Unpowered human flight (video)

[XtrmeJ]

Totally Awesome. Gonna have to look into that hehe.

[rpm]

Originally posted by Airhead
Landing wingsuits without a canopy? Who are you trying to kid?? Didn't you see that Road Runner episode where the Coyote had one of those wingsuits- PLUS rockets strapped to his feet- and he still crashed and burned?

It is obvious drugs are legal in your country.  

[DiabloTX]

Wings like that have been in skydiving for a long time.  They just have taken it to another level.  They are used primarily for controlling descent speed and for better "tracking".  No, they don't create lift, look at the skydiver's smoke as he's falling.  He's no more "flying" than any other jumper is.  

DiablotTX, #4 of the Los Fabuloso Flying Wagner Brothers, combined total of over 15,000 jumps (I only have 6).

 

[StSanta]

Cool, lots responses. Sorry if I left anyone out in my response

CyranoAH, you live near Empuriabrava and you don't skydive[i/]?! Sure it's a bit pricey there, but from what I hear that place is really nice. Get started dude. I'll even, umm, pack yer canopy for ya a couple of times [think soft snivelling openings that tend to search for heading a bit ]. Or slammer openings - the dump-SLAM-*woosh*-effect, with the woosh bit being the air inadvertently leaving your lungs. Packed me one of those last week (remember to properly quarter the slider boys and girls )

Midnight TA, we've loosely begun talking about a X-mas trip to the US - much will depend on available funds though. Depends on whether my boss will start paying me the going price for a software developer or not, heh.

Glasses - no one likes a smart arse ;D

Yucca it may ot be flying, but it sure is falling with style, heh.

Sandman, that sentiment covers how I currently feel about BASE jumping. There are a few at my club and hanging around them puts strange thoughts in one's mind. Still have major reservations about it, but I'm getting some odd urges in that direction.

Airhead one dude actually landed his. And femured badly. Broke a lot of other bones too. But made it. The trick is being able to land it, then jump again the same day. Sounds crazy to me, but 15 years ago people who jumped canopies like the one I jump today were considered radical and risk takers, so who knows?

Pei if it was potatos i wanted in exchange for my sister, I'd sell her when we are in Russia. You'll have to come up with a sweeter deal, no matter how purty SOBs lips are.

Gunslinger Nope, that's another chick. Sis can be seen 6:25 into the video for a few seconds.

DiabloTX, wingsuits can and do generate lifts. Check out this link:

http://www.flyinggnu.dk/?page=5&mode=sendvideo&id=18

Exits from an AN-28 about 220km/h. At this speed, the wings deliver enough lift to allow the flier to gain altitude. Pretty nifty I think.

You a jumper? If so, we gotta do some zoo dives some day

[DiabloTX]

This is a reply from one of my bros (5,800 jumps)-

There should be no debate at all. Wingsuits generate lift just like any glider wing does. They will never generate enough lift to make you go up, but under the simple definition of lift they certainly qualify.

So, yeah, it does create lift but I wouldn't say it flew.  



PS - Like I said, I USED to jump but quit after six.  The brothers (all three of them) have a combined total of over 20,000 jumps.  My oldest bro has accumulated over 170 hours free-fall time on over 11,000 jumps.

[StSanta]

Heheh, your brothers are "pretty well known" in the skydiving world. And Omniskore rocks.

Uhm, not that I'd know that. I am a freeflier and knows not of the belly flying things. I...eeeh, overheard...someone say it was good.

Yeah.

I am not gonna debate wingsuit flying with your bro, who for sure knows it better than me. His reply is a bit open though - under "normal flying circumstances", i.e the speeds at which it "naturally flies", it doesn't generate enough lift to fly, but just after an exit from a fast jumprun, it seems to give the flier a boost of altitude. Ask 'im if I'm mistaken or not, will ya?

[Octavius]

Santa thanks for posting that!  The vid is ****ing incredible.  Four minutes into it was my fav - yellow suit chased through the clouds.  

This is seriously something I can see myself getting into.  How big of a 'money pit' is this?  Suits, gear, training - probably a few thousand (US) to get started right?

[DiabloTX]

Originally posted by StSanta
Heheh, your brothers are "pretty well known" in the skydiving world. And Omniskore rocks.

Uhm, not that I'd know that. I am a freeflier and knows not of the belly flying things. I...eeeh, overheard...someone say it was good.

Yeah.

I am not gonna debate wingsuit flying with your bro, who for sure knows it better than me. His reply is a bit open though - under "normal flying circumstances", i.e the speeds at which it "naturally flies", it doesn't generate enough lift to fly, but just after an exit from a fast jumprun, it seems to give the flier a boost of altitude. Ask 'im if I'm mistaken or not, will ya?

Yep, that's them.  Good detective work.

I will ask for you.  

[StSanta]

Originally posted by Octavius
Santa thanks for posting that!  The vid is ****ing incredible.  Four minutes into it was my fav - yellow suit chased through the clouds.  

This is seriously something I can see myself getting into.  How big of a 'money pit' is this?  Suits, gear, training - probably a few thousand (US) to get started right?

Well, it's not expensive, but it costs a lot of money .

Training is cheaper in Denmark than in the US, because we have clubs where instructors do everything voluntary - not getting paid at all. That means our club's economy is very healthy (should our Cessna suffer a total breakdown, we have enough cash to buy a new one), but in the US it's different.

You need a FJC (First Jump Course), which is about $250 here. The Accelerated Free Fall course is very pricey in the US, on average about $200-250 per level (there are 10 levels). Here, we pay 3*jump price, which is about $55.

After that, you need a boatload of jumps. Only 18 in the US to get your "A" certificate. To start with Birdman flying you need at least 200 jumps in the last 18 months - if you fly with an instructor. Without an instructor, Birdman company recommends 500 jumps.

Jumps are priced around $17-20 for 13 000 feet in the US. About same as here, and twice as expensive as in Russia.

You'll need gear. A decent beginner's rig will set ya back between $2000 and $3500 - that's with main, rig, reserve and CYPRES. Good helmet is $200, a Birdman suit around $1000,a Pro-Track Dytter/jump recorder is $300. Freefly- or RW suit is about $200 to $300.

I know this might sound like a lot, but over a year or two it isn't that bad. And once you start skydiving, you stop thinking in dollars and start thinking in jumps. And somehow you'll manage to find the money, because everything else is secondary.

And once you have the gear, you only pay for jumps, which isn't that bad. Due to a horrible winter, I only did about 150 jumps last year, and that's only around $2600, or 7 bucks a day.

7 bucks a day ain't that much, really. And as far as gear goes, it's possible to borrow and rent, which is what I did in the beginning. And of course, you can set the pace according to your economy. Or you can, until you get around 25 jumps. Then your jumping habits will easily overtake your ability to produce money

[DiabloTX]

Here is Tim's response StSanta-

He is not mistaken, but it should be observed that at the moment of exit the relative wind is horizontal and a momentary gain of altitude is normal. Heck, doing Golden Knight "diamond track" exits from the Fokker, we'd gain a couple of feet WITHOUT wing suits.

Hope that answers it for you.

[StSanta]

Thanks DiabloTX, and send my thanks and regards to your brother as well