Amazing video if you're into wingsuits...

Jeb Corliss

thanks for posting

If you follow this sort of stuff, Jeb is the man. There are others who are more daring (and dead), but Jeb has been doing it longer and better than anyone else.

Gracias for the link, amigo! Me, I'd need fresh shorts just standing near the edge of that cliff.

Do they have any videos of this in real time rather than slow motion? I should imagine that wingsuit or not, he is moving pretty fast. What was the actual time of that or similar flights?
Peter.

Peter, I did see one about a year ago where they showed the guy going by (at a very low level) the camera and people on the ground and he was really going fast.

Terminal velocity for face down and arms spread is 120 - 130 mph. For head down, feet up attitude you can reach 180 mph vertical speed. However, by angling your body you can achieve a ground speed of around 20-25 mph with a vertical speed of 130-140 mph. Assuming no wind assist.

By adding a wingsuit, you are better at converting your vertical velocity into horizontal velocity (ground speed). The advanced suits achieve a glide ratio of about 1:2.5. So these guys can move 90 to 110 mph in ground speed. Yeeehaaa.

Given these performance data, it becomes apparent how critical it is to map these routes to within a meter or two of elevation to avoid disaster. When these guys descend narrow chutes just above the ground, they are inches from disaster. Takes a lot more guts -- and faith in your speed and glide ratio -- than I possess.

Thank you gentlemen, that is exactly what I was looking for. The go pro camera doesn't really show the vertical speed . I guess that is why then don't jump off church steeples! Additionally how much directional capability do they have? The video shows him "flying" between a couple of cliffs (?), but I am assuming that it takes a while to change direction with a wingsuit, especially dropping like a stone!
Very educational comments!
peter

Looks like a ton of fun and a really good way to bust your ass...

The average career span for these guys is about 6 years. You either burn one in or you encounter an immovable object and survive, but a little less mobile than when you began wingsuit flying.

A high price to pay, but I wish the technology had been more developed when I was jumping. Would have done it in a heartbeat.

These guys have more guts, but I still think the Jetman Yves Rossy has more fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2sT9KoII_M

Opus1 how does one LEARN to fly using a wingsuit? Seems like it is all or nothing! Having the ability to pull the shute at any time is certainly handy!
Peter.

Since there is no real regulation in the sport, generally speaking you should first have at least a B license (50 jumps) and ground instruction on the suit. Your first few jumps from an aircraft should be with an instructor should you get into trouble. From there, you need a lot of BASE jump experience with a standard ram air canopy.

Assuming you survive your BASE jump experience you can marry BASE jumping with a wingsuit. I would say something in the minimum range of 120 to 150 jumps and you could be sailing through the Swiss mountains. Whether you survive the next 150 jumps is largely a crap shoot.

Wing suits have come a long way from the simple one I flew back in '78, but I doubt I could ever jump off a mountain.

Wow, that's beyond crazy. I'd want my wing suit to be made of brown material...

quote:

Originally posted by Opus1:

There are others who are more daring (and dead), but Jeb has been doing it longer and better than anyone else.

Better?...no so sure, He crashed in 2012 broke both his legs.....Id say he's just he's been more fortunate than the others
in that he didnt die in his mishap.

Even for other freak people like free climber Alex Honnold, who did half dome without ropes
their death on the mountain is mostly just a matter of time.

This looks like all kinds of fun!
Glider

Where is the emergency parachute?
Peter.

I know what I want for my birthday!

Now, where to come up with 100K?

friar

That is cool but at approx. $80,000 seems a bit spendy to me.

80 grand plus tax, plus shipping

If you have to ask the price. . . .