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Hi bird people, Baby bird here. I have around 30 WS jumps, just got into my Low-Ki 2 for 4 jumps. Loving it so far. It’s a little too soon to plan for the future but I wanna do it anyway. I’m planning to get the Freak when I have around 200 jumps on the Low Ki. Just wondering if I really need to get the ATC in between. Because I saw the flow chart on Squirrel website about going from Lowki->ATC->Freak. Because I don’t want spend extra ~$2000 just for a suit that’s might not even needed.
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My dear friend and fellow BASE jumper, Dennis Valdez, died in a wingsuit BASE jump in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland on 10 Sep 2015 and I’m hoping to connect with the jumper who was with him that day for some clarity and closure. Thanks.
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Located mid-Vancouver Island just 10 minutes from downtown Campbell River and North Island College lies Campbell River Skydive Centre, designed from the ground up to efficiently function as a skydiving training and recreation centre. At the airport we have a dedicated teaching area for new and experienced skydivers. We facilitate training for new skydivers, tandem jumpers, and development for experienced skydivers. Front Office/Manifest and all our gear is located here. Right outside our training center you access one of our two planes where you will take off for your skydiving adventure. -
untilSkyonStage is an artistic skydiving game involving 5 different contests: Freefly/Freestyle 2 way (one performer one cameraflyer) Freefly/Skydance 3 way (two performers one cameraflyer) Freefly/Skydance 5 way (four performers one cameraflyer) Wingsuit acro 3 way (2 performers one cameraflyer) Skysurf (one performer one cameraflyer) One jump only. One Free Routine. Create your contest jump at any DZ of your choice. Mixed nationalities welcomed. Enter one contest only or all of them. Register your Teams within October the 12th 2020 and send your final choreography within December 1st 2020. Any of your training jumps that cover the video requirements (check Rule Book on the website) could be used later on as the contest routine, so if you like, you can start creating your possible routine jump now and register later. Awards and medals for the winning teams. Special award for the competitor who entered most of the games and placed best Overall. 10 Best choreographies per contest will be published on skyonstage website. All video routines will be pubblished on related skyonstage youtube and vimeo channel. Form your teams, have fun in creating a choreography, send your video #skyonstage
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When Copenhagen hosts parachuting's inaugural Swoop Freestyle FAI World Championship August 25th & 26th, not only will it set the scene for the best athletes in the world but turn one of the oldest and most historic European capitals into an urban sports festival. Combining world class sport with DJ's, live music, street food, air shows and various activities for all ages, will create a great festival feel around the World Championships. It is expected that over 200,000 spectators will visit the event at Peblinge Lake, downtown Copenhagen during the two event days. It will be possible to try tandem jumping over the city, bungee jumping, virtual reality parachuting and running across the lake in Fun Ballz. "We want to create a festival feel around a world class sport by offering a host of activities and giving the audience a full Swoop Freestyle event experience. With different activations and touch points, the spectators will get opportunities to connect with the sport in an engaging way. We believe that by mixing world class sport with, great activities, music and street food, it will set the scene for future events in major cities where a broad activation is key," says George Blythe, CEO of A. Sports, the organizer of the Swoop Freestyle FAI World Championships. Adrenaline packed sports festival in the heart of major cities By taking the sport of parachuting, which is usually performed in small air fields, and bringing it into major cities, it gives the host city and local partners a great opportunity to work with potential clients and businesses. Highlights from the 2016 CPH Invitational "With the help from one of our partners, all spectators can download an app and send out their own live feed experience with a chance to be featured in different videos with other spectators both on the big screen at the venue and at the live feed going out to millions around the world," George Blythe adds and points out the mission for Swoop Freestyle: To build a world championship series in major cities worldwide such as Formula 1. "The Swoop Freestyle FAI World Championship 2017 will not only be the first ever World Championship in urban parachuting in the heart of Copenhagen – it will also form the basis of a genuine festive celebration combining sport and spectators with a festival of side activities embracing the championship – an approach which is typically Danish," says Lars Lundov, CEO, Sport Event Denmark, the national sporting event organization that partners the event. THE ATHLETES: 18 pilots from 10 different countries and with a total of 150,000 jumps between them: #1 Curt Bartholomew, 31 years old, USA, 8000 jumps #2 Nick Batsch, 35 years old, USA, 8500 jumps #3 Claudio Cagnasso, 28 years old, Venezuela, 6500 jumps #4 Ian Bobo, 46 years old, USA, 20000 jumps #5 Cornelia Mihai, 32 years old, UAE, 10000 jumps #6 Pablo Hernandez, 31 years old, Spain, 15000 jumps #7 David Ludvik Junior, 38 years old, USA, 16000 jumps #8 Marco Fürst, 26 years old, Austria, 4000 jumps #9 Tom Baker, 27 years old, USA, 7000 jumps #10 Chris Stewart, 28 years old, New Zealand, 7000 jumps #11 Aurel Marquet, 34 years old, France, 2900 jumps #12 Ulisse Idra, 27 years old, Italy, 7000 jumps #13 Jeannie Bartholomew, 36 years old, USA, 4000 jumps #14 Max Manow, 28 years old, Germany, 5000 jumps #15 Mario Fattoruso, 30 years old, Italy, 6000 jumps #16 Christian Webber, 30 years old, Denmark, 3400 jumps #17 Abdulbari Qubaisi, 29 years old, UAE, 6300 jumps #18 Travis Mills, 35 years old, USA, 13500 jumps PROGRAM - FAI Swoop Freestyle World Championship 2017: Friday August 25th - Swoop Training and Swoop Night Lights 3.00-3.30pm (15.00-15.30): Highlights from 2016 on big screen 4.00-6.00pm (16.00-18.00): Swoop Training - Round 1 and 2 6.00-6.15pm (18.00-18.15): Fly Boards show 6.15-9.00pm (18.15-21.00): Swoop Sessions, live music 9.15-9.45pm (21.15-21.45) - Swoop Night Lights (airshow with night jumps, lighted suits and pyro) Saturday August 26th - Swoop Qualifying of Swoop Finals 12.00-12.30pm: Swoop Sessions, live music 12.30-12.45pm: Fly Boards show 1.00-3.00pm (13.00-15.00): Swoop Qualifying, Round 1 and 2 3.30-3.45pm (15.30-15.45): Show with wingsuits, BASE and Acro paragliding 4.00-6.00pm (16.00-18.00): Swoop Finals, Round 1 and 2 + medal ceremony. Who will be the first world champion? 