Proximity wingsuit flying

[thulfi]

It is my new aim in life to save enough money to complete enough parachute jumps, go to California and start to learn proximity wingsuit flying.

For those who've never seen it/don't know about it, you jump off a plane/mountain wearing a suit designed with wings to help you glide, and control your glide at very high speeds. You can get as close to things as you dare.

Then, you open your chute at the right time and land. I first saw this on Channel4's new programme Dardevils (still on 4od I think [also check out the human spider - guy who climbs skyscrapers with no harness at all]) and been looking into it ever since.

Here's a clip thought I'd share

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Looks insane, and darned dangerous. If you watch the channel4 programme, you'll watch about a guy who wingsuited over a bridge, except misjudged it and splattered/died all over one of the bridges main bars. Must be a rush and a half though.

[Smudge]

Be better with a couple of jets so you could fly straight up!

[robbie09]

whats with the surprise butt sechs between the yellow and red ranger ? !

Smudge a guy who called himself jetman i think has already made a wing with two model jet engines that allow him to fly level for a while :) Problem with all of that is carrying enough fuel to supply enough thrust to supply enough speed to supply enough lift!

Sky diving in general i think would give you the rush your looking for!! I really want to give it a go !!

[DarrenSV650S]

That looks so amazing. Can't imagine how that must feel to fly over landscapes like that. I'd love to try that

[thulfi]

Problem with all of that is carrying enough fuel to supply enough thrust to supply enough speed to supply enough lift!

Exactly. 'Gliding' at 170mph is still flying at an insane speed. If you can design an item to make the most use of gravity, why use fuel and a jet pack?

[Smudge]

I started with static line in Aldershot then moved on to freefall up at Topcliffe near Thirsk it was awesome I also did a HALO high alt jump in Bavaria.
I'm too fat nowadays especially for a wing suit.

[Drumming_Animal]

looks brilliant, one of the things i want to do before i die is skydive, noit sure i would have the ******** to just jump off a mountain, but i would definatly jump out a plane, especially like a c-130 where you could take a run up haha if youre doing it solo of course

[beabert]

edit

[robbie09]

Exactly. 'Gliding' at 170mph is still flying at an insane speed.

'It isn't flying! It's falliinggg with style!' ;) :smt082

[Owenski]

I've seen the docu about the guy hitting the bridge, they're all bloody crackers falling within feet of obsticales doing something which has no safety margin, if it goes pete tong you're brown bread.

The guy who hit the bridge disintergrated, splattering the guy who was following him as he flew through a cloud of bloody and body parts... yup, they're mums must be sooooooo proud.

[speedplay]

Better vid for you...;)


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNqx8XZIWnI


We have been talking about this over the last few months, looks a blast :)

[andreis]

That is insane indeed!!! As Owenski put it, no bloody margin at all!

Now don't get me wrong, I'd love to do it. I've done a little bit of bungee and love the rush. I'd do sky diving and such too. Hang gliding is my dream... But all of these have some reasonable safety margins... This is a bit out of my league of risk taking...

Speaking of which, have you considered hang gliding? Far safer, the speeds are lower and you get the same feeling of gliding over the landscape. Plus, you can have lift, a parachute and the ability to land & take off without a plane... Here, have a looksy :

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[andreis]

On second thought, maybe I'm just being too judgemental about it.. As most sports, you can probably make it as safe or as dangerous as you think, which depends on you.. But it's just that these guys show an instance where they expose themselves to a large risk..

I guess that instantly attributing flying over landscapes to this sport is a mistake. But clearly, flying over such terrain is not a good idea in this sport, as the lift your equipment is able to offer you is rather low.. But than again, I'm not actually trained so I don't really know the risks...

It's just that hang gliding seems to offer better possibilities for safe gliding over the terrain...

[speedplay]

On second thought, maybe I'm just being too judgemental about it.. As most sports, you can probably make it as safe or as dangerous as you think, which depends on you..


No, your right.

It is bloody dangerous.

Chucking yourself off cliffs and flying as close as you can to them at about 120 mph in not much more than a lightweight wing suit and a helmet.


Sounds a right blast though :)

[andreis]

No, your right.

It is bloody dangerous.

Chucking yourself off cliffs and flying as close as you can to them at about 120 mph in not much more than a lightweight wing suit and a helmet.


Sounds a right blast though :)

Yeah, but it could be jumping of a plane, getting not too close to a cliff...

