![Wingsuit Flying over Langar Airfield UK](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Wingsuit_Flying_over_Langar_Airfield_UK.jpg)
Wingsuit flying (or wingsuiting) is the
sport
Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...
of
skydiving
Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes.
For ...
using a
webbing
red, blue and black auto_racing.html"_;"title="nylon_webbing_as_used_in_auto_racing">nylon_webbing_as_used_in_auto_racing_harnesses
Webbing_is_a_strong_nylon_webbing_as_used_in_auto_racing_harnesses">auto_racing.html"_;"title="nylon_webbing_as ...
-
sleeve
A sleeve ( ang, slīef, a word allied to ''slip'', cf. Dutch ) is the part of a garment that covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips.
The sleeve is a characteristic of fashion seen in almost every country and time period, acro ...
d
jumpsuit
A jumpsuit is a one-piece garment with sleeves and legs and typically without integral coverings for feet, hands or head. The original jump suit is the functional one-piece garment used by parachuting, parachuters.
The original skydivers' j ...
called a wingsuit to add
webbed area to the diver's body and generate increased
lift
Lift or LIFT may refer to:
Physical devices
* Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods
** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop
** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobile ...
, which allows extended
air time by
gliding flight
Gliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust; the term volplaning also refers to this mode of flight in animals. It is employed by gliding animals and by aircraft such as gliders. This mode of flight involves flying a s ...
rather than just
free falling. The modern wingsuit, first developed in the late 1990s, uses a pair of fabric membranes stretched flat between the
arm
In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between the ...
s and
flank
Flank may refer to:
* Flank (anatomy), part of the abdomen
** Flank steak, a cut of beef
** Part of the external anatomy of a horse
* Flank speed, a nautical term
* Flank opening, a chess opening
* A term in Australian rules football
* The si ...
s/
thigh
In human anatomy, the thigh is the area between the hip (pelvis) and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.
The single bone in the thigh is called the femur. This bone is very thick and strong (due to the high proportion of bone ...
s to imitate an
airfoil
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine.
...
, and often also between the
leg
A leg is a weight-bearing and animal locomotion, locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single ...
s to function as a
tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, r ...
and allow some
aerial steering.
Like all skydiving disciplines, a wingsuit flight almost always ends by deploying a
parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...
, and so a wingsuit can be flown from any point that provides sufficient altitude for flight and parachute deployment – a drop aircraft, or
BASE-jump exit point such as a tall cliff or mountain top. The wingsuit flier wears
parachuting
Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes.
For ...
equipment specially designed for skydiving or BASE jumping. While the parachute flight is normal, the canopy pilot must unzip arm wings (after deployment) to be able to reach the steering parachute toggles and control the descent path.
Wingsuits are sometimes referred to as "birdman suits" (after the
brand name
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
of the makers of the first commercial wingsuit), "squirrel suits" (from their resemblance to
flying squirrel
Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they ar ...
s' wing membrane), and "bat suits" (due to their resemblance to
bat wing
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
s or perhaps the
comicbook superhero's
battle costume).
History
![Flying tailor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Flying_tailor.png)
An early attempt at wingsuit flying was made on 4 February 1912 by a 33-year-old tailor,
Franz Reichelt
Franz Reichelt (16 October 1878 – 4 February 1912), also known as Frantz Reichelt or François Reichelt, was an Austrian-born French tailor, inventor and parachuting pioneer, now sometimes referred to as the Flying Tailor, who is remembered fo ...
, who jumped from the
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.
Locally nicknamed "'' ...
to test his invention of a combination of parachute and wing, which was similar to modern wingsuits. He misled the guards by saying that the experiment was going to be conducted with a dummy. He hesitated quite a long time before he jumped, and died when he hit the ground head first, opening a measurable hole in the frozen ground.
A wingsuit was first used in the US in 1930 by a 19-year-old American,
Rex G Finney
Rex may refer to:
* Rex (title) (Latin: king, ruler, monarch), a royal title
** King of Rome (Latin: Rex Romae), chief magistrate of the Roman Kingdom
People
* Rex (given name), for people with the given name
* Rex (surname), for people with t ...
of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The goal was to increase horizontal movement and maneuverability during a parachute jump.
