KrisFlyZ

The deceleration - less than 1mph per second, according to data - was not noticeable at all, and it definitely felt like stable sustained flight that can last indefinitely given unlimited altitude and strength. I simply made more adjustments and stretching into the flight as the air was so amazingly quiet that I could feel any change much better. I bet if you were flying nearby, we could talk, so quiet it was. 30mph! (some points are even low 20's, but the average is 30) Those additional adjustments caused, I believe, the slow decrease in speed. I don't think 1mph/s deceleration can make 225lbs. brick fly at 30mph for 25 seconds by milking the kinetic energy into planeout. Are you saying that if there was a big haystack right at that point, you'd land the wingsuit? Practice that move, Brian, maybe someday you'll wonder, "why I wasn't doing it many years ago, it's so EASY!?" I'll definitely try all these experiments in a couple of weeks, for now I'll be jumping Blue Gay Shoes in zero L/D environment.

What is exit 0? It isn't on the basekjerag site. Kris.

Robi's word for shoes that do not allow the ankle to articulate was 'crap'. Ted's explanation is a reasonable one but at the same time the numbers he is comparing to the ones posted are apples and oranges. When we hear 2.5 in the BASE world, it is an average number from a standing start. The 2.9 posted by Yuri is not an lie or calculation error, it just has to be taken in context. His calculation of glide starts at a speed of 104 mph. As an example, in college I was running the 100m in 11.2-11.4 secs....a flying 100m (or the 100m timed by starting 10m behind the line and timing the last 100m ) was 10.4 secs. 10.4 secs may get a spot in the asian games 100m finals, 11.4 is good for nothing. If we extend this thinking, it is soon obvious why even with wind correction applied (this is as far as I know a very original thing Yuri came up with and deserves a pat on the back for...Well Done!!

Yo! Can someone post the rules of the competition? Specifically if the competitors jumped from an airplane or from a chopper. Kris.

Matt, A lot of 'performance' is derived from the exit. You are going 100 mph horizontally on exit from an airplane vs 0mph in a chopper. I have said before that a loooong first leg will get you long freefall times on jumps from airplanes. I don't think people getting 3:30 are necessarily exaggerating, it is just a different ball game. FYI, I never have done a 3:30 but there is a jump where the average is 38 mph...I have the neptune log on my home computer and can post it...what does it prove? nothing. Same goes for calculating glide from an airplane....unless an effort is made to dissipate a lot of the inertia from the exit, the glide numbers will be misleading. Even with all these corrections the numbers are apples and oranges if we are talking about a still air exit. The numbers should be used as a rough guide only for people that do not jump from fixed objects. Kris.

I looked at your GPS data. Why is the horizontal speed continuously reducing? In your log the speed falls from 104mph(sec 18) to 79mph(sec 41) and keeps falling until deployment. This is hardly a sustained form of flight. Attached are graph pictures from one of my phantom flights. Notice that the speed in the 23(15 secs after exit from the airplane) to 48 sec (this is when preparation for the turn back to the DZ starts) segment is smooth(there is no data smoothing algorithm applied). The variation in horizontal speed is about 5 mph in 26 sec vs 25 mph in 20 secs in your case. The overall glide from your jump is 1.91. This jump was from a balloon, what is the reason for considering a segment of the jump only? Kris.

Ahhhhhh........my whole point was if 4lbs would have much affect. Just try it....balancing on a pole perpendicular to the body is hard. While balancing in the air is easy. All I am saying is that flying in a wingsuit is closer to sleeping in a hammock than balancing on a pole. Also, we are not dealing with the entire body weight while wingsuiting If anything more weight would be needed to tip the balance while wingsuiting. The real point of the question is if the conclusion reached is accurate. Yes, 2.9 is an awesome Glide but take it in context. It is in a segment of a flight. What was the average glide for the whole flight? Since this is a balloon flight, average L/D (wind corrected) can be compared to BASE jumps. My bet is that the 2.5 GR flight thats people are getting will have a segment where the L/D is significantly higher. Just look at Han-solos tracking GPS log....1 average glide last 200-300m was 1.5 average glide. So 2.9 seems about right. Too many things changed on this flight to be able to say with certainity that it was the shoes and the balance. Kris.

