Wingsuit – Free Aeronautics

Since ancient times, man dreamed of flying, and even with the advent of airplanes, the relevance of the ancient desire has not diminished. But the world is constantly improving, and today the human dream has practically become a reality. To feel like a free bird you just need to put on a special costume equipment Wingsuit (Wingsuit) and rush, spreading your wings in free flight.Wingsuit is a fabric costume that imitates wings. To date, flights in such a suit are classified as a special kind of parachute jumping. Wingsuit forms in the air 3 forms of wings (in the arms and between the legs), which allows a person to control his flight. The two-layer material is inflated by means of ascending air currents through the air intakes, which creates a lifting force for movement. High pressure in the wings forms the lack of stiffness, thanks to which the wings are easily held by hands. All this allows the ancient human dream to come true and feel like a bird.

Before the jump, the athlete, on some kind of aircraft, goes to a height of 4 km, from where he is overwhelmed by desire and adrenaline rushes down at a speed of about 180 km / h. Managing this costume requires good preparation and experience, so it is recommended that you start with at least 200 regular parachute jumps. Nevertheless, fans of this air art, who are not scared away by the pretty decent cost of the kit ($ 5,000), are already many today.

In total, at least 75 people have died in attempts to invent the optimal design of the bat wing. High mortality, as a result, became the reason for the ban imposed by the US Parachuting Federation (USPA) on any tests of this type of wing. This ban lasted until the end of the 80s, and in the mid-90s, the current wingsuit scheme was first put forward. After a while, the wingsuit took shape in one of the types of skydiving, embodying the very best of skysurfing and base jumping.

In 1998, inventors Jari Kuosma and Robert Peknik finally managed to develop a safe model of a suit for sky-surfing. They founded BirdMan, Inc., which set a course for mass promotion of the wingsuit and did not regret it. At the moment, there are several varieties of wingsuit suits:
– Classic, designed for beginners;
– GTI – average level;
– Skyflyer focused on advanced athletes.

All three available models are equipped with a special quick disconnect mechanism, which allows you to choose an arbitrary flight mode. The membranes between the legs are also detachable – this ensures freedom of movement at the time of landing. In order to catch the wind and create traction, the base jumper needs to manipulate his body. The main goal in this case is to minimize the speed of fall and prolong the sweetness of the flight from the enjoyment of the surrounding fantastic views. The suit is controlled by changing the position of the body or increasing (decreasing) the angle of incidence.

It is worth noting that modern costume designs are constantly being developed to combine jumping in wingsuit with sky surfing or adapting a costume for base jumping from various points. The rage is a jet engine that connects to the wingsuit. However, this innovation has not yet received such a massive move and is at the testing stage.