These early wingsuits used materials such as canvas, wood, silk, steel, and whalebone. They were not very reliable, although some "birdmen", such as
Clem Sohn and
Leo Valentin, claimed to have glided for miles.
Batwings, a precursor to wingsuits, were showcased in the 1969 film, ''
The Gypsy Moths
''The Gypsy Moths'' is a 1969 American drama film, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by James Drought and directed by John Frankenheimer. The film tells the story of three barnstorming skydivers and their effect on a Midwestern American to ...
'', starring
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...
and
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen Hackman (born January 30, 1930) is an American retired actor and former novelist. In a career that has spanned more than six decades, Hackman has won two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award, two BAFTAs ...
.
In the mid-1990s, the modern wingsuit was developed by
Patrick de Gayardon
Patrick de Gayardon (; 23 January 1960 in Oullins, Rhône – 13 April 1998 in Hawaii) was a French skydiver, skysurfer and a BASE jumper.
De Gayardon was famous for pushing the boundaries of skydiving. He was one of the first people to develop ...
of France, adapted from the model used by
John Carta
Giovanni Carta, also known as John Carta (Alghero, January 7, 1946 – Sacramento, September 29, 1990), was an Italian American airman and parachutist, veteran of the Vietnam War.
He was nicknamed ''Birdman''. Carta was a Base Jumping pioneer an ...
. In 1997, the
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
n Sammy Popov designed and built a wingsuit that had a larger wing between the legs and longer wings on the arms. He tested his prototype in a
vertical wind tunnel
A vertical wind tunnel (VWT) is a wind tunnel that moves air up in a vertical column. Unlike standard wind tunnels, which have test sections that are oriented horizontally, as experienced in level flight, a vertical orientation enables gravi ...
in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
at Flyaway Las Vegas. Popov's wingsuit first flew in October 1998, but never went into commercial production. In 1998, Chuck "Da Kine" Priest' built a version that incorporated hard ribs inside the wing
airfoil
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine.
...
s. Although these more rigid wings were better able to keep their shape in flight, this made the wingsuit heavier and more difficult to fly. Raggs' design also never went into commercial production. Flying together for the first time, Popov and Raggs showcased their designs side by side at the World Free-fall Convention at
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...
, in August 1999. Both designs performed well. At the same event, jumpers performed formation wingsuit skydives with de Gayardon's, Popov's, and Raggs' suits.
Commercial era
In 1999,
Jari Kuosma Jari Kuosma (born 3 March 1969 in Helsinki) is the original developer of modern and commercial wingsuit (as a product), wingsuit flying (as a sport) and owner of BirdMan Inc. Kuosma has over 5000 jumps. He has worked as an Accelerated Free Fall (AFF ...
of Finland and
Robert Pečnik of Croatia teamed up to create a wingsuit that was safe and accessible to all skydivers. Kuosma established Bird-Man International Ltd. the same year. BirdMan's "Classic", designed by Pečnik, was the first wingsuit offered to the general skydiving public. BirdMan was the first manufacturer to develop an instructor program. Created by Kuosma, the instructor program's aim was to remove the stigma that wingsuits were dangerous and to provide wingsuit beginners (generally, skydivers with a minimum of 200 jumps) with a way to safely enjoy what was once considered the most dangerous feat in the skydiving world. With the help of Birdman instructors Scott Campos, Chuck Blue, and Kim Griffin, a standardized program of instruction was developed that prepared instructors. Wingsuit manufacturers Squirrel Wingsuits, TonySuits Wingsuits, Phoenix-Fly, Fly Your Body, and Nitro Rigging have also instituted coach training programs.
Technique
Launch
A wingsuit pilot enters
free fall
In Newtonian physics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. In the context of general relativity, where gravitation is reduced to a space-time curvature, a body in free fall has no force acting on i ...
wearing both a wingsuit and parachute equipment. The details of a wingsuit launch depend on whether it is a skydive from an aircraft, or a BASE jump from a fixed object.