Try balancing horizontally on a bar set perpendicular to your body, and then have someone put a 4 pound weight on your feet and see if it upsets your balance. But there is no bar while flying on air is there? Its more like an infinate number of tiny bars all over the surface area of the body. Kris.

That is interesting. I am not sure mere 4 lb shoes would make a difference in balance...for someone weighing 40-50 times heavier. Also that should surely depend on how the body weight is distributed. Kris. P.S: What do I need to do to get cute russian chicks?

everyone is silent because I won everything....even the world record for flocking . Hell, I didn't even have to go to Russia . Kris.

This is an interesting page . We can play with simple 2D wing design. Kris.

Hmmmm...Yea... If you enter the sport of BASE thinking you won’t get hurt...Then you need to stick to skydiving. Everyone is BASE gets hurt, and if you haven't...Its only a matter of time. Coco There is an assumption that such thinking implies not acknowledging the real dangers of BASE. This may not necessarily be true. If we get into the sport thinking we are going to get hurt anyway doesn't that permeate(sp and usage?) taking more risks because we are going to get hurt anyway? There are people that have not gotten hurt despite doing a lot of BASE jumps. To aspire to be one of them is not such a bad thing. Kris. Edited to insert the 'are'

The fee was included in the amount I specified to be transferred. Looks like the amount was routed thru two banks in the US and an extra fee got charged. Kris.

Cool...never thought of that. Kris.

No, I don't need gear from you . I purchased some gear from a manufacturer in the USA and paid with a wire transfer. Due to some screw up by the bank, an extra 20 USD was charged along the way. The manufacturer has shipped the gear and I want to get the money bit sorted without paying a 100 dollars in transfer fees for a 20 dollar transfer. I live in the U.K and can send you postal orders or deposit the money into your bank account. Please Help. Kris.

Left ankle tib(little crack) Fib(clean break) Skydiving. Don't want any more. Kris.

I forgot that today was wednesday . For some reason I thought it was Monday . Kris.

I started BASE because I want to fly. And Wingsuit BASE is the closest thing(for me anyway). As a kid I would tuck a one end of a towel around my shirt collar and pretend to be superman. I don't want to die, I don't even want a scratch. Kris.

Any more updates?? Kris.

Wrong picture? Too many wingsuits in that one. Kris.

To put it simply.... a) Create horizontal separation with tandems. b) Create Vertical separation with tandems. c) I don't enjoy flying alone looking forward...this will be explained in another thread. a and b are now very important because I am prefer not to look where I am going(when flying for max glide). Don't assume that I am flying blindly. I look forward several times during the journey back....and this takes away from flying for max glide so usally by 6K I give up and pull. The way I am flying my pattern and the pull altitude always puts me farther away from the DZ than the tandems. Here is another pattern that shows correction at the very end to create seperation. Kris.

Dear Prof, In addition to the new S series of suits, definately give the V series of suits a go. And the phantom.....my flights on the phantom are between 12K(exit) and pitch is between 6.3 and 5.7K, these last between 90 and 100 secs covering around 2.3-2.5 miles. That is 50 mph(typical) to high 40's fall rate and it includes a high speed turn(12 secs )...see picture. My focus is on maximizing glide not time. You would have to work to get down to a flock with people wearing similar suits...you fly far too efficiently . Kris.

Flying by feel is all good but the brain is a far less reliable instrument than a GPS. IMO overall performance on the jump is useless to gauge progress as far as glide is concerned unless flying in a straight line but YMMV. Kris.

Now get ready to be wowed by the performance. I will not post glide numbers from skydives but let's just say WOW!!

Is that want I think it is? Kris.