6.15-9.00pm (18.15-21.00): Swoop Sessions live music, and meet'n'greet with the athletes Other activities both days: Tandem jumps over Copenhagen (For booking link and prices - click here) Water blob (rental) Floading couches (rental) Fun ballz (rental) Virtual Reality parachuting (rental) Bungeejump (rental) FAI Swoop Freestyle World Championships 2017 Training and Swoop Night Lights Friday August 25, Qualifying and Finals Saturday August 26 2017. Location: Peblinge Lake, Queen Louise's Bridge, central Copenhagen. 18 parachute pilots from 10 countries. It's the first swoop freestyle world championships ever in freestyle swooping (canopy piloting), sanctioned under the FAI, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Website and social media: Website: http://www.swoopfreestyle.com Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/swoopfreestyle/ Instagram: instagram.com/swoopfreestyle Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1888604534750053/ -
kydiving today is rife with would-be wingsuit pilots. Ask any number of new jumpers what discipline they want to pursue, and more than likely you’ll have a majority vote for wingsuiting. This is thanks in no small part to the viral popularity of wingsuit BASE videos in recent years. Let’s be honest, even your mom is sick of watching people fly ‘The Cheese Grater’ line at Aiguille du Midi. And while that trend seems to be tapering off somewhat (perhaps as the number of true terrain flyers left in the sport is itself dwindling), there are no shortage of noobs eagerly awaiting their first prom dress. But, for those who have already cranked out the requisite jump numbers, done their FFC, and are now exploring the freedoms of human flight, what path marks the best progression into the world of wingsuit wizardry? DISCLAIMER: I’m going to set aside any brand loyalties and personal biases towards/against manufacturers. There will be no suit-specific insights or recommendations. The point of what follows is to provide some simple and easy to follow suggestions through a safe and effective While there is no doubt that putting in serious work on a small suit is better than jumping quickly into a bigger suit, there is some divergence as to how long your mentor(s) and/or more senior jumpers/coaches may suggest that you remain in your entry-level suit before upsizing. [There is even some discrepancy as to what is deemed an appropriate entry-level suit…but I think for the most part your FFC coach should be able to walk you through that one…]. For my part, I can say that while having put 150 jumps on the small suit I started with was certainly enough for me to be safely flying a bigger suit, there’s also no doubt in my mind – looking back now with the benefit of hindsight – that I would’ve continued to benefit tremendously from growing my skillset and utterly mastering the smaller suit before moving onwards and upwards. To clarify, wingsuits can be considered as belonging to one of three very basic overarching “platforms”: small suits, medium suits and big suits. [This is by no means a comprehensive dissection of suit design, merely a simple and inelegant framework to help guide the discussion]. Small suits have wing-roots near the hips, and a tail that does not extend to your feet. Medium suits have wing-roots near the knee and a tail that goes straight across your feet. Large suits have wing-roots near your feet and a tail that extends past your feet. The obvious analogy, here, is parachute size. It’s easy to get caught up drooling over the tiny table-clothed sized wings that you see people flying online or at your home dz. [Insert any number of panty-dropping related clichés here…]. And in your hurry to get down to a smaller, “cooler” wing, you may rush through some key skills that you should already have deeply ingrained in your muscle memory and sight picture, on a larger and more docile/forgiving canopy, before continuing to progress to smaller and more aggressive parachutes. The only difference is that, with wingsuits, the reverse is true. I mean, who wants to spend 150-200 jumps wearing some tiny little baby dress? Ain’t nobody got time for that!! Am I right?! Well...no. The problem with this logic is two-fold: 1) The more time you spend in a smaller suit, nailing down an array of skills and mastering the suit, the better you’ll fly in a bigger suit. This means that, in the grand scheme of things, you may well become the badass flyer you want to be even faster if you master a solid foundational skillset in a beginner wingsuit before moving on to bigger suits. 2) The more surface area you add (as you increase suit/wing size), the more challenging and demanding the suit is to fly. As you increase size, you dramatically increase the power of the suit, and also the inherent danger of flat-spins, hard pulls, no pull-finds, losses of control, etc. While more powerful in the right hands, larger suits can also be less forgiving of pilot error. This is especially dangerous for pilots who skip a step in their progression – upsizing by more than one platform at a time. Recent events have tragically proven that no one is invincible to the effects of poorly chosen gear. If there are any positives to take away from the great losses our sport(s) recently suffered, they are the lessons we must learn from those who paid the highest price. Choose the right tool for the job! It doesn’t matter if you’re in the mountains or at the dz. Exercise good judgement and your chances of playing safely are far greater. It seems simple enough. But this requires an honest self-evaluation of your skill set, and an assessment of what job (type of flying) you want the tool (the suit) to perform…and in what specific conditions/environment. Always consider these factors together and choose accordingly. But let’s be real, my advice carries little weight relative to the allure of the sky and BASE gods you might still be watching on repeat on your YouTube or Facebook feeds. And it’s more than likely that my words are also outweighed by your own ego and pride (I know this of myself firsthand…). So I asked someone with just a little more experience to share his thoughts – someone who’s become synonymous with wingsuit progression – both in the sky and in the burgeoning scene of the wingsuit tunnel…and also in what