Exiting an aircraft in a wingsuit requires skills that differ depending on the location and size of the door. These techniques include the orientation relative to the aircraft and the airflow while exiting. It is also important that wingsuit pilots spread their legs and arms at the proper time to avoid hitting the
tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, r ...
or becoming unstable. The wingsuit immediately starts to fly upon exiting the aircraft in the
relative wind
In aeronautics, the relative wind is the direction of movement of the atmosphere relative to an aircraft or an airfoil. It is opposite to the direction of movement of the aircraft or airfoil relative to the atmosphere. Close to any point on the su ...
generated by the forward speed of the aircraft.
Exiting from a BASE jumping site, such as a cliff, requires a different technique. In these situations, a vertical drop using the forces of gravity generates the airspeed that wingsuits need to generate
lift
Lift or LIFT may refer to:
Physical devices
* Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods
** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop
** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobile ...
. This is also the case when exiting from a
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
, a
paraglider
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'po ...
, or a
hot air balloon
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries p ...
. Unlike when exiting an airplane, it takes time to build up airspeed to inflate the wingsuit and provide aerodynamic control. So exiting the cliff in a proper orientation is critical.
Glide
A wingsuit modifies the body area exposed to wind to increase the desired amount of
lift
Lift or LIFT may refer to:
Physical devices
* Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods
** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop
** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobile ...
and
drag generated by the body. With training, wingsuit pilots can achieve sustained
glide ratio
In aerodynamics, the lift-to-drag ratio (or L/D ratio) is the lift generated by an aerodynamic body such as an aerofoil or aircraft, divided by the aerodynamic drag caused by moving through air. It describes the aerodynamic efficiency under give ...
of 3:1 or more. This means that for every meter dropped, three meters are gained moving forward. By adjusting body
configuration
Configuration or configurations may refer to:
Computing
* Computer configuration or system configuration
* Configuration file, a software file used to configure the initial settings for a computer program
* Configurator, also known as choice board ...
, fliers can alter both their forward speed and fall rate. The pilot manipulates these flight characteristics by changing the shape of the torso, de-arching and rolling the shoulders and moving hips and knees, and by changing the
angle of attack
In fluid dynamics, angle of attack (AOA, α, or \alpha) is the angle between a reference line on a body (often the chord line of an airfoil) and the vector representing the relative motion between the body and the fluid through which it is m ...
in which the wingsuit flies in the
relative wind
In aeronautics, the relative wind is the direction of movement of the atmosphere relative to an aircraft or an airfoil. It is opposite to the direction of movement of the aircraft or airfoil relative to the atmosphere. Close to any point on the su ...
, and by the amount of tension applied to the fabric wings of the suit. The absence of a vertical stabilizing surface results in little damping around the
yaw axis
An aircraft in flight is free to rotate in three dimensions: '' yaw'', nose left or right about an axis running up and down; ''pitch'', nose up or down about an axis running from wing to wing; and ''roll'', rotation about an axis running from ...
, so poor flying technique can result in a spin that requires active effort on the part of the skydiver to stop.
A typical skydiver's
terminal velocity
Terminal velocity is the maximum velocity (speed) attainable by an object as it falls through a fluid (air is the most common example). It occurs when the sum of the drag force (''Fd'') and the buoyancy is equal to the downward force of gravit ...
in belly to earth orientation ranges from 180 to 225 km/h (110 to 140 mph). A wingsuit can reduce these speeds dramatically. A vertical
instantaneous velocity of 40 km/h (25 mph) has been recorded. However the speed at which the body advances forward through the air is still much higher (up to 100 km/h
2 mph.
The glide ratios of older wingsuits made in the 1990s through the early 2010s were closer to 2:1.
It was possible for expert flyers to achieve a 3:1 ratio
but this was very difficult. However, advancements in modern wingsuits allow flyers to achieve a 3:1 ratio much more easily, allowing for higher speeds.
Flare
Wingsuits can perform a
flare
A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...
in which airspeed is exchanged for additional lift. By first diving to build up speed, modern wingsuits can flare enough to gain altitude, but only for a short time.
