 ( a few more than 2 jumps ) YOU are responsible for checking the velcro mate is good before each jump...if it is mated correctly and the velcro is in even half good condition its very secure ( even too secure...I had a zipper malfunction and had to pump a few times to release it) It requires more maintenance than a system that has no velcro...because it DOES have velcro..but its hardly a huge maintenance issue unless you use your emergency cutaway system alot ( and you dont need to use it in anything but an emergency) Nowt wrong with it.

My best average (whole dive) is 42mph More consistantly its in the 50's and if I'm not trying to go slow in the region of 60-80's depending on what I am doing. I'm 230lbs and 6'2

Incredible skill and balls of steel...amazing Cant help cringing and tensing my stomach muscles watching this type of flying though.....just looks so scary

I have some bullet cam footage facing backwards from my head...I'll try and get it uploaded when I get some time

Nice suit....fit looks ace. I'm glad....It wont be just me to get all the 'look at that freaky big wingsuit' looks on the Nethers flightline when I walk out in my Super Mach 1

I asked Tony to put a BASE pouch on my SM1...which he did. But dont use it...despite the size of the wing a BOC pull really isnt that hard...I'll go as far to say its 'as' easy if not easier than I experienced on my Phantom. The good pressurisation of the wings means the wings need to be closed a fraction slower ( to squeeze the air out....but the suit has (for me) been quite stable during the deployment process...and to date I have not had a problem reaching my pud first time, everytime....no problem at all. If you are a 'panic' puller....or do it 'too' quickly...perhaps..maybe you will have some issues...if you relax...then in my experience ..no problems. is it me or does it seem that every SM1 user have the same raves about the suit.....and those with all the negative shite being those who have not flown one yet..??? Is it the fastest suit out there..? Might be ..but probably not Is it the suit with the best glide..? Might be with the right pilot Is it the best flocking suit..? Maybe...depends on what you wnat in your flocks Is it a good allround suit...? Hands down ..yes Its just a great suit...its tiring, but fun to fly... I reckon if you have summin' bad to say about the suit....at least fly it a few times before expressing that opinion... I feel kinda smug listening to negative comments of those who have not flown it......because I'm having a blast flying mine.....feels like us SM1 users are ahead of the curve...the truth will out eventually

I found I was flying my Super M1 like my Phantom...(really rolling shoulders) For me I had a noticable increase in performance by straightening my arms a little and gripping the grippers with 2 fingers...not my hand... whilst trying to 'pull' the wing out a little... Fighting the suit doesnt work.....its too big....flying the wing relaxed but with tension seems to work for me... That sweet spot is ooh so sweet when you fly into it...very noticeable...the suit just takes off !!

Ditto...(in fact 1 week from order to international receipt) although I'd say that kinda service is exceptional and shouldnt really be considered as at all reasonably achievable by all manufacturers. .I thought the Birdman delivery schedules had been tightned up..? I remember reading on the website ages ago the reasons why it was so bad and that the issues had been resolved...? Delivery time makes a huge difference to me in a purchase of skydive equipment...... I just dont buy the 'its worth waiting for ' line as an excuse for excessively long delivery times.

I did.... When I modded the design by replacing the foam in the arm wing leading edge...it was too big and experienced some flapping at the attachment point of the arm wing to the leg. Replaced it with a narrower diameter of foam....more like what the suit was shipped with... No problem..no flapping.. I dont do much acro but so far have been nothing but super impressed with just how easily , reliably and consistantly the monster wings on the SM1 inflate and stay inflated... ( as an aside...I can actually feel feel the arm wing pressure pushing back on my fingers with a deal of force.....). .'dem Tony Suit wings are super inflated

I'm going to jump in here behind Tony.....maybe he doesnt have th GPS data to prove it.....but go try one and see for yourself. I have one of his suits and have very limited time/experience on it...but even now the forward speed of it is just simply immense....its huge. The presuurisation of the wings is huge too....yesterday I could feel pressure in the outermost arm rib pushing back with some force on my fingers which were on the arm wing gripper If either of these attributes make it to the next design for a BASE suit.....we have two very desirable characteristics right there. Personally I kinda like the idea of someone continually enhancing suit design based on feedback and performance characteristics....its positive. KrisFlyz...why not speak to Tony about what it is you want in 'your' suit.....he's quite flexible and willing to help. He might even be able to addd a couple of snaps on the front on the suit to attach to your rig so you dont have to bother whith a chest strap.

Wings look a bit.......small... (compared to my Mach1 ) I'm kidding.....looks a real nice suit...

There is a more detailed review ...here (scroll down a bit) http://www.wingin-it.co.uk/index.php?a=1&b=8&c=0

Thats what I'm saying....the USPA /BPA ...whatever introducing guidelines/min standards for wingsuiting competency and instruction outside of ( but encorporating the existing hard work done by) the manufacturers makes the standards more likely to be consistant and impartial. I'm not saying anything about anything but have seen and read about individuals with what I would consider questionable experience being endorsed as an instructor by a manufacturer...in an area with 'limited' wingsuit instructor coverage.....read into that what you will....to me its wrong.