some view as the pinnacle of wingsuit progression and human flight: the wingsuit jet-pack. In all domains, Jarno Cordia is an authority on wingsuit flying. And with the obvious benefit of his 4100+ wingsuit jumps, and countless hours of R&D; spent analyzing flight, and designing and testing suits, Jarno had the following to say about finding your own wingsuit progression: I think too many people look at 'good numbers' as a sign of being in control of a suit. The fact that you fly a certain distance or time just means you have a good feel for the performance, but, safety wise, the actual control is where the real importance lies. Learning to not just fly your suit straight, but in steep dives, turns in various ways, flat, steep, mellow, sharp, backflying, and barrel rolls. Though these may not all seem like skills needed to fly (especially) bigger suits, when your only aim is performance competitions or base, on bad exits, or tumbles, it’s those skills and spatial awareness that will make a big difference. It’s also important is to realize 'doing two dozen jumps without incident' is not the same as 'mastering a suit' and quite often people mistake their uneventful jumps as a sign for being ready to move up to bigger suits. Make sure you are in complete control before upsizing, and not just 'getting by' by doing some straight line flying and a few flares. In terms of learning, the small suits provide much more feedback and direct results in terms of what you're doing. Though, these days, bigger suits seem to be the focus. And in marketing various companies try to sell big suits as 'the new small'. Note that in the end, you're the one flying it, and not the 10.000 jump wonders in slick marketing videos. Nobody ever became a worse a pilot from flying a small suit, and the majority of my personal jumps I still enjoy doing in actual small suits. Acrobatics and performance…the actual inputs and feeling don't change. When flying with the right technique, any suit or size can be flown the same. Just certain techniques needing to be done with bigger or smaller moves, but any time spent on a small suit is never wasted. Both in BASE jumping or skydiving, the skills learnt on a small suit in terms of turns, and emergency response will be of vital importance. Big suit or small suit, the inputs are the same, but the response on a big suit are much faster and more aggressive, and sometimes violent. In all other serious disciplines, issues with flying, tend to be fixed with a strong focus on skill. A common problem in wingsuit flying is that coaches, though not all bad in intent, can sometimes put too much influence on students to look for gear solutions instead of focusing strictly on technique. This makes our discipline one that's sometimes too much resorting to blowing cash on nylon, instead of on skills. Gear for sure can be a factor in your flying, as not every suit, model or brand has the same degree of precise control. But make those decisions by trying various suits in the same category, as any suit upsize will on the first few jumps feel like you've just been handed a jetfighter with afterburners. But in the end, it’s the fine control that matters most, and across the board, most manufacturers have similar size models in terms of capability. It’s the steering and control that matter most, be it belly, backfly, acro, flocking or performance. There, demoing suits of various manufacturers in the size you're familiar with will tell you a lot more about the control, and allow you to make informed decisions, instead of basing it on the brand your (sponsored) coach may be trying to push onto you. There’s no doubt that placing your focus strictly on skill attainment – instead of relying on jump numbers, positive flysight data, or lack of problems flying a suit – is the most effective way to gauge a safe progression. I must admit that I personally regret not having kept my smaller suit, which I now wish I had for flying with newer pilots, and for generally tossing around all over the sky in ways that I’m not yet able to do as confidently on my big suit. But, as Jarno pointed out, money inevitably comes into play. And we can’t all keep throwing it towards gear hoping to become better pilots. So, in order to max out your value and your safety, please consider asking yourself the types of questions raised above relating to skill acquisition, suit mastery, and finding the right tool for the job as you progress. The link below also provides a great progression chart (free to download) with an indication of levels/skill that is often used at wingsuit boogies around the world: http://flylikebrick.com/skills-database/ Fly safe folks! -
The wait is over! No one is more excited than we are here at Performance Designs. After years of development, hard work, and dedication we are delighted to announce our first wingsuit specific canopy, Horizon, is ready to order. In 2013 Performance Designs began development on a wing with emphasis on eliminating deployment problems caused by the large burble of wingsuits without sacrificing a great flare or responsive handling. When you have been making canopies as long as we have here at Performance Designs, this process is always evolving. The one thing that never changes is our high standard for quality, performance, and our focus on providing excellent products to everyone in our skydiving community. The result, we think the Horizon has the best openings and the best landing power of any canopy in its class! Best of all the Horizon gives you the ability to upsize as many as two full sizes compared to a non-crossbraced ZP main. This means you can fit a larger canopy in your existing rig for wingsuit jumps. No need for a new container! The Horizon features 7 cell construction Hybrid ZP and low-bulk 30 denier fabric consistent and reliable openings efficient glide when it counts responsive handling and a powerful flare slider presentation snaps HMA or Vectran Lines packs 1-2 sizes smaller than a similar ZP main Introductory Retail Price- $2100 Available in sizes 120-135-150-170-190 Horizon’s openings are stress free and comfortable, but they don't eat up a lot of altitude. Although this canopy was not designed to win any swoop meets, the response in flight is quite a pleasant surprise. With its agile response to control inputs, the Horizon is a joy to fly. It has a fairly long control range with excellent slow flight characteristics. Its dynamic response to braked flight turning inputs makes it an excellent canopy to conserve altitude as you fly back home from a long spot. The Horizon continues to uphold the landing performance that Performance Designs customers have come to expect. With a