Deployment
At a planned altitude above the ground in which a skydiver or BASE jumper typically deploys the parachute, wingsuit fliers will also deploy their parachutes. Before deployment, pilots adjust their flight configuration by
flaring to reduce their air speed. The pilot then reaches back and throws a
pilot chute
A pilot chute is a small auxiliary parachute used to deploy the main or reserve parachute. The pilot chute is connected by a bridle to the deployment bag containing the parachute. Pilot chutes are a critical component of all modern skydiving and B ...
to initiate the parachute deployment sequence. The parachute is flown to a controlled landing at the desired landing spot using typical skydiving or BASE jumping techniques.
Record-keeping
Wingsuit pilots often use tools including portable
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...
receivers to record their flight path. This data can be analyzed later to evaluate flight performance in terms of fall rate, speed, and glide ratio. When jumping for the first time at a new location, BASE jumpers will often evaluate terrain using maps and laser range finders. By comparing a known terrain profile with previously recorded flight data, jumpers can objectively evaluate whether a particular jump is possible.
BASE jumpers also use landmarks, along with recorded video of their flight, to determine their performance relative to previous flights and the flights of other BASE jumpers at the same site.
Suit design
![Wingsuit designs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Wingsuit_designs.svg)
Modern wingsuits use a combination of materials in order to create an airfoil shape. The main surface is typically made from
ripstop
__NOTOC__
Ripstop fabrics are woven fabrics, often made of nylon, using a reinforcing technique that makes them more resistant to tearing and ripping. During weaving, stronger (and often thicker) reinforcement yarns are interwoven at regular inte ...
nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic.
Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...
, with various materials used to reinforce the leading edge, and reduce drag.
* The tri-wing wingsuit has three individual
ram-air
A ram-air intake is any intake design which uses the dynamic air pressure created by vehicle motion, or ram pressure, to increase the static air pressure inside of the intake manifold on an internal combustion engine, thus allowing a greater massf ...
wings attached under the arms and between the legs.
* The mono-wing wingsuit design incorporates the whole suit into one large wing.
Beginner wingsuits have less surface area and lower internal pressure. This makes them easier to control and less likely to go unstable in flight. Less fabric material makes it easier to deploy the pilot chute at the end of the flight. With experience, pilots can choose to upgrade to more advanced suits that have more surface area and increased glide performance.
The air foil shape is formed by pressure inside the wing and the construction of the suit. Internal ribs help form the shape. Having a smooth leading edge is especially important as it is the source of most lift and most drag. Reducing inlet drag while maintaining high internal suit pressure is also important in modern wingsuit design. The number of air inlets and their positions vary on different suit designs. Suits which are focused on freestyle flight often have inlets on the back surface of the suit to maintain internal pressure when pilots are "back flying" in a face up orientation.
A 2010 redesign tested in a wind tunnel by the 8th Conference of the International Sports Engineering Association (ISEA) found that adding material to the wingsuit between the head/helmet area and connecting it to the wrist, thus increasing upper wings' size, would "...lower lift-to-drag ratio in most testing scenarios.
The decrease in lift-to-drag ratio was due to the combination of an increased lift and a higher increased drag."
Other innovations in the late 2000s and early 2010's helped increase the
glide ratio
In aerodynamics, the lift-to-drag ratio (or L/D ratio) is the lift generated by an aerodynamic body such as an aerofoil or aircraft, divided by the aerodynamic drag caused by moving through air. It describes the aerodynamic efficiency under give ...
further.
Wingsuit BASE
![Steph Davis wingsuit BASE brento](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Steph_Davis_wingsuit_BASE_brento.jpg)
As compared to skydiving from an airplane,
BASE jumping involves jumping from a "fixed object" such as a cliff. BASE jumping in its modern form has existed since at least 1978, but it was not until 1997 that
Patrick de Gayardon
Patrick de Gayardon (; 23 January 1960 in Oullins, Rhône – 13 April 1998 in Hawaii) was a French skydiver, skysurfer and a BASE jumper.
