abean3 0 #1 December 9, 2012 I am looking to get a new wingsuit here for next summer and am looking at the Ghost 3 and S-Bird. I will try to demo both suits before I order, but I wanted to hear how you guys that have flown these suits feel about them. How do they compare in speed, glide, agility, versatility? I will have about 150 jumps on my P2 by the time I order. I am a larger than the average wingsuiter at 6'3 and 230, so lift is important. I want a suit that gives more glide and time than my P2, but I don't want a flying carpet that lacks agility and responsiveness. Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 73 #2 December 9, 2012 Can only speak for the Ghost3, but in terms of backflying capability, power in the suit its one of the coolest big suits around. The Russian team scoring 2nd place in Hungary at the International Artistic Wingsuit Competition, flew Ghost3's for acro in the full comp, and did some pretty sick stuff with the suit. And in terms of lift, the suit has nice big armwings, resulting in the slightly flatter angle of attack that the bigger folks among us will like, with enough legwing to drive you forward with loads of speed. Here is a picture of 'Bionic' Rob flying his Ghost3 for the first time yesterday. The smile says it all.JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WickedWingsuits 0 #3 December 9, 2012 I agree with Jarno as it depends what you want to do with the suit. The S is truly fantastic in performance and has a wide range from flocking to solo performance. P2 to S is a big jump. I would suggest throwing and R in there as a stepping stone.Summer Rental special, 5 weeks for the price of 4! That is $160 a month. Try before You Buy with Wicked Wingsuits - WingsuitRental.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
abean3 0 #4 December 9, 2012 Wow I didn't realize the Ghost was that agile! Plus that picture looks great. Would the Ghost be capable of 3+ minute flights? Depending on my skill and ability of course If I go the S route my plan would be to rent and work my way up the ladder! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mccordia 73 #5 December 9, 2012 The PF Havok (the slightly smaller acrobatic brother of the Ghost3) is one minor step smaller than the Ghost3, and I can push out 3 minutes on that one from 12.000 without a problem. So on the ghost3, with its additional wingspan, shouldnt be of any problem (with some practice) to get those times.JC FlyLikeBrick I'm an Athlete? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shredex 0 #6 December 9, 2012 From Paralog.net Ghost 3: Top Distance: 2.554 km (1.586 miles) Top Speed: 248.4 km/h (154.3 mph) Top Time: 60.8s?????? S-Bird: Top Distance: 3.474 km (2.158 miles) Top Speed: 277.3 km/h (172.3 mph) Top Time: 76.1s???????? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #7 December 9, 2012 Quote Wow I didn't realize the Ghost was that agile! Plus that picture looks great. Would the Ghost be capable of 3+ minute flights? Depending on my skill and ability of course If I go the S route my plan would be to rent and work my way up the ladder! ] Ghost 3 is quite capable of 3 mins or more, even on a fat-ass. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdctlc 0 #8 December 9, 2012 The two suits are quite different and do what they do well. The big advantage that I see the Ghost 3 having is being a better balanced Back Flying suit. Can you backfly a S-Bird, absolutely, but I might give the nod to the G3 for that. In terms of Performance the S-Bird is hands down better, again in MY opinion. It is tough to compare the two as the S-Bird class suit is more comparable to a Vampire class suit. The Ghost 3 is comparable to a suit that does not really exist, a Super Mach Wing with a Raptor tail. You have to ask yourself what you want to do and that will tell you the direction to go. Personally I fly a S-bird for almost all applications and find it to have a huge range of performance to work within. Just my quick thoughts... Scott C."He who Hesitates Shall Inherit the Earth!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
voilsb 1 #9 December 10, 2012 I'm a Phoenix-fly fan-boy and I completely agree with Scott. I liked the S-bird better than the Ghost (I've flown all 3 ghosts). However, we're built similar. I'm 5'11 and 200 lbs. At about 100 WS jumps I wanted something as you describe, because I just wasn't satisfied with the performance my P2 was giving me. Well, I couldn't immediately afford another wingsuit, so I kept jumping my P2. A hundred more WS jumps, and my opinion changed. Another hundred and it changed some more. I recently (and finally) replaced my P2 ... I bought a Phantom 3, because the Ghost didn't have the agility or power I wanted; it seemed sluggish compared to the phantom. The Vs were way too much wing for the sorts of flying I do, and impractical in groups. I no longer have any issues keeping up with just about anyone in my phantom now. I've gotten quite close to 3 minutes on a phantom2, and haven't tried in the P3 yet (only put 3 jumps on it so far, mostly acro and backflying) So seriously, think about ordering a P3, or just holding off on replacing your P2. by the time you have 200 jumps on your P2 your performance envelope will have greatly improved and you may likely change your mind.Brian Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
abean3 0 #10 December 11, 2012 Hey guys I really appreciate all the info and guidance. I know these two suits are in different classes, but they both seem to have a lot of really good characteristics so I am interested in both. It would be great to have both, but the wife would not allow that Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piisfish 135 #11 December 11, 2012 ditch the wife scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BenediktDE 2 #12 December 11, 2012 Quote ditch the wife Then you'd even have money for more than 2 suits. And a lot of time to fly them. For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
birdynamnam 28 #13 December 11, 2012 Quoteit seemed sluggish Can you elaborate on that, other than the obvious that a smaller suit always feels more agile Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
voilsb 1 #14 December 14, 2012 QuoteQuoteit seemed sluggish Can you elaborate on that, other than the obvious that a smaller suit always feels more agileJust seemed to take more imput to get change. Whereas a phantom, vampire, or s-bird will go from flock to afterburners for breakoff almost instantly, it seemed to take the ghost longer to get moving. Likewise to stop from a dive (like from last out in the plane to the formation) the P, V, and S go from 100% to stop pretty easily, and I had to start slowing down the ghost significantly earlier. Same thing with turns.Brian Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkymonkeyONE 3 #15 December 15, 2012 Pretty easy decision so long as you decide on what type of flying you are after. As a bigger guy stepping up from a P2, are you looking for belly performance or are you just looking for a "bigger" phantom-type suit you can do acro and a lot of backflying in? Far and fast?: S-bird. a bigger PF suit that's great for flocking and backflying?: Havok or Ghost3. I generally only fly my S-bird for faster, longer flights on my belly. I don't like the way it flys on it's back (too much leg wing for my taste in that orientation). I have no use for a suit bigger than that as a smaller guy. . I have a Ghost on the rack that fits me, but I'm small enough that I generally only have my Phantom2 rigged up for 90% of what I do. Chuck DragonFly Wingsuit School Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
devildog 0 #16 December 17, 2012 Quote Here is a picture of 'Bionic' Rob flying his Ghost3 for the first time yesterday. The smile says it all. On the right (his left wing) it looks like a demon / ghost head coming out of the fabric. You stop breathing for a few minutes and everyone jumps to conclusions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #18 December 18, 2012 Quote Quote Here is a picture of 'Bionic' Rob flying his Ghost3 for the first time yesterday. The smile says it all. On the right (his left wing) it looks like a demon / ghost head coming out of the fabric. Very cool shot/lighting! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