quick response to proper flare input it is easy to predict the “sweet spot” for a nice easy shutdown no matter what the wind is doing. Pack volume has been reduced significantly by combining our proprietary low-bulk fabric technology with our well known Zero-P fabric. In fact, the Horizon typically packs two(2) sizes smaller than a similar non-cross braced ZP main. The incredibly small pack volume easily facilitates easy upsizing for safety. In short, the Horizon is an easy off button to transition from wingsuit flight to canopy flight stress free. Pablo Hernandez landing at Skydive Dubai. Photo by: Ivan Semenyaka Do you have any questions? We might have some answers below! When can I get one? A: We will be accepting orders from PD’s Authorized Dealers as of today! (May 10th 2017). Standard production time will apply to the Horizon. These lead times are posted on the PD website at www.performancedesigns.com How do I buy one? The Horizon will be sold through PD’s Authorized dealer network. Interested customers should contact their local dealer to discuss if this canopy is right for them. Can I jump this without my wingsuit? We can’t tell you what to do with your canopy. Most people like the way the Horizon opens in freefall at terminal speeds when properly configured and packed. However, in order to get the most bang from your buck we recommend saving the Horizon for its intended wingsuiting purpose. How long will this canopy last? Putting a specific number on the lifespan of any canopy is quite difficult as it is impossible to consider all of the ever-changing variables that affect that canopy. A person who does 1000 jumps a year will go through equipment a lot faster than a person who does 100 jumps a year…and that is just one small piece of the puzzle. Our proprietary low-permeability, low-bulk fabric has proven to be more forgiving when subjected to the wake turbulence of a wingsuit deployment. We have added ZP to the center top skin and across the leading edge to enhance the performance and longevity of the Horizon. However, it does not possess the same durability that a canopy constructed of all ZP material would have. Following our recommendations for wing loading and taking the proper care of your equipment will go a long way toward getting the most out of your wing. With proper care the Horizon should bring you joy and happiness for several hundred jumps. What size should I buy? The fabrics utilized in the Horizon’s construction are part of what make this canopy so well suited for wingsuit skydiving. Because the characteristics of this fabric combination are different from traditional ZP, jumping a Horizon that is too small or loaded too high could demand a little more from the canopy pilot to ensure comfortable landings (when compared to an all ZP canopy in a similar size and design). Size your Horizon one (1) or 2 (two) sizes BIGGER than the smallest ZP canopy you are comfortable with. Roberta Mancino flying over Perris Valley Skydiving. Photo by: Sebastian Alvarez Your Wing Loading is also a critical factor in the performance of your Horizon canopy. Check out our Wing Loading chart on the Horizon page of our website. When considering what size wing is best for you, the size of the reserve in the container that you intend to use should also be strongly considered. It is always advisable to consult a certified wingsuit coach/ instructor when selecting a canopy to optimize your wingsuiting experience. For more information visit the Horizon page on our website www.performancedesigns.com Additional Information: Horizon Packing Manual Horizon Flight Characteristics Horizon FAQs -
An unplanned water landing is a frightening scenario for many skydivers; it’s one of the reasons that live water training is required for a USPA B License (If you didn’t truly get wet when working on your USPA B license, your instructors weren’t doing you or anyone else any favors). Add a wingsuit to the mix and it’s enough to give pause to even the most experienced skydiver. In 2010 alone, we’ve had three known unintentional wingsuit water entries in the USA. Wingsuits can fly further than skydivers can, and water is an attractive hazard to fly-over. Toss in a low deployment, restricted movement, and some adrenaline and a normal skydive can get really exciting really fast. OK, so it’s not quite the same as Houdini and his locks, and skydiving in a “prom dress” or freefall in a straight jacket isn’t nearly as difficult as some make it out to be. However, emergency situations do require a different approach. Wingsuit skydivers should pre-plan for an unintentional water landing even if flight over water isn’t an issue at their home DZ. A boogie or other special event may put wingsuit pilots into unfamiliar situations where water is present. Flotation devices should be a part of that pre-planning process if over-water flights are a common occurrence. TSA allows for up to four Co2 cartridges to be carried as part of a "life-vest unit." USPA Training And Recommendarions Section 6.2 of the USPA Skydiver Instruction Manual (SIM) guidance for unintentional water landings tells us to: a. Continue to steer to avoid the water hazard. b. Activate the flotation device, if available. c. Disconnect the chest strap to facilitate getting out of the harness after landing in the water. d. Disconnect the reserve static line (if applicable) to reduce complications in case the main needs to be cut away after splashing down. e. Steer into the wind. f. Loosen the leg straps slightly to facilitate getting out of the harness after splashing down. (1) If you loosen the leg straps too much, you may not be able to reach the toggles. (2) Do not unfasten the leg straps until your feet are in the water. g. Prepare for a PLF, in case the water is shallow (it will be nearly impossible to determine the depth from above). h. Flare to half brakes at ten feet above the water (this may be difficult to judge, due to poor depth perception over the water). i. Enter the water with your lungs filled with air. j. After entering the water, throw your arms back and slide forward out of the harness. (1) Remain in the harness and attached to the canopy until actually in the water. (2) If cutting away (known deep water only), do so only after both feet contact the water. (3) If flotation gear is not used, separation from the equipment is essential. k. Dive deep and swim out from under the collapsed canopy. All of these same procedures apply when wearing a wingsuit, yet preparations for an unintentional water landing don’t stop there. We still got work to do. Prior To Entering The Water It goes without saying that the best way to avoid a water landing is to avoid being