De Gayardon was famous for pushing the boundaries of skydiving. He was one of the first people to develop ...
made some of the first-ever wingsuit BASE jumps combining the two disciplines. Compared to normal BASE jumping, wingsuit BASE jumping allows pilots to fly far away from the cliffs they jumped from, and drastically increase their freefall time before deploying a parachute. Since 2003, many BASE jumpers have started using wingsuits, giving birth to wingsuit BASE.
A wingsuit BASE jump begins by jumping from a cliff. Within seconds, air inflates the suit into a semi-rigid airfoil shape. By holding a proper body position, the wingsuit flier is able to glide forward at a ratio of 3:1, meaning that they are moving forward three feet for every foot of descent (or 3 meters for every meter of descent).
![Wingsuit BASE jumping](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Wingsuit_BASE_jumping.svg)
As suit technology and pilot skill have improved, wingsuit BASE jumpers have learned to control their flight so that they can fly just meters away from terrain. “Proximity flying” is the practice of flying a wingsuit close to the faces and ridges of mountains. Flying near terrain gives a greater sense of speed due to having a close visual reference.
Loic Jean-Albert of France is one of the first proximity flyers, and his pioneering flying brought many BASE jumpers into the sport. In November 2012, Alexander Polli became the first wingsuit BASE jumper to successfully strike a wingsuit target. Alexander Polli died August 22, 2016 in a wingsuit accident, after crashing into a tree.
Wingsuit BASE jumping carries additional risk beyond a wingsuit skydive. Jumping from a fixed object means starting with low
airspeed
In aviation, airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air. Among the common conventions for qualifying airspeed are:
* Indicated airspeed ("IAS"), what is read on an airspeed gauge connected to a Pitot-static system;
* Calibrated a ...
which requires different flying positions and skills. During the flight, hazards exist such as trees, rocks and the ground which must be avoided. While skydivers typically carry two parachutes, a main and a reserve, wingsuit BASE jumpers typically only carry one BASE-specific parachute.
Wingsuit BASE jumping is an unregulated sport. But to perform the activity safely requires jumpers to be an experienced skydiver, wingsuit pilot, and BASE jumper. It takes hundreds of practice jumps to achieve skill in each of these disciplines before considering wingsuit BASE.
Further technical developments
Jet-powered wingsuits
As of 2010, there have been experimental powered wingsuits, often using small jet engines strapped to the feet
or a wingpack setup to allow for even greater horizontal speeds and even vertical ascent.
On 25 October 2009, in
Lahti
Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...
, Finland,
Visa Parviainen jumped from a
hot air balloon
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries p ...
in a wingsuit with two small
turbojet engines attached to his feet. The engines provided approximately 160
N (16 kgf, 35 lbf) of thrust each and ran on
JET A-1
Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is colorless to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial av ...
fuel. Parviainen achieved approximately 30 seconds of horizontal flight with no noticeable loss of altitude.
Parviainen continued jumping from hot air balloons and helicopters, including one for the ''
Stunt Junkies
''Stunt Junkies'' is a Discovery Channel television series that presents professional athletes performing dangerous stunts. The show demonstrates all the steps the athlete must do to successfully complete the stunt. ''Stunt Junkies'' was created a ...
'' program on
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
.
Christian Stadler from Germany invented the "VegaV3 wingsuit system" that uses an electronic adjustable hydrogen peroxide rocket. The rocket provides 1000 Newtons (100 kgf) of thrust and produces no flames or poisonous fumes. His first successful powered wingsuit jump was in 2007, when he reached horizontal speeds of over 255 km/h (160 mph).
Electric wingsuit
In November, 2020, professional base jumper Peter Salzmann completed the first electric wingsuit flight, using a wingsuit developed by BMW's BMW i division.
Wingpack
Another variation on which studies are being focused is the wingpack, which consists of a strap-on rigid wing made of
carbon fibre
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
.
Training
Flying a wingsuit can add considerable complexity to a skydive. So, according to the Skydivers' Information Manual, the
United States Parachute Association
The United States Parachute Association (USPA) is a private sports governing body for the sport of skydiving in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The USPA's roots go back to the National Parachute Riggers ...
requires that any jumper have a minimum of 200 freefall skydives before completing a wingsuit first jump course and making a wingsuit jump.
