Wingsuits allows us skydivers to soar through the air, and feel super rad doing it.
Whether you are doing acrobatics (Acro) or trying to achieve a new high speed, flocking with your friends, carving head down or trying to cover the most distance as possible, all have one thing in common…it is FUN! Wingsuiting is fun, no matter what you decide to do with it.
Of course it’s fun until something doesn’t go to plan, but let’s save that for another post.
In this post I will be showing you an entry level/beginner suit and also an intermediate suit.
To use a wingsuit in the UK you will need either a total of 500 skydives, or 200 skydives all completed within a year and a half period. Sound ridiculous? In my opinion it is, which is why I decided to visit a wingsuit school in the USA where they have a more sensible approach. It is very common for UK jumpers to learn to wingsuit in the USA as they the states only require 200 skydives in total, you are not required to have done them all within 18 months.
When you do your FFC (first flight course) you will start with a small wingsuit, like a Phoenix-fly Shadow or Phantom. I did my first jump with a Tony suits T-Bird, as that is what the american wingsuit academy at Z-Hills prefer to students use. After completing 15 or so jumps with this suit at Z-hills in Florida, I bought a T-bird when I returned to the UK. It gave me confidence buying the same style suit that I had been jumping out at Z-hills.
The suit is below:
It has small arm wings and leg wing, and is very forgiving. I continued to use the suit for Acro after I had stacked up more skydives with it, and it fly's amazing on its back. The deployment handle is within easy reach, the suit does not restrict your pull like some bigger suits can.
Here are a few pics of it up in the air:
Exiting from planes with a step is a bit of a pig though, like this Cessna 206, its not my preferred jump ship for wingsuiting.
I then upgraded to the Phoenix-Fly Havok Carve, which is a great all around suit. It is larger compared to the T-bird, the leg wing is bigger as are the arm wings. I can achieve a longer freefall time in the Havok Carve, it is incredibly stable on its back also. Its my 'go to' suit, theres nothing it can't do and it has excellent range, which is why I think I'll keep it. I still get excited every time I jump it, and its greeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!
Flocking at Skydive Netheravon in the Summer. This particular jump I remember well as there was thick cloud at around 5,500ft and we all flew straight through it, but we didnt realise how thick it was, we were in it blind for some time. We all came out the other end doing barrel rolls before pulling to make sure we werent still close to each other.
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