over the water. However, sometimes it cannot be avoided. In addition to the previously mentioned, USPA-recommended actions, the wingsuit should be unzipped as much as possible prior to landing. This includes armwings, legwings, and body zippers if possible. Do not pull the cutaway/release cables on the wingsuit (assuming the wingsuit has cutaway cables, not all do) if the arms can be unzipped. An armwing that has been cut away will be much more difficult to move and unzip once it has filled with water and your arms are still in the sleeves (For example, the newest Phoenix-fly wingsuit arms might be cut away, as they detach the full wing from the arm, but the arm will still be inside a foam sleeve making it difficult to swim). The tailwing may act as a drag point and force the upper body forward, putting the skydiver on his belly. Enter the water with feet and knees together. Flying at half brakes should allow the canopy to continue forward. Do not flare. Take a deep breath prior to entering the water. After Entering The Water The canopy is a potential point of entanglement. It is recommended that a main canopy be cut away once you are fully in the water. If there is a current, this will prevent the main from dragging you along with it. A reserve cannot be cut away without a hook knife (if you are going to carry a hook knife, carry a metal, not plastic hook knife. A $5.00 hook knife will not do the job). Roll backward or sideways onto your back. If you have not deployed the reserve, the reserve will keep you floating for approximately 30 minutes in fresh water, longer in saltwater. With the tail (and perhaps the armwings) potentially being still inflated, being on your back will prevent the tail and rig from forcing your face into the water. Try to remain calm, breathe deeply and begin the process of removing goggles, helmet, and legstraps (chest strap if it was not undone in the air). The arm and legwings of a three-wing style wingsuit are similar to a ram-air parachute; there is an inlet and air fills the cells. These same inlets and cells can fill with water as easily as they fill with air. Although water in the cells alone will not cause the wingsuit to sink, movement of the wing will cause the suit to be dragged downward. This means that attempting to tread water will drag you under. Do not attempt to tread water, but rather keep your legs motionless. If there is any current, it is imperative that you stay on your back and try to keep your head upstream. Keeping the legs apart will help achieve this goal. Even a slow current will move your body very fast. Remaining calm is perhaps the most important aspect of clearing the suit and surviving. Jeans, boots, and gloves can make the task of escape a little more difficult than expected. Once you are fully unzipped and your legstraps loose, slide your rig and armwings off. After the upper body has been freed, “sit down” in the rig and suit to put you head-high. This allows the torso to roll forward so that it’s possible to dive deep and away from the rig, allowing the legs to escape from the legstraps and tailwing. Although the USPA SIM instructs skydivers to swim away from their rig, I have made the personal choice that I will not swim away from my rig if the reserve has not been deployed. It may be used as a flotation device and might be the difference between life and death. I will cut away the main canopy and swim away from the main. This is my personal decision and is in opposition to USPA recommendations. Follow at your own risk. During the various water experiments, there were a total of 49 water entries in various conditions and wingsuits, all with a rig or dummy rig in place, many with a main canopy attached. Performance Designs Sabre II, Silhouette, and Storm canopies were used. We jumped into still water 18’ deep, 6’ deep, current pools 34” and 24” deep with speeds up to 7 knots. We also jumped into wave pools with swells of up to 3’, which are small to moderate compared to coastline swells. Tossing the main canopy into the 7 knot current pool. Summary During these entries, three things became clear; Go into the water with as many zippers undone as possible. Your chest strap should also be undone for best possible speed once in the water. while this may seem logical, in at least two of the three unintentional water landings, the wingsuiter forgot to unzip arms while dealing with other issues. Get onto your back as quickly as you can. Stay on your back as legstraps, zippers, helmet releases, and goggles are removed. You may want to consider leaving the helmet on if in moving water and head protection is needed. Take a deep, calming breath. Even though my experiments were intentional water landings, they were still nerve-wracking when the suits were fully zipped up. Being jittery is entirely likely. Staying calm and keeping heart and breathing rates down may easily be the difference in survival, particularly in cold water. Be sure to stay clear of the canopy and lines. Currents may drag the canopy around a bit. Rescuers might have an easier time finding you if they can spot the canopy in the water so staying somewhat near but well clear of canopy and lines is a good idea. A hook knife should be part of your kit. When landing in water that has a current, try to keep your head upstream while getting out of the suit. Leave the helmet on to protect your head from rocks and other objects. Stay as far away from the canopy as possible. This is easier said than done. Note that in the video, the current combined with the canopy drag was more than two men could manage even in shallow water. This is where a hook knife would be beneficial. If the rig has a reserve still packed in it, it will float. It also is very easy to escape once the legstraps are undone, as it will remain on top of the water as you dive forward away from the container. "Exiting" from the 3 meter board, fully zipped In conclusion, if over-water wingsuit flights are planned, seriously consider a floatation device. They will not have a significant impact on the comfort of the suit, and are not relatively expensive. ParaGear, ChutingStar, and other skydiving supply shops sell these devices. Remember that CO2 cartridges may not be carried aboard a commercial flight, so you’ll need to source or ship cartridges to your final destination. If a flotation device is not part of your gear/kit, have an advance plan in the event of a water landing. There have been at least three known unintentional water landings in the US this year; only through luck and calm procedures did the wingsuiters survive. Read the Incident Report below to see how one survivor described his experiences and how multiple