Requirements in other nations are similar. Wingsuit manufacturers offer training courses and certify instructors, and also impose the minimum jump numbers required before purchasing a wingsuit. Wingsuit pilots start on smaller wingsuits with less surface area. With practice, pilots can learn to fly larger suits with more surface area, which allow for increased glide and airtime. Within the sport of wingsuit flying, there are many sub-disciplines that participants may pursue, including: acrobatic flying, performance flying, and wingsuit BASE jumping.
Records
Wingsuit formation records
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintai ...
(FAI), the world governing airsports body, established judging criteria for official world record wingsuit formations in February 2015. The rules are available on the FAI website.
[The rules are available under the Wingsuit tab on the FAI website section for parachuting: http://www.fai.org/ipc-documents ]
Prior to this, the largest wingsuit formation recognized as meeting the criteria for a national record consisted of 68 wingsuit pilots, which set a U.S. national record at
Lake Elsinore, California
Lake Elsinore is a city in western Riverside County, California, United States. Established as a city in 1888, it is on the shore of Lake Elsinore, a natural freshwater lake about in size. The city has grown from a small resort town in the l ...
, on 12 November 2009. The largest global record was a diamond formation involving 100 wingsuit pilots at Perris, California, on 22 September 2012. These records have since been retired as they do not meet the current rules.
[
Two World Records have been set since the rules update. A 42-person formation over ]Moorsele
Wevelgem () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Gullegem, Moorsele and Wevelgem proper. On January 1, 2006, Wevelgem had a total population of 31,020. The total area is 38.76 ...
, Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, set an FAI record on 18 June 2015. This was broken on 17 October 2015, when 61 wingsuit pilots set the current FAI world record over Perris Valley Airport
Perris Valley Airport is a privately owned and operated airport open to public use and located one mile (1.6 km) southeast of Perris, California, Perris, serving Riverside County, California, Riverside County, California, United States. It h ...
near Perris
Perris is an old railway city in Riverside County, California, United States, located east-southeast of Los Angeles and north of San Diego. It is known for Lake Perris, an artificial lake, skydiving, and its sunny dry climate. Perris is wit ...
, California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.
The current U.S. national record includes 43 wingsuit pilots. It was set on 5 October 2018 in Rosharon, Texas
Rosharon ( ), is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) split between Brazoria County and Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 521 and Farm to Market Road 1462. As of the 2010 ...
at Skydive Spaceland-Houston.[The U.S. national wingsuit formation record can be found in the official USPA records database with the status set to "current," the zone set to "U.S. National," and the group set to "Wingsuit Flying". http://competition.uspa.org/records/current ]
Wingsuit BASE jump records
Highest altitude
On 23 May 2006, the Australian couple Heather Swan and Glenn Singleman
Dr. Glenn Singleman (born 12 October 1958) is an Australian physician, professional adventurer, wingsuit flying, wingsuit pilot and BASE jumper (he holds three official world records). He is also a documentary filmmaker, and practicing medical doct ...
jumped from off Meru Peak
Meru Peak is a mountain located in the Garhwal Himalayas, in the state of Uttarakhand in India. The peak lies between Thalay Sagar and Shivling, and has some highly challenging routes. The name Meru likely originated from the Sanskrit word f ...
in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, setting a world record for highest wingsuit BASE jump.
This record was broken on 5 May 2013, by the Russian Valery Rozov
Valery Vladimirovich Rozov (December 26, 1964 – November 11, 2017) was a Russian BASE jumper, who became known for jumping from the world's highest summits. He currently holds the record for highest BASE jump in the world.
Notable jumps
;22 ...
, who jumped from on Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...
's North Col.
Rozov broke his own record by jumping from on Cho Oyu
__NOTOC__
Cho Oyu (Nepali: चोयु; ; ) is the sixth-highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu means "Turquoise Goddess" in Tibetan. The mountain is the westernmost major peak of the ''Khumbu'' sub-section of the Mahalangur ...
in 2016.
