Remarkable, the dude lands on the lake in the 3rd vid: [video=youtube_share;rnvvsjstveM]http://youtu.be/rnvvsjstveM[/video] [video=youtube_share;f56QRCwpBYI]http://youtu.be/f56QRCwpBYI[/video] [video=youtube_share;o2xmAWS4akE]http://youtu.be/o2xmAWS4akE[/video]
The guy threading the the hole in the mountain arches is what made me think.....you only get one shot at it. To high, to low, right speed. No turning back once committed.
This is insane.....and love it. [video=youtube_share;FRu6ZxFAVU 8]http://youtu.be/FRu6ZxFAVU8[/video] [video=youtube_share;S-EFmKr7P0w]http://youtu.be/S-EFmKr7P0w[/video] [video=youtube_share;-v-XACYdKIE]http://youtu.be/-v-XACYdKIE[/video]
I've always been fascinated by those who fall out of airplanes on purpose. That goes for skydivers, airborne troops, wingsuit flyers, etc. Looks fun, but nope lol. Flying is fun as hell but the absolutely closest I will ever allow myself to get to "feeling like a bird" is flying a small helicopter without doors on it. That's it, I need a machine around me they can have that free fall stuff...
Eh... I can do that. (while sitting safely in front of my computer) [video=youtube;v4-DvWdKUqE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4-DvWdKUqE[/video] btw, that water landing was pretty incredible. .
A wing suit is subject to the same forces acting upon it as any airfoil. Even in what appears to be clean air, around mountainous areas they could hit a microburst and lose altitude rapidly in fractions of a second. I look at activities like this as foolhardy quite frankly.
But what a hoot it would be to try and being 25 years younger. Did you watch the vid at Wright Paterson of a plane doing a ground extraction in 1943? - - - Updated - - - lol....
A few C-130s were equipped to perform "Fulton" surface-to-air extractions which are something similar to the video taken in 1943. [video=youtube;7dU9JntKuh0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dU9JntKuh0[/video]
I was aware of the fulton... wonder what was the ground speed is of the loved C-130 at the point of extraction.
2 or 3 have got that wish. [video=youtube;kXARDYRFEj8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXARDYRFEj8[/video]
130 knots, roughly 150 milers per hour. There have 17 live pick ups with the Fulton system, and one fatality. This particular method of recovery is discontinued.
I'll send flowers to your funeral should you be foolish enough to engage in this activity. According to the statistics 72% of the folks active in this sport have been witness to serious injury or death. The average "career" lasts 6 years..it ends from either getting killed or gaining their senses. Personally, I don't like those odds. [video=youtube;KF214wDC4L8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF214wDC4L8[/video] [video=youtube;l4rD3MhFATA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4rD3MhFATA[/video] [video=youtube;6fXOInlMU0A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fXOInlMU0A[/video]
I'll stick to parachuting, but to each their own. If they want to take the risk, that's their choice. I would like to do it one day though. I can imagine it would be incredibly fun. I don't see why you couldn't use it in freefall and parachute down as normal.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/m...suicide-than-a-sport.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 "It's more like suicide than a sport" When the seasoned professionals decide to hang up the winged suit...well can the amateurs really do much better? Youtube popularizes the daredevil extreme sports, but often neglects to point out when the bad stuff happens...yes life itself is inherently dangerous, just commuting to work is accepting some risk...however this is beyond a normal acceptance of some risk...this is indeed a death wish if one engages in the sport long enough. The seasoned veterans, with hundreds of jumps...still fall.