But yeah, sounds like quite the blast. My blood goes up just seeing the videos :D

[keith_d]

Hmm, maybe slightly safer than regular base jumping because you're less likely to get blown into the landscape by a gust of wind. But you've got to be 100% confident in your chute because there's zero margin if anything goes wrong.

Think I'll stick to biking and diving.

Keith.

[speedplay]

My blood goes up just seeing the videos :D


Dont forget that those vids a re slowed down too....

For more wingsuit fun check out jeb corliss on youtube.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyIkqG5NexA&feature=fvsr (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzQ7pdTfp2g)

[yorkie_chris]

I've seen the docu about the guy hitting the bridge, they're all bloody crackers falling within feet of obsticales doing something which has no safety margin, if it goes pete tong you're brown bread.

Oh yeah 120mph barely feet away from obstacles, it's proper bonkers. you'd never catch me doing that...


I'll buy the first one who gets a knee down doing it a pint :smt082

[speedplay]

Oh yeah 120mph barely feet away from obstacles, it's proper bonkers. you'd never catch me doing that...


I'll buy the first one who gets a knee down doing it a pint :smt082


Looks like you owe jeb a pint then ;)

[DaveyF]

Skydiving, tandem admittedly, is one of the best, if not the best thing I've ever done. I was scared all the way up until about 10,000 feet. Strangely calm for the next 2,000 until the door opened...

Leaving the plane was insane, straight down head first then a flip and I had no idea what was going on. I think I laughed and swore all the way down. Can't wait to do it again.

[Stonesie]

whats with the surprise butt sechs between the yellow and red ranger ? !

Smudge a guy who called himself jetman i think has already made a wing with two model jet engines that allow him to fly level for a while :) Problem with all of that is carrying enough fuel to supply enough thrust to supply enough speed to supply enough lift!

Sky diving in general i think would give you the rush your looking for!! I really want to give it a go !!


This guy?

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I love the hot water bottles for fuel tanks, they gave him 30 seconds of level flight..

[timwilky]

I used to jump out of perfectly good aircraft in the 70s/80s for no good reason. It was a buzz.

However after one jump where I landed perfectly and fell into a WWII slit trench on my back it had to stop.

You who did it with the army etc out of balloons must be nuts, Our first static lines were at 2200 ft. At least at that height you had time to put the look, pull, punch into practice if there was no canopy.

[kellyjo]

Its not big and its not clever!!








Does look fun though :p

[yorkie_chris]

I love the hot water bottles for fuel tanks, they gave him 30 seconds of level flight..

Pretty normal to use that sort of thing to keep bubbles out of the fuel. Thirsty little buggers those engines.

[robbie09]

This guy?

Nope not him!

This guy is the reallll Buzz Lightyear!

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He flew across the channel like that ;) gimmeeee a go!!! :D

[Bluefish]

mad as a box of frogs, gis a go mate :p

[northwind]

That looks like the best thing in the world... Wouldn't do it if they paid me but still.

[rob13]

I fancied paramotoring for the buzz of getting me above the scenery. Depending how far you go with it, you can opt for sport wings for more enthusiastic flying or just stick to touring stuff to go X-Country.

Currently no requirement for a licence either (training recommended) so its probably the cheapest airsport going at the moment.

[Smudge]

I used to jump out of perfectly good aircraft in the 70s/80s for no good reason. It was a buzz.

However after one jump where I landed perfectly and fell into a WWII slit trench on my back it had to stop.

You who did it with the army etc out of balloons must be nuts, Our first static lines were at 2200 ft. At least at that height you had time to put the look, pull, punch into practice if there was no canopy.

Hey Tim I thought the static line jumps out of the old Zeppelin in aldershot was strange with the dead air but diving from chinooks and lynx's was dam stupid as you was forced down and didn't get wind rush for what seemed like an age.
Ha ha Mr Rossi is a ledge among blue skys

[yorkie_chris]

I fancied paramotoring for the buzz of getting me above the scenery. Depending how far you go with it, you can opt for sport wings for more enthusiastic flying or just stick to touring stuff to go X-Country.

Currently no requirement for a licence either (training recommended) so its probably the cheapest airsport going at the moment.

Yeah I quite like the look of that :cool:

[Mej]

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[Mej]

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[keith_d]

p.s. California is not the place to learn proximity flying, Europe is :twisted:

Might be quite tricky in Holland :-)

[socommk23]

Id live to give it a go. Money wont let me though. So ill just pkay my project proximity game on my phone laying on my coffee table fpv stylee with a fan infront of me for wind.

[Mej]

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