Longest
The longest verified wingsuit BASE jump is by the American Dean Potter
Dean Spaulding Potter (April 14, 1972 – May 16, 2015) was an American free climber, alpinist, BASE jumper, and highliner. He completed many hard first ascents, free solo ascents, speed ascents, and enchainments in Yosemite National Park an ...
on 2 November 2011. Potter jumped from the Eiger
The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends a ...
mountain and spent 3 minutes and 20 seconds in flight, descending of altitude.
Biggest
The biggest wingsuit BASE jump as measured from exit to landing was performed on 11 August 2013 by Patrick Kerber with a height of off the Jungfrau
The Jungfrau ( "maiden, virgin"), at is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the J ...
in Switzerland.
Wingsuit flight records
![Wingsuit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Wingsuit.jpg)
Fastest
On 22 May 2017, British wingsuit pilot Fraser Corsan set world records for the fastest speed reached in a wingsuit of .
Greatest average horizontal speed
The current world record for greatest average horizontal speed within the performance competition rules, i.e. within of vertical distance, was set by Travis Mickle (USA) with a speed of 325.4 km/hr (202.19 mph) 6 November 2017. American Ellen Brennan is considered the fastest flying woman in th
world
Longest time
On 20 and 21 April 2012, Colombian skydiver Jhonathan Florez set Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
in wingsuit flying. The jumps took place in La Guajira
La Guajira () is a department of Colombia. It occupies most of the Guajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, on the Caribbean Sea and bordering Venezuela, at the northernmost tip of South America. The capital city of the departm ...
in Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. The longest (duration) wingsuit flight was 9 minutes, 6 seconds
The current world record for longest time in flight within the performance competition rules, i.e. within of vertical distance, was set on 28 Aug 2018 by Chris Geiler (USA) with a time of 100.2 sec (1.67 min)
Highest altitude
The highest altitude wingsuit jump is , and was achieved by James Petrolia above Davis, California, USA, on 11 November 2015.
Farthest
, the Guinness World Record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for "greatest absolute distance flown in a wing suit" is 32.094 km (19.94 mi) set by Kyle Lobpries (USA) in Davis, CA on 30 May 2016.
The current world record for longest horizontal distance covered within the performance competition rules, i.e. within of vertical distance, was set on 27 May 2017 by U.S. wingsuit pilot Alexey Galda with a distance of 5.137 km (3.19 mi)
Landing
On 23 May 2012, British stuntman
A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...
Gary Connery
Gary Connery (born 18 June 1969) is a British skydiver, BASE jumper, and professional stuntman. Connery has performed stunt-work in numerous films. He has also acted as the stunt-double for Gary Oldman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Rowan Atkinson, and J ...
safely landed a wingsuit without deploying his parachute, landing on a crushable "runway" (landing zone) built with thousands of cardboard boxes.
Safety
Despite training and regulation, wingsuit BASE jumping remains a dangerous pastime, and fatalities occur regularly. A 2012 University of Colorado study found that in wingsuit BASE jumping, there was approximately one severe injury for every 500 jumps undertaken.
A detailed study on wingsuit deaths completed primarily by the University of Colorado found that out of 180 studied fatalities, 97% launched from cliffs and another 1% from buildings. The vast-majority of these deaths were related to the use of the wingsuit, not to do with external sources. This makes aircraft descending a much less-deadly form of wingsuit flying, though deemed less extreme by fans of the sport.
Matt Gerdes, wingsuit tester at the Squirrel wingsuit company claims that wingsuit fatalities are on the rise because the experience of becoming a wingsuit pilot is becoming less personal as many for-profit BASE jumping instructors are allowing some students to skip steps and start testing out wingsuits after fewer and fewer regular parachute jumps. With little oversight from the government, "...instruction in some courses turns out poorly-prepared jumpers who unwittingly skip steps on their way to flying high-performance wingsuits."
Some concerns regarding the nature of wingsuit flying exist due to injuries and death. The French government banned wingsuit flying multiple times following the deaths of French pilots.
See also
* ''Point Break'' (2015)
Notes
References
Works cited
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Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wingsuit Flying
Air sports
Gliding
Outdoor recreation
Parachuting
20th-century inventions
Artificial wings