EQUIPMENT AND PREPARATION

PREREQUISITE TO WINGSUIT FLYING

  • Skydiving



United States Parachute Association (USPA) recommends the fliers have at least 200 freefall skydives before even thinking about using a wingsuit.
Finding absolutely certified instructor due there is not too many people involved with wingsuit flying.
  • Develop an understanding of aerodynamics

The fliers should have an understanding of what is taking place aerodynamically when they change the shape and orientation of the body in order to create the desired amount lift and drag.
The fliers also need some mountaineering skills in order to reach the top of mountain or cliff. Unless the fliers are able to afford a helicopter ride, and helicopter rides are offered to jump off point.
  • Good physical and mental health.

It is important to remember that when fliers are wingsuit flying, the fliers are more a pilot then a skydiver. So keeping senses during short flight is critically important.
  • A lot of courage to confront the danger

The fliers must to know when to release their parachute and timing are the most crucial things.
  • Stamina
  • The risks are obvious, but some risks are worth taking.


SPECIFIC PREPARATION FOR WINGSUIT FLYING

It is strongly recommended to start wingsuit BASE using a low performance wingsuit i.e. Birdman Classic, GTi or similar. Once the beginners have 10+ good wingsuit BASE jumps they could consider jumping with a higher performance suit.

The following items are strongly recommended:
  • 1 or 2 pin BASE container for wingsuit BASE. The high speed airflow over the container and high deployment angle excludes the use of a Velcro rig.
  • A normal terminal pack job i.e. symmetrical, mesh slider packed “up” (large or fine mesh depending on personal preference).
  • ZP pilot chutes, the size depends on your canopy, between 34” – 38”. The PC should NOT have a hackey handle (or heavy handle). With a hackey PC handle there is the possibility of the bridle wrapping around the base of the handle. A heavy PC handle could contribute to PC hesitation.

The following items are recommended:
  • A container with “dynamic corners” or open corners.
  • A suitable helmet, goggles and low profile protective pads.

Back to the dropzone:
  • Perform 20 hop-n-pops using low performance wingsuit and a sensibly sized 7 cell main, or even better BASE canopy in a skydiving rig. (The 20 jumps can count towards the 50)
  • Work deployment altitude gradually down to USPA minimum of 2200’, open by 2000’ (Discuss this with personal CCI / DZO first, some dropzones may enforce a higher pull altitude)
  • If someone has any instability, deployment or opening problems go back to full altitude jumps until they are rectified, use a BMI if necessary.

During these 20 hop-n-pops think about emergency drills for the following situations, bearing in mind the reduced altitude and time under canopy:
  • Unstable exit
  • Handle inside of pouch /BOC
  • Hard pull
  • Floating handle
  • PC in tow
  • Premature deployment
  • Horseshoe malfunction
  • Line twists
  • Line over
  • Water landing
  • Jammed zip

Now to a far away land:
It is strongly recommended to go to one of the following well known “high” locations for first wingsuit BASE jumps. Become familiar with the object performing normal BASE jumps, getting to know landing areas and outs, obstacles, rock drop, winds, talus / ledges etc.
For example:

Site
Pro
Con
Carl’s Huge wall in Northern Norway:
Good vertical rock drop
Huge LZ
Good access
Not many sheep and it rains a lot
Norwegian Fjord in Southern Norway:
Good vertical rock drop
Medium sized LZ
Good access
Very expensive beer
Italian Terminal wall:
OK vertical rock drop
Small LZ (assume Heli LZ)
Good access
Wind / turbulence can be a problem
Swiss Fungus:
Good vertical rock drop
Large landing area
Access is difficult, requiring high fitness level and basic climbing skills



Once fliers are comfortable with the site, pick a day which feeling 100% and the weather conditions are perfect to make a first wingsuit BASE jump.





THE NAME FOR WINGSUIT FLYING AND SPECIALTY

NAME
SPECIALTY
Vampire 3
Design for pilots who want the maximum in glide performance.
Stealth
Design for experienced wingsuit fliers who want a new level of performance.
Ghost 2
Advanced wingsuit pilots who are looking for a high performance and fun.
Phantom 2
Claims to be the best all around wingsuit on the market, created for “flockers” and progressing pilots.
BIRDMAN® TENGU
Achieves the “best ration ever between maximum weight and wing area”. It has been design for heavier flyers flocking needs.





LEVEL OF EXPERTISE

BEGINNERS:
Once fliers become a competent wingsuit BASE jumper, they should consider:
  • Jumping a higher performance suit
  • Jumping from lower objects, for example the higher exit points in the legal Swiss valley.
  • Jumping camera
  • Performing 2 ways +
  • Opening up new objects
  • Aerials
  • Your imagination is the limit! Make sure there is video!
Note: Trying to land any of the current wingsuit designs is only recommended for the terminally ill.


INTERMEDIATE:
The fliers should done approximately 10+ good wingsuit BASE jumps with a low performance suit and now intend to jump a higher performance suit.

Assuming that the flier has trouble free experience flying the higher performance suit from the plane  that can go ahead and use it for BASE.

Treat first wingsuit BASE jump using the higher performance wingsuit the same as the first wingsuit BASE jump.


PROFESIONALS:
The fliers intend to use the leg pouch PC (e.g. S3 or Phoenix Fly wingsuit) - it is strongly recommended to perform the following ground and skydiving preparation.

Prior to jumping the leg pouch PC perform a couple of thousand practice pulls on the ground. Be able to find the handle, regardless of body position with eyes closed. Do 300 practice pulls a night for a week or so, simulating full flight then deployment.

When packing the PC into the leg pouch assure that the Birdman or Phoenix Fly guide lines are followed. The PC should not be too loose or too tight. It is strongly recommended to bar tack the Velcro sleeve to the bridle - check that the fliers leave enough free bridle between the bar tack and pin to ensure the Velcro is completely peeled before any tension is applied to the pin. Failure to do so can cause PC hesitation.

Don’t mate the male-female Velcro over each other 100% when the suit is brand new, let the them overlap 50% to the side for the first few dozen jumps until the Velcro is slightly worn. For more details on assembling and packing the leg pouch PC system please refer to
http://www.interone.net/learn/basepc.html.

Perform at least 10 skydives with the system, using a wingsuit or BASE bridle, start with normal altitude jumps, performing dummy pulls in flight and then pulling high to give yourself extra time. Assuming that the fliers have no opening problems or issues finding the PC handle quickly & easily can work down to lower altitude deployments.

Treat first wingsuit BASE jump using the leg pouch the same as first wingsuit BASE jump. 
Specific wingsuit drills to perform while jumping from the plane:
  • Barrel rolls
  • Front flips
  • Back flying
  • Flying and pulling with left arm wing closed (i.e. to simulate blown wing)
  • Pulling out of steep dives quickly (i.e. bad exit)
  • Dropping knees
  • Turning with minimal altitude loss
  • Carving turns
  • Arching, de-arching
  • Deploying from full flight
  • Flying with one bootie off
  • Turning only with legs
  • Turning only with arms



This is the video of the fliers performing wingsuit activity.