errors led him into the water. Big puffies and blue skies (and calm waters, I suppose)! -d Douglas Spotted Eagle is a USPA AFFI, Coach Examiner, PRO, and PFC Senior Examiner (North America) on staff at Skydive Elsinore. Student’s Incident report: ##### Name [Deleted] My age: 31 Years in the sport: 4.5 yrs. # of skydives: 287 # of Wingsuit SD’s: 7 # of BASE: 70+ I recently purchased a new Phantom2 Pheonix fly wingsuit and was super eager to get in the air. I got to the DZ and got on the first available load which was a 10 minute call. On any typical skydive, an immediete 10 minute call upon arrival isn’t so bad, but setting up a wingsuit system quickly is not a great idea, but I did. Mistake #1: I forced myself to have to rush to get on a load to do a technical jump for no apparent reason. In the end, I don’t think my rushed preparation lead to the actual situation, but I guess my mind wasn’t where it should have been. I was the last to exit from 12,500?. I had a really great (mostly stable) flight, flying around some clouds. At pull time, like most jumps, I was out over the ocean. I took one last look at my wrist alti at 5K’. Based on my audibles 4000? warning, I’m guessing I was open between 3500?-3000?. Mistake #2: I shouldn’t have pulled that low with a WS on with my low experience level. Mistake #3: I have made 6 previous WS jumps. All more than 2.5 years ago. I did not physically or mentally dirt dive this jump before getting on the plane. After a stable pull (I felt), I immediatley opended with line twists. I’ve had line twist before with this canopy/harness (Sabre 1, 150; 9 cell/Infinity dom;1997) and was able to kick out of them in the past. This line twist began to accelerate instantly. I made 3-4 attempts to kick out of it, but with the restricted movement of my legs in the WS, and spinning horizontally around the canopy, it didn’t do much at all. Mistake #4: I was under too small of a canopy for a WS jump. My exit weight= 240lbs. Wind loading= 1.6. I should have been under a more docile (7 cell), or larger canopy. So, having no luck with my kick attemps, I chopped it. It took me a few seconds to locate my handles (one hand on each). In my haste, I did a “T-Rex” style cut-away. As soon as I saw my right riser clear, I let go of the handle and pulled the reserve (also “T-rex”). Obviously leading to my main still dragging off my left shoulder. Mistake #5: I was jumping a borrowed rig. Although I’ve had about 20 uneventful (other than line twist) jumps with this rig. I wasn’t really familiar with it. Mistake #6: Probably the biggest one. I DID NOT CLEAR MY CUT AWAY CABLE/HANDLE COMPLETELY! Mistake #7: This goes right along with the above…Pulling my reserve WAY TOO SOON! I think because of my slightly slower descent rate (caused by my main still being attached), and my reserve already fired, I felt the second set of risers bouncing around on my head and saw all the lines whipping in-front of my face. As the reserve was slowly coming to line stretch, the lines were beginning to entangle with my helmet (actually the camera on my helmet) Mistake #8: Wearing a camera on a “student” WS jump. With the lines still “somewhat” relaxed, I thought of dumping my helmet but instead I picked/brushed the lines off the camera, clearing them. A split second later, I felt the canopy pressurize and go to complete line stretch. Instantly, the reserve risers had forced my head completely forward, making my chin squeeze into my neck. I knew I had MAJOR line twists on my reserve now too. So now, I’m under one collapsed main still dragging off my left riser, and one tightly twisted up reserve to my right side, still fully zipped into my WS, and I’m getting choked from behind by the reserve risers and can’t lift my head to see any of it. I knew I wasn’t “falling” anymore and that the canopies were not entangled. I don’t know, but the reserve must have been “un-spinning” because the pressure was slowly coming off the back of my neck and the twist opened up enough to squeeze my head back through, behind the risers. Mistake #9: Not sure if I could have prevented this one. If my arms had been unzipped and out of the wings (which they weren’t) I may have been able to reach back during the reserve deployment, and guided the risers in-front of my head before pressurization. At this point, my first objective was to finally cut the main off so I could get completely out of my reserve line twists. The main was still being held on by 1cm of ripcord cable still in the three ring release closing loop. In any case…I was focused on getting that last tinny bit of rip cord out of the closing loop. I had “tunnel” vision on trying to pick at the centimeter of cord. There was too much tension on the riser so I couldn’t get it out. I was definitely not thinking clearly at that moment. ALL I had to do was find my cut-away handle floating behind me and pull it another 1/4 inch. In retrospect, the dragging main (acting like an anchor) may have kept my reserve from continuing to twist and spin me into the ground/water. I’m not sure if completely cutting away at that point would have been any better. Mistake #10: Had I been thinking clearly, I would have found my handle and finished the job of cutting away. At this point I stopped all attempts to correct anything. I saw that I was about 300 yards(?) of the beach, over the water at about 500-300?(?) up. I knew I was going for a swim. The swell was small (2-3?), but definitely was not flat and calm. In preparation for my mid day swim, I started unzipping everything…chest, arms, legs, chest strap. I then reached above the reserve line twist, grabbed the rear/right line set and did a “rear riser” turn towards the visibly shallower water over the reef. I don't know if that helped at all because I pretty much felt like I was under a round canopy with no directional control. I just knew I was drifting towards the reef now. Not knowing the shallowness above the reef gave me a second of pucker factor, but at this point I had not much control or time anyway. I then did a “backwards” PLF (obviously with no flare, toggles still stowed and twisted). I slammed the water pretty hard. Mistake #11: Although this is what saved me from serious impact, I landed in the water with a WS on….not good! While I was underwater, my wingsuit quickly turned into a tunasuit, but before I even had time to deal with the next hurdle……..I stood up. I was now standing 300 yards out in the surf, in 3 feet of water with both canopies attached and the WS on, all filled with water. I was getting dragged in-land with the swell a little bit, but had plenty of time to finally cut-away the main and completely step out of the WS. I saw all the scrambling of people on the shore. I was soon reached by a couple of skydivers and a rescue kayak. We loaded up the rig on to the kayak and swam back to shore. Mistake #12: I probably should have made my first priority to un-zip my wings. Although, at no point did I feel like they were restraining my movement (until I wanted to steer towards the reef). I guess I unzipped them right when I had a moment and thought it was totally needed. ####### Massive thanks to: Lake Elsinore Casino Tooele City Pool Raging Waters/SLC Skydive Elsinore Skydive Utah Performance Designs Rigging Innovations Teledyne Instruments Joey Allred, Aaron Hutmacher, Jose Calderon, Mannie Frances, Karl Dollmeyer, Scotty Burns, Chuck Blue, Jarno Cordia, Bence Pascu, Joe Turner, Frank Hinshaw, T.K. Hinshaw, Tom Deacon, Jim Crouch, Jack Guthrie, Scott Callantine, Jeanie Curtis, Mike Harlon, Chris Squires, Robert Pecnik, Jeff Donohue, and Andreea Olea. -
