Wingsuit flying

The modern wingsuit, first developed in the late 1990s, uses a pair of fabric membranes stretched flat between the arms and flanks/thighs to imitate an airfoil, and often also between the legs to function as a tail and allow some aerial steering.

Batwings, a precursor to wingsuits, were showcased in the 1969 film, The Gypsy Moths, starring Burt Lancaster and Gene Hackman.

[4] In the mid-1990s, the modern wingsuit was developed by Patrick de Gayardon of France, adapted from the model used by John Carta.

In 1998, Chuck "Da Kine" Raggs built a version that incorporated hard ribs inside the wing airfoils.

At the same event, jumpers performed formation wingsuit skydives with de Gayardon's, Popov's, and Raggs' suits.

[citation needed] In 1999, Jari Kuosma of Finland and Robert Pečnik [hr] of Croatia teamed up to create a wingsuit that was safe and accessible to all skydivers.

It is also important that wingsuit pilots spread their legs and arms at the proper time to avoid hitting the tail or becoming unstable.

Unlike when exiting an airplane, it takes time to build up airspeed to inflate the wingsuit and provide aerodynamic control.

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.

The main surface is typically made from ripstop nylon, with various materials used to reinforce the leading edge, and reduce drag.

With experience, pilots can choose to upgrade to more advanced suits that have more surface area and increased glide performance.

Reducing inlet drag while maintaining high internal suit pressure is also important in modern wingsuit design.

[16] As suit technology and pilot skill have improved, wingsuit BASE jumpers have learned to control their flight so that they can fly within several meters of terrain.

Jumping from a fixed object means starting with low airspeed which requires different flying positions and skills.

As of 2010, there have been experimental powered wingsuits, often using small jet engines strapped to the feet[20] or a wingpack setup to allow for even greater horizontal speeds and even vertical ascent.

On 25 October 2009, in Lahti, Finland, Visa Parviainen jumped from a hot air balloon in a wingsuit with two small turbojet engines attached to his feet.

[20][21] Parviainen continued jumping from hot air balloons and helicopters, including one for the Stunt Junkies program on Discovery Channel.

[22] Christian Stadler from Germany invented the "VegaV3 wingsuit system" that uses an electronic adjustable hydrogen peroxide rocket.

With practice, pilots can learn to fly larger suits with more surface area, which allow for increased glide and airtime.

[27] The largest global record was a diamond formation involving 100 wingsuit pilots at Perris, California, on 22 September 2012.

[33] The longest verified wingsuit BASE jump is 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) by the American Dean Potter[34] on 2 November 2011.

Potter jumped from the Eiger mountain and spent 3 minutes and 20 seconds in flight, descending 2,800 metres (9,200 ft) of altitude.

The biggest wingsuit BASE jump as measured from exit to landing was performed on 11 August 2013 by Patrick Kerber with a height of 3,240 metres (10,630 ft) off the Jungfrau in Switzerland.

[38] On 20 and 21 April 2012, Colombian skydiver Jhonathan Florez set Guinness World Records in wingsuit flying.

The longest (duration) wingsuit flight was 9 minutes, 6 seconds[39] The current world record for longest time in flight within the performance competition rules, i.e. within 1,000 m (3,300 ft) of vertical distance, was set on 28 Aug 2018 by Chris Geiler (US) with a time of 100.2 sec (1.67 min)[40] The highest altitude wingsuit jump is 13,183.70 m (43,253.6 ft), and was achieved by Aaron Smith above Whiteville, Tennessee, US, on 1 July 2023.

[41] As of 2022[update], the Guinness World Record for "greatest absolute distance flown in a wing suit" is 32.094 km (19.94 mi) set by Kyle Lobpries (US) in Davis, California, on 30 May 2016.

[47] Recent statistics reflect the growing safety of the wingsuit activity to being comparable to similar flying activities such as hang gliding, with BASE jumpers in the United States seeing a fatality rate of 2 in 1000 participants as compared to hang gliding's fatality rate of 1 in 1000 participants.

[50] This makes aircraft descending a much less deadly form of wingsuit flying, though deemed less extreme by fans of the sport.

Wingsuit flying is broadly allowed and lightly regulated in countries such as Brazil, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, New Zealand, Iceland, India, Russia, Georgia, Mexico, and Venezuela.