The FAI grid and wingsuit formations..

[unclecharlie95 3]

I am helping to organise a national (Italian) wingsuit formation record attempt later this year.

Finding info on the FAI website takes a little patience but I hope the following are current and accurate:
http://www.fai.org/downloads/ipc/IPC_Wingsuit_LargeFormationPerf_Records
http://www.fai.org/downloads/ipc/IPC_Wingsuit_LargeFormation_Grid

I have been out of the flocking scene for a few years and see that the current 'official' records are 61 in the US and 42 in Euroland.

What spacing are people flying now? 5m? Do you still stair step to give the rows further back site lines on the base? Just wondering if the techniques have changed..

Thanks for any info you can share :) I don't think the 42 way is at risk but if things go well I hope for a teenager.

BASEstore.it

[Thijs 0]

unclecharlie95

What spacing are people flying now? 5m? Do you still stair step to give the rows further back site lines on the base? Just wondering if the techniques have changed..

We tried not to stair step it (Euro 42), so keeping everything in on level, but it is quite hard to keep the people in the back really on level.
For spacing you can probably just look at the pictures of the record. Setting it up a bit more wide gives you more room to play with the grid.

[kallend 1,920]

unclecharlie95

I am helping to organise a national (Italian) wingsuit formation record attempt later this year.

Finding info on the FAI website takes a little patience but I hope the following are current and accurate:
http://www.fai.org/downloads/ipc/IPC_Wingsuit_LargeFormationPerf_Records
http://www.fai.org/downloads/ipc/IPC_Wingsuit_LargeFormation_Grid

I have been out of the flocking scene for a few years and see that the current 'official' records are 61 in the US and 42 in Euroland.

What spacing are people flying now? 5m? Do you still stair step to give the rows further back site lines on the base? Just wondering if the techniques have changed..

Thanks for any info you can share :) I don't think the 42 way is at risk but if things go well I hope for a teenager.

We used nominal 9' spacing on the 61-way. (That is, the length of the edge of each box in the grid when marked out on the ground for the dirt dives). Dennis and I marked out the grid on the ground.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[kallend 1,920]

Something else to consider when going for a record with the FAI rules: no part of the skydiver or equipment must be outside the box. That includes GoPros on helmets. We nearly lost a state record because a GoPro was visible across the line on the first picture submitted.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[mccordia 74]

I guess we need to start selecting taller people for base, and shorter people for the back of the formation to make it easier. A 2.05 meter Dutch person with legs straight vs a 155 tiny girl with feet on her bum for sure creates a huge margin..

Hope single point measurement (head center) one day makes it in...and then we'll again retire all records etc etc

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[kallend 1,920]

mccordia

I guess we need to start selecting taller people for base, and shorter people for the back of the formation to make it easier. A 2.05 meter Dutch person with legs straight vs a 155 tiny girl with feet on her bum for sure creates a huge margin..

Hope single point measurement (head center) one day makes it in...and then we'll again retire all records etc etc

No tall person needed. The FAI rules don't tie the box size to any person size.

www.dfv.aero/downloads/WS-LFD-2015.pdf

(And you already know my opinion on square grid criteria so no need to re-hash that).

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[hjumper33 0]

Granted ive never had much interest in this stuff other than to watch the banter every time it gets brought up, but why can a 65 person formation have 10%f of people not in slots, but a 66 person can only have 8%?

[WickedWingsuits 0]

It reads a bit confusing. It means 10% of the number of jumpers from 45-65 but then after that the number just represents the number of jumpers, not a %.

So 50 allows 10% which is 5. But then 66 is 8.

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[LloydDobbler 2]

unclecharlie95

Do you still stair step to give the rows further back site lines on the base? Just wondering if the techniques have changed..

No more stair stepping in all the recent records I've been a part of. The rationale is that adding levels tends to lead to looser flying. You want to encourage participants to look for the chest strap of the person in front of them to keep things on level.

As for sighting the base, it's more important to localize your references (even in a 'teenager-way').
(All stuff you've probably encountered before. Again, the more recent move has been to simplify what each participant is worried about. As formations get bigger, everyone should be focused on flying relative to their immediate surroundings, and only occasionally look further out. As they say in big way FS, from the perspective of each individual participant, it's not a 200-way - it's a 6-way. From the perspective of the camera flyer, it's a big way.)

Good luck with the record, James!

Signatures are the new black.

[unclecharlie95 3]

Thanks for the feedback everyone :)

BASEstore.it

[dthames 0]

LloydDobbler

*** Do you still stair step to give the rows further back site lines on the base? Just wondering if the techniques have changed..

No more stair stepping in all the recent records I've been a part of. The rationale is that adding levels tends to lead to looser flying. You want to encourage participants to look for the chest strap of the person in front of them to keep things on level.

As for sighting the base, it's more important to localize your references (even in a 'teenager-way').
(All stuff you've probably encountered before. Again, the more recent move has been to simplify what each participant is worried about. As formations get bigger, everyone should be focused on flying relative to their immediate surroundings, and only occasionally look further out. As they say in big way FS, from the perspective of each individual participant, it's not a 200-way - it's a 6-way. From the perspective of the camera flyer, it's a big way.)

Good luck with the record, James!

I normally fly on the front edge and I try to keep an eye on the base as we have less local reference up front. If my distance to my local reference changes but the distance to the base does not, I try to stay put as much as I can. That is what we are coached to do, not to react to local bobbles.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[kallend 1,920]

dthames

****** Do you still stair step to give the rows further back site lines on the base? Just wondering if the techniques have changed..

No more stair stepping in all the recent records I've been a part of. The rationale is that adding levels tends to lead to looser flying. You want to encourage participants to look for the chest strap of the person in front of them to keep things on level.

As for sighting the base, it's more important to localize your references (even in a 'teenager-way').
(All stuff you've probably encountered before. Again, the more recent move has been to simplify what each participant is worried about. As formations get bigger, everyone should be focused on flying relative to their immediate surroundings, and only occasionally look further out. As they say in big way FS, from the perspective of each individual participant, it's not a 200-way - it's a 6-way. From the perspective of the camera flyer, it's a big way.)

Good luck with the record, James!

I normally fly on the front edge and I try to keep an eye on the base as we have less local reference up front. If my distance to my local reference changes but the distance to the base does not, I try to stay put as much as I can. That is what we are coached to do, not to react to local bobbles.

That is correct (writing as another front-edge guy). Just looking at your local environment all too easily leads to waves propagating through the formation.


Also in RW big ways (of which I do a lot) you are very definitely told to look at the base and not at your grips. Fly your slot relative to the base and the grips will come to you.

I've done something like 1,000 RW jumps of 100-way or bigger, and not once have I ever been told it's only a 6-way. It's nothing like a 6-way.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[unclecharlie95 3]

btw. We managed a 16 and then a 17.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epunWEtofK0&feature=youtu.be

Flying still needs work but considering the average experience level of the flyers it was a good result.

BASEstore.it

[Skwrl 56]

unclecharlie95

btw. We managed a 16 and then a 17.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epunWEtofK0&feature=youtu.be

Flying still needs work but considering the average experience level of the flyers it was a good result.

Nice work!

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