Whether you jump at a large dropzone or a small one, you’ve probably shared a ride to altitude with a wingsuiter. Like all skydivers, wingsuiters should receive a thorough gear check, but a wingsuit also creates unique concerns that a watchful eye can catch. Regardless of experience level, it’s possible to make a mistake while gearing up with a wingsuit – in the same way that its possible for any of us to make a mistake while gearing up for a traditional skydive. This is a situation where your vigilance can save a fellow skydiver’s life. Here are a few recommendations that Flock U has for gear checks: A wingsuit skydiver is a skydiver first and a wingsuiter second – you will need to check his or her rig, chest strap, altimeter, goggles, etc. in the same way that you would with any other skydiver. Make sure that the jumper’s AAD is on (if he or she is jumping with one). Pay particular attention to the jumper’s cutaway and reserve handles. While a wingsuiter’s emergency procedures aren’t any different than a traditional skydiver’s, in some suits, handles can become pulled into or obstructed by the fabric of the suit. That can result in a dangerous surprise if a cutaway or reserve pull becomes necessary. After inspecting the rig, examine the wingsuiter’s arm wings – and in particular, examine the connection between the wing and the jumper’s torso. There’s unfortunately no “one size fits all” rule for arm wing inspection, as different wingsuit designs have different wing configurations. That being the case, there are several general categories of wing/torso connections that each raise their own concerns: Cable Thread Systems. Cable Thread Systems consist of a cutaway-style cable that runs through alternating torso and wing tabs, which keep the wing attached to the torso. By pulling on the cutaway cables, the wingsuiter can release the arms of the suit in an emergency. This design can generally be found in BirdMan brand suits, among others. For a Cable Thread Systesm, look to see if the cables are threaded correctly through the tabs, all the way up. In some cases, they will alternate evenly between wing and torso, but often the cable will intentionally be threaded to skip one or more tabs. Don’t hesitate to ask the wingsuiter if you’re not sure – even experienced wingsuiters may not know the proper configuration for suits that they haven’t flown before, and some wingsuiters have preferences for arranging these tabs that differ from the standard. Make sure the wing cutaway handles are properly secured in a Velcro or tuck-tab housing. Note that there’s often both a front and a rear cable on these systems - so check both, on both wings. Zipper Attachment Systems. Zipper Attachment Systems are found primarily on Tonysuit, Phoenix Fly and S-fly brand suits, though there are many different suit designs on the market that use one form or another of the Zipper Attachment System. These systems generally come in two types: “over the shoulder zippers” and “bottom of wing” zipper attachments. “Over the shoulder zippers” are what their name implies – a zipper that runs over the wingsuiter’s shoulder, which connects the wing to the torso. Generally, in this design, the wing isn’t detached from the torso even in an emergency, and the “over the shoulder” zipper is usually only unzipped if the wingsuiter is removing the suit from his or her rig while on the ground. In these models, there’s generally a Velcro breakaway or other cutaway system or a safety sleeve (described below). Look to see if the zipper is attached properly and zipped all the way down. Some wingsuiters will intentionally leave several inches of the zipper unzipped in the back, so ask before correcting a slightly unzipped wing! If the over the shoulder zipper design includes a Velcro breakaway system, check to make sure the Velcro “sandwich” is holding the top and bottom of the wing together and that the Velcro isn’t bunched or pinched – these gaps can widen when the wing encounters the relative wind. Newer Tonysuits brand model have a “safety sleeve” – a ZP liner – that allows the armwing to silde up the jumper’s arm, permitting the wingsuiter to reach canopy controls in an emergency. As a result, there’s no arm wing cutaway system to inspect. When looking at these suits, make sure that the arm zipper – the zipper that runs from the jumper’s shoulder to his or her wrist – is fully zipped. There will generally be a snap or tuck tab on the bottom of the wing; check to see if they are properly stowed. While inspecting the arm wing, check the wingsuiter’s wrist-mount altimeter (if he or she is jumping with one). Make sure that the jumper can release his or her wings without undoing the wrist-mount (which can happen, for example, if the wrist-mount is put on after the arm wing is zipped up in wingsuit designs with a thumb loop). This is a dangerous and easily avoidable method of losing a wrist-mount altimeter! Check to make sure the wingsuiter’s legstraps are on. Leg straps can be missed by wingsuiters while gearing up, as the suits tends to restrict motion and prevent the jumper from seeing his or her legstraps. Even highly experienced wingsuiters have admitted to momentarily forgetting leg straps while gearing up. When using a wingsuit, visual inspection is insufficient to make sure that the leg straps are on – the wingsuit can deceptively pull the strap against the leg, making it appear that the strap is on. Ask the wingsuiter to shrug – the jumper should feel the resistance in the harness created by tightly worn leg straps. Alternately, you can lift the bottom of the wingsuiter’s rig (in other words, under the pilot chute). If the rig moves more than a couple of inches, it’s not secure enough. Each leg of a Tonysuits brand