outrager

You are absolutely wrong. Gliders do not have thrust, there are only lift, drag and gravity. The drag is directed opposite to the flight direction, and the lift is directed perpendicular to the flight direction. Lift vector does not oppose gravity vector. Lift and gravity vectors added together oppose drag vector. In a tunnel there is no lift, only gravity and drag. A wing suit in a tunnel is the dumbest thing i have ever seen done to either a tunnel or to a wingsuit. bsbd! Yuri.

Exactly! How much slower is very empirical, depends on your canopy. bsbd! Yuri.

Why does the choice stop at 1700' ? 300' S/L from AN-2 (probably doesn't count since it's S/L?) Lots of 600..1000' jumps from various helicopters (probably doesn't count since i always took reasonably long delays? With BASE rigs, of course). bsbd! Yuri.

Dacron will affect the opening in 2 ways: First, your slider will come down the lines a bit slower, because Dacron is less slippery than Spectra. Second, Dacron will stretch and absorb a lot of opening shock, while Spectra will transfer most of the load directly to the jumper. What you refer to is the second. You will probably notice more of the first effect on normal openings and more of the second on hard ones (where slider didn't do its job properly). The second may be a real life-saver in case of a severe linedump etc. It is the reason all BASE canopies use Daron lines. bsbd! Yuri.

Only a lot of drag. Any lift and you penetrate the tunnel wall Aside from funny pictures, this is the most useless waste of tunel time. bsbd! Yuri.

I flew S3 for 2 years and my best flight was 2.4. This is a final number because i'm done with it. V1 i only had for 6 months and so far got better flights with an average L/D of 2.5. The usual pattern is a good glide for a minute or so, then you get tired and start to loose it. It is probably a bit over 2.5 for this minute, as it drops significantly in the end. I still learn on every dive and hope to add a bit of glide next season, thus the + at the end. Main limitation is currently my own body

It is somewhat similar, however i personally had to make a big adjustment in my flying style. I got the best glide out of S3 trying to go slow (and it did glide great, 2.4 on best BASE flights!). Same didn't work very well on V1 and i eventually gave up and sped it up, reaching 2.5+ glide. Physical input (muscle effort) in a maxed-out flight is the same or even a bit harder in V1. This will only increase as perfomance gets better, such are the rules of the game. However, at less-then-max (in a flock) it will take you less effort than, say, a pilot of a maxed-out Classic - because you will be flying in a relaxed body position. When it comes to glide, the only real competition coming so far may be GS1, or the Sugarglider version that Shaun and Julian are working on. It will probably fly a bit slower, which is a benefit for BASE anyway. bsbd! Yuri.

I chopped your second long post to this one line, as the rest was entirely off-topic. The question was super simple: "What is the fastest car?". There is an equally simple answer, with a particular model that has the highest top speed. Period. Discussing "the best car for you" is an entirely different subject. Regarding wingsuits, the fastest is V1, without any arguing. It also currently has the highest L/D (glide ratio). Given the same pilot skill, the fastest suit is the one with the highest L/D and the highest wing loading. You can probably make a suit that will have much smaller wings (i.e. higher wing loading) while still keeping L/D high, specifically for winning a horisontal speed race. However it won't be very convenient for anything else. Finally, so far it has been nearly impossible to measure with any precision either horizontal speeds or L/D on skydives, due to equally hard to measure winds that change direction and strength with altitude. However, it is super simple to measure everything almost absolutely perfect on most BASE flights, due to nearly zero winds required for most locations, direct line of flight and perfect exit/opening GPS marks. Thus BASE wingsuit flights, where pilots go all-out (and sometimes MUST fly or die) have been a true measure of wingsuits for the last 6 years. S3 ruled '03 and '04. V1 ruled '05. Let's see what will be "it" in '06

This statement is only 33% correct The speed is a combination of pilot's skill, pilot's weight and the suit. However the question was only about the fastest suit, and that is currently V1. bsbd! Yuri.

Yo ! Thanks for posting this! Especially since many people use the new trail and never pass by the tower. bsbd! Yuri.

Been doing that a lot just when i was too lazy to pull a cord from the pouch. It is quick and easy, if you aren't a complete dumbass. Maybe some pepper spray stimulation will help? Apply it to your crotch for better effect. On that note, maybe you can use your schlong as a pull-up cord? It should fit nicely through the grommets bsbd! Yuri.

So this is how some people train to fall straight down before visiting Norway... bsbd! Yuri.

Not likely, since my measurements are lower, not higher. Is it the one with 4 metal anchors by the edge? Same where Robi went from 2 years ago? We'll just have to check it again next year I still believe you fly better than you think bsbd! Yuri.

The Book says "DANS LES YEUX D’ISABELLE" exit on the North Wall was opened by Dominique Gleizes on 19 June 1990. The Mushroom exit was opened by Ueli Gegenschatz and Hannes Arch on 18 June 2000. Tom, do you have any specific info on any jumps "in between"? I have looked into this particular piece of history over the summer, and haven't heard of anybody doing the shroom before Ueli and Hannes. All French and Swiss jumpers i've asked agree with The Book. There is a huge, enormous piece of modern BASE history - hundreds of cliffs jumped all over Europe starting in the early '90th, that is almost entirely unknown to the outside world. There are also very good reasons it stayed that way. bsbd! Yuri. P.S. Edited to add: The Book exists since 1992.

Yo ! Hijackig this thread, but i heard a rumour of an emergency self-rescue McConkie done after a cliff strike in Oz this summer... any confirmation or details? bsbd! Yuri.

Absolutely! bsbd! Yuri.

I believe my numbers for that place (GPS data) are more precise... or e's too humble! We will double-check next year. Anyway 2.2-2.4 is within error and pilot mood margins - incredible either way you look at it, especially for such a long and tiring flight! bsbd! Yuri.

I hear that Uncle Charlie has flown it at 2.4! Even though he only claims 2.1... but i'm pretty sure he's wrong bsbd! Yuri.

1.7km distance, 1200m of altitude. bsbd! Yuri.

Without. bsbd! Yuri.

It feels like the cost of Euro trip has almost doubled since then, in US$ at least. A similar 2 months trip i did this summer run up about 8k. Switzerland is far from cheap but if you only stay in the Valley, buy a ticket pass and camp, it will be quite reasonable. bsbd! Yuri.

No, that is not the tallest. Current top tracks are in 5k range. bsbd! Yuri.

Yes, had typical halos at night for a few weeks. It pretty much disappeared by now, almost perfect already at 5 month mark. Definitely way better than using glasses, contacts etc at night. bsbd! Yuri.

Did LASIK in April. Made a tower jump 3 weeks later, no prob but had to keep my goggles on during the climb - too much wind in the face was uncomfortable. Started skydiving about a month after surgery, but couldn't take goggles off under canopy for a few more weeks. Had dry eyes for about 2..3 months, as expected (hint: can't smoke weed). Back to normal now, completely forgot about the surgery by mid-summer. Spent 2 months jumping in the mountains without any issues. Still can't believe how good it is! All in all, LASIK is the best thing i have ever done in my life. bsbd! Yuri.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!