I agree to an extent with JDam here... I have seen a few people who seem to have put 'getting' a WS Instructor rating ahead of actually getting out there and being a good WS teacher...( teaching ability/WS skills/WS experience)...and I'm puzzled by it.. Why 'get' a rating if you have little desire to be out there every weekend...teaching ?? I have come across a few people with an Instructors rating who are OK WS pilots...but frankly are found wanting as WS teachers/Instructors compared to those who know what they are doing... 'Big fish' in a little pond syndrome.... I was lucky enough to receive my first wingsuit instruction from Jdam b4 he was offcially a BMI......I chose this route ahead of 'formal' Instruction over here with the local PFI/BMI because his ability /skills and enthusiasm to teach were already well apparant to me...and in my opinion seemed ahead of the game of those Instructors at the DZ's I went to. Rather than 'get' an Instructor rating ( is it still a system where you pay to do the course ) I think a couple of Chief Instructors should be just awarding that to individuals who are demonstrating their ability and ALSO desire to teach others how to fly... PFI/BMI etc etc...shouldnt be just a badge...its a 'working' title... A more generic WS Instructors rating is a great idea...over here in the UK we have all sorts of 'stickers' for different disciplines except WS.....but I reckon thats coming...and along with it hopefully some sort of common rules(ability,currency,teaching ability) for the Instructors beyond just ...you have a manufacturers rating....you must be a good WS' teacher. I think the top two manufacturers being the proactive people they are will support this fully.

Oh yeah....I'm a believer

I managed to get 3 flights on my 'new' Mach1 yesterday so thought I'd post my first impressions. Rigging is a cinch....it takes less than a minute to get the suit rigged on your rig. Gearing up is also alot simpler than I have had with other suits....it can be worn on the arms and simply stepped into...and zipped up before getting on the aircraft...limited waddling !! I had very stable exits...no dramas....and got alot of lift right out of the door ( as soon as wings were spread). I found the suit pressurised super quick and only noticed/heard a bit of a tail flap on the third flight where I expect I was getting tired and not flying witha wide stance....even with bent knees the wing stayed fully pressurised. In a straight line the suit felt very stable...no problems at all. In turns I experienced some 'twitchiness' that needed to be controlled....it did get easier the more time I had in the air. This suit ( despite the claims from non users) is not just a 'floaty' suit....I freakin nearly shat my pants with the forward speeds I was getting....I only did one flight with another guy in an S3 and simply couldnt slow myself down enough without pretty much shutting down the wings... Each flight I got out farther and farther from the DZ and had absolutely no problems getting back at all...it was a high upper wind day yesterday...but even so...the forward speed felt...very quick Difficult to say with only 1 flight with another for reference but I also felt the suit had alot of 'pop'/float before it stalled ...using the wing grippers felt intuitive and there was alot of feedback from the arm wing as to what it was doing, when the arm wing angle was changed using the grippers. Very easy to fly 'dirty'...ie when it got too tiring to fly hard....the suit almost flys itself when you just relax your arms and bend your legs a bit for a rest. First flight with alot of practice pulls av fall rate was 75mph....second jump 46mph...third jump 54mph (I was getting tired) Deployment...much easier than I was expecting ( I was using the BOC)... for sure the wing was there ....but it wasnt hard to reach over/around it for the pull.....no problems at all..... new to me was squeezing the air out of the arm and leg wings....it does add a fraction of time to the pull sequence if you shut the wings down before deployment. Getting out of the suit after deployment was a little fiddly, but something practice will improve I'm sure... Bad bits ?? I had a zipper mal on the second jump...it stuck and I just couldnt budge it....the velcro wing cutaway took more force to do than it did on the ground with a practice...I'm pretty sure the zip caught because I mated the velcro cutaway strip too close to the zipper line...take care on yours. But...the velcro release system works... One of the foam wing leading edge inserts fellout after I had unzipped the wing after deployment....I took the other one out to maintain symmetry for the next flight with no apparant looss of performance/handling.....very simple to replace sbut I will 'sew ' it in place so it stays where it should. Not surprisingly with the amount of wing this is physically , a demanding suit to fly 'hard' for any length of time....my arms /chest/back = very tired today. I have not jumped a suit for a couple of weeks so I dont think that helped....I'm sure currency on it will make it much easier to fly harder for longer Summary.... It does what it says on the tin...to me it seems a very fast suit, lots of forward speed and vertical speed range. Stable straight, but a little twitchy in the turns ( that may well be my inexperience with big wings) I'm looking forward to spending a few more jumps getting myself used to the suit before taking it into the flock. Great suit...very impressed Tony (even if its hurting to type with these sore arms !!)

Unless its a Tonysuit Wingsuit and then there is hardly time to think too much about the wait

Likewise...if I can scrape some funds together, I'll definatley be coming over...

Bit of both....It is an option but I dont think Tony has been putting them on the Mach 1's that wqas the impression I got...but deffo has on other suits..eg Apache. I asked for one but TBH I think I'm going to be comfortable with the BOC ...we will see I dont have any plans to use this suit in the future for WS BASE when /if I develop the necessary skills....I'm keeping hold of my Phantom for that

Less than one week from order in the States....to on my back in the UK. Nice one Tony

He moved to the clean air to get out of 'da hood.....and now this cracka's doing 'flyby's' on him....

Nice vid....but the locals aint happy

I just ordered one today. Have to say I'm absolutely blown away with the customer service and comms with Tony....absolutely amazing dedication and service. Cant wait to get it/fly it