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Skydiving Gear and Equipment: Jumpsuits and Clothing: Bird-Man Suits: Skyflyer.3

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Item: Skyflyer.3  Manufacturer: Bird-Man Suits   (792 Hits)     Description: Like its predecessor, the Skyflyer, the Skyflyer.3 (or S3) is a wingsuit meant for experienced wingsuit flyers. What makes the S3 different, though, is that both the arm and leg wings are slightly longer. The leg wing on the S3 is also noticeably wider than on the Skyflyer, which has a somewhat narrow leg stance. The wider leg stance on the S3 feels more comfortable in flight and it offers greater surface area. The wing profile has also changed. The ribs inside the arm and leg wings of the S3 are smaller to create a flatter wing (less drag). These factors have improved the aerodynamics of the suit making it faster forward and slower vertically than the Skyflyer. Added: 2003-07-09 | Item ID: 428

User Reviews: Average Rating: Total Reviews: 3 Write a Review Read all 3 Reviews

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3 Recent Reviews:

8 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

Big Upgrade from the GTI
Rated by: KrisFlyZ (more about me) on 2005-01-18 00:00:00 (user reviews) Review ID:1163

Pros: Great Customer Service
Cons: None

I probably am not adding anything new to the reviews here, but I am obliged to give the suit a 5 out of 5 and the customer service a 5 out of 5. My S3's arm wing tore after two jumps(we never figured out if it was a manufacturing defect of if I snagged it jumping out of the cessna 182 on a weekday). Birdman Inc fixed the problem at their expense and even shipped the suit back overnight(at their expense).

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36 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

What can I say, it kicked my ass!
Rated by: nicknitro71 (more about me) on 2004-04-19 00:00:00 (user reviews) Review ID:973

Pros: Powerful Suit
Cons: Physically demending

I did not put many jumps on my S3 but I would like to give a fresh review before I actually learn how to maximize it. First thing is that despite the number of jumps you have (both FF and WS) if you are not physically fit do not get this suit. Stick with a classic or a GTI. This suit demands a great deal of force no matter your experience level. I’m 5.10 ½ 155 Lb with 6% body fat and I work out regularly still the S3 kicked my ass, arms actually in just three consecutive jumps. To get a decent fall rate those arms must be put to work hard. Keeping the legs straight is not a big deal. The forward speed generated is tremendous and despite the fact that I’m still far from flying efficiently I got as low as 43 mph for about 5000’ on my fifth jump. This tells me that I should be able to get in the 30s and hopefully in the 20s as I learn more about it. Turning is relatively easy and the S3 does not fish tail unlike, they say, the normal Skyflier although I have never flown one. Pull time is critical because the fabric of the wings could cover the BOC. You just gotta pull the fabric aside with a little search and then pull hard. I don’t slow down or close my legs during pull time. If your arms get tired during the flight, and they will, relaxing them will put you in a steep dive; it happened to me twice. If you find yourself in that situation just bend your knees to reduce the lift from the legs. The most efficient position I was able to find thus far is with the legs completely straight and wide, knees locked, feet pointed out, arms 5 degrees bent at the elbow, shoulder rotated it as much as possible, hands on the winglets, and a slight de-arch. Turning with your feet generate shallower banks, the opposite is true by using the arms. I find the suit easy to turn, fast and crisp, but not too oversensitive. It did not over-steer on me. My canopy openings have been flawless so far. I jump a h-mod Viper 105. My container is a Wings EXT with open corners, and I have a 28” PC. I place the bag with the bridle grommet facing the BOC. Overall I’m happy with the S3. To tell you the truth if I was just going to skydive it I would have probably gotten a GTI. The thing is I want to do BASE with it and I need fast pressurization and lots of forward speed. I really think if you are not gonna be doing WS BASE or if you don’t care about squeezing out every MPH an easier suit might be a better option. Finally the quality of the construction is unbelievable, Robert does a helluva job putting the thing together and the CS at Bird-Man is top notch.

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10 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

When you just have to go Longer, Slower and Faster...
Rated by: PhreeZone (more about me) on 2003-11-01 00:00:00 (user reviews) Review ID:827

Pros: Extremely powerful suit, more wing area then the Space Shuttle
Cons: Wings can interfere in pulling, Wrist needs measured with gloves on

I just love my S3. There is nothing I find too horrible about the suit. Its not for a beginner though. The wings can interfere in pulling until you get the trick down. Measure the suit with gloves on if you might ever jump them, they make the suits tight on the wrists. Also watch the zippers, I had one break on the first jump.

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