wingsuits also has a leg zipper pull up system, which is basically a bridle that connects to the leg wing zipper. The bridle is stowed against the leg by Velcro or tuck tabs. Also incorporated in this design is a pair of magnets that keep the bottom of the wing together. These magnets must go over the zip pull ups. If they are under the zip pull up, they may jam under canopy. Are the wingsuiter’s booties on? Particularly when the wingsuiter is using a borrowed or rental suit, booties may be ill-fitting. Badly fitted and poorly positioned booties can result in a lost bootie, which can make for an incredibly difficult flight and dangerous canopy deployment. Check to make sure the bootie is on, and straight. Help to make this year a safer year for skydiving by looking out for your fellow jumpers. Making it a habit to look at others’ gear can only result in positive results. Save someone’s life this year - it could be yours! A free, downloadable wingsuit pincheck file can be found on our site at www.flockuniversity.org. This pincheck guide is perfect for printing for Safety Day or for putting on the wall near manifest. Thanks to Jeff Donahue and Andreea Olea for their help in this article. All photos courtesy DSE. -
In November 2008, 71 wingsuit pilots flew in a stealth-bomber-shaped formation over Skydive Elsinore. It was the largest slot-specific formation in the short history of this emerging discipline. But how did the event, which was billed as a “Wingsuit World Record,” change the future of wingsuit flying (if at all)? In a discipline still unrecognized by the FAI and the Guinness Book of World Records, what does it mean to try setting new standards? 71: Achievement and FrustrationThe idea of a big-way wingsuit record was not new. The most notable previous event was in Cochstedt, Germany in July 2006. Organizers there sought Guinness recognition for the largest number of wingsuits exiting on a single jump run, out of an Antonov 72. In contrast, the 2008 71-way at Skydive Elsinore was a purely invitational event focused on slot-specific flying in a four-plane formation. A diverse international team reflected a worldwide growth in the discipline and a global desire to achieve something recognizable within our sport. Hailing from as far as South Africa and Russia, participants from 14 countries qualified for a chance to fly in the big-way by demonstrating their skills at official camps and through a referral system. Five were women (the few, the proud, the only gender not to have a single member axed from her slot!). The skydiving press (the French ParaMag, British Skydive The Mag and American Parachutist, among others) extensively documented the event. The 71-way marked significant achievements as well as frustration. In the achievements column, the team flew a new, wider spacing that reduced oscillation and movement within the unlinked formation. This led to multiple smooth and on-level jumps that looked beautiful from the ground. The previous slot-specific record recognized within the wingsuit community was a 16-way diamond. Like that formation, most small groups had employed a “head-to-foot” spacing technique that encouraged proximity but usually resulted in trailing flyers at the back and reactive vertical motion within the flock. The scope and level of organizing, while it left much room for improvement, was also a check in the achievements column. While there was some initial grumbling about the level of seriousness and the pushing of safety standards in communications to team members prior to the event, most participants expressed relief that the 71-way jumps would be a focused record attempt and not “just another boogie”. Frustration arose when it came time to judge whether the group had succeeded in setting a “world record”. The initial goal was to have each wingsuit pilot flying within three-square-meter boxes arranged in a grid that would be superimposed over still photographs of the formation. The organizers’ proclamation of success was based on a photograph where all flyers were either fully within or touching at least one edge of their three-square-meter grid square. However, without an outside judging structure, heated discussions escalated the meaning of “success” and the best way of judging unlinked formations into a full-throttle debate. Beyond R&D;: 100 over ElsinoreThe debate about how to judge large wingsuit formations will continue unabated until an outside governing body agrees to recognize one set of objective criteria. The 71-way was destined to be a “work in progress” since it had never been done before. With the lessons learned from the experience, an expanded organizing team is preparing for a 100-way wingsuit event at Skydive Elsinore from November 7th to November 13th, 2009. While some ask whether trying to set records before there are established categories is futile, skydiving is not a sport that waits for mainstream approval in order to change and grow. Wingsuiting is an especially entrepreneurial and fast-growing subculture. The hope is to continue safely demonstrating what is possible. In doing so, organizers strive to create events that excite new skydivers and unite those already committed to wingsuit flight. Armed with evidence from last year’s judging attempts, big-way organizers are prepared to continue lobbying both the FAI and Guinness. The 100-way five aircraft formation is invitational. Skills camps are planned between now and July, when official qualifying events begin. A specific Skills Checklist sets out minimum jump requirements and what exit, flying, and canopy skills potential participants need to practice and perfect in order to gain a spot on the team. For more specific information about the 2009 Wingsuit 100-way, go to www.wingsuitworldrecord.com. Numbers and RecognitionOfficial recognition of wingsuit flight as a skydiving discipline will bring a clear judging regime – and therefore, is ultimately necessary for long-term growth. Competition drives our sport, and desire to achieve recognizable goals is at the heart of every team. Whether with the versatility and creativity of vertical relative work or the sheer size of the formation World Team, standards and rules (some made to be broken) compel excellence and progress. In the current vacuum, setting new standards and claiming achievements without official rules is difficult but necessary. The 71-way, for all its imperfections, spurred the wingsuiting community to more seriously consider how it wants to be judged. It also demonstrated that such events have the potential to recruit serious sponsorship and interest from both new skydivers and experienced jumpers in other disciplines. That’s the future.
