Brian's First Wingsuit Flight in Norway: Youtube Video by Brian Germain

[BrianSGermain 1]

Check out this video on YouTube:

Enjoy!!!

"Wingsuit Flight in Norway"
http://youtu.be/LU6iN1QLH50

Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com
Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com
Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

[DSE 3]

Nice vid. Your title is confusing tho. People have been jumping WS in Norway for over a decade.

[cpoxon 0]

DSE

Nice vid. Your title is confusing tho. People have been jumping WS in Norway for over a decade.

Fixed it

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

[ryoder 1,384]

Are there any pics or video of this new suit in the air, (taken by another jumper)?

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[wasatchrider 0]

so thats why you were asking about big wingsuit flat spins

BASE 1519

[DSE 3]

It's also not the "largest wingsuit in the world." There are photos of the one called the "CC1" or "Car Cover 1" going back a few years, and it's still likely the largest suit every flown.

Just sayin...

[Shredex 0]

As for suits on the market:
Jedei is actually a slimmed/smaller version of the Apache that was built for speed/races.
The Squirrel Colugo is larger then the Apache, and the Squirrel Aura is even larger then the Colugo ;p

Have yet to see the PF Viper in person, so can't compare sizes there but it looks like it might be the current biggest on the market today

[DSE 3]

Shredex

As for suits on the market:
Jedei is actually a slimmed/smaller version of the Apache that was built for speed/races.
The Squirrel Colugo is larger then the Apache, and the Squirrel Aura is even larger then the Colugo ;p

Have yet to see the PF Viper in person, so can't compare sizes there but it looks like it might be the current biggest on the market today

Haven't seen the Jedi up close, but based on what I've heard, you're right. But the video and links say it's the "largest wingsuit in the world."
There are a few larger, that one can buy "off the shelf" and have been available for years. And yes, the Viper is likely the biggest "stock" suit available (for now).

[Scrumpot 1]

"Brian's First" = BEER!

See you soon (with fresh case in-hand) I hope.
Welcome home!
-Grant

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[degeneration 5]

I didn't realise you could use the Aerodyne mini-force risers on other manufacturers' containers. I thought they were only allowed/cleared on Aerodyne containers? Clearly I was wrong.

Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

[cpoxon 0]

degeneration

I didn't realise you could use the Aerodyne mini-force risers on other manufacturers' containers. I thought they were only allowed/cleared on Aerodyne containers? Clearly I was wrong.

http://www.parachutemanuals.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=39&func=startdown&id=6

The bulletin states that in principal Aerodyne Miniforce risers are compatible with all harness-container systems providing the points on bulletin are complied with. Some centres in the UK have banned miniforce risers with non-Aerodyne containers.

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

[flipwithit 0]

Shredex

As for suits on the market:
Jedei is actually a slimmed/smaller version of the Apache that was built for speed/races.
The Squirrel Colugo is larger then the Apache, and the Squirrel Aura is even larger then the Colugo ;p

Have yet to see the PF Viper in person, so can't compare sizes there but it looks like it might be the current biggest on the market today

viper wins in surface area for sure.

i cant count how many times colugo pilots have asked me to lay their suit over mine....my 3 year old apache x is 1 cell bigger in the arms and slightly bigger tail. rebel even larger and cant comment on the aura but according to pics its just 1 cell bigger than the colugo....however, inflation is a much more in depth story than surface area. the jedi i flew was rebel sized suit with a very different air foil. either way, looks like julian boulle, jhonny florez, and a few other pilots still agree that the apache x is still tony's best creation. very impatiently waiting my viper!

[jumpwally 0]

Whats the big deal with these mini force risers ? is there an advantage ?

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[normiss 622]

Mark Cochran agrees with you.

[dthames 0]

jumpwally

Whats the big deal with these mini force risers ? is there an advantage ?

Could be that the Jedi is better with The Force risers. Who knows.

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

[BrianSGermain 1]

Keep in mind that this is not a "standard" Jedi. It is 4 inches longer in the tail. If that makes it the largest suit in the air right now, I am now not absolutely certain. I do know that very soon there will be even larger, better flying suits that will make this one look small. For now, it is definitely one of the biggest. Nevertheless, I meant no offense to anyone flying a massive magic carpet. Props to all of you. You are all worthy of huge respect.

Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com
Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com
Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

[DSE 3]

BrianSGermain

Keep in mind that this is not a "standard" Jedi. It is 4 inches longer in the tail. If that makes it the largest suit in the air right now, I am now not absolutely certain.

Nope...it's not.
But the question needs to be "why?" Big suits are killing people right and left, and most of those folks couldn't fly a small suit, let alone a big one.

WARNING: Conservative old guy ahead:

Brian, we share a strong respect for each other, but this particular video with statements of "biggest" etc don't do the discipline any good, but does have a fair amount of "bad."

How about putting on a small suit and showing everyone the same kind of skills that you demonstrate with a small canopy, PPG, etc? It would be a lot more respectable, serve as the same kind of benchmark you normally seem to want to set, and help newer wingsuiters see the path that many of us work hard to promote (safety/skill over stupid sizes).

I'd prefer to see you boasting the landing of a 20' canopy than being in a super size suit without first having mastered smaller suits to their max potential. Your question in the Wingsuit room has a lot of people buzzing in the background. It was akin to a very experienced swooper asking "How do I flare?"

[BrianSGermain 1]

I truly appreciate your comments, Doug.

I agree that a healthy respect for the dangers must lead us to a slow, methodical progression though suit sizes. The growing preponderance of large suits makes it relatively easy to get hold of something inappropriate, and this can lead to disaster. The drive to downsize parachutes too quickly is quite similar, but there is more comunity support for the prevention of inappropriate canopy progression than there is for accelerated wingsuit progression. I think this is because many consider it to be "just a jumpsuit". As someone who has felt the wrath of an angry wingsuit, I agree that this issue must be taken very seriously.

So, my dear Doug, I concur. This video may lead a terrible example. It also, on the other hand, may offer a dream. Many do not undersrand what it is like to fly a Wingsuit over beautiful terrain. I have heard some say that they tried flying a Wingsuit once and it just struck them as a "boring solo". Perhaps videos like this, with the grandeur and excitement of trying a new prototype will draw forth the power of the dream of flight, and drive more people toward this exciting branch of our sport.

As for my comments about it being a large suit, I was merely trying to get the viewer into the mindset I was feeling at the time. These were monumental, mind-opening flights for me, and I will never forget them.

Regarding my curiosity regarding flat spin recovery techniques, perhaps it is a mundane discussion akin to asking how to flare, but if we do not ask these questions with a fresh open mindset, we are bound by our arrogance. To belief that the dominant paradigm is the only possible methodology is to limit how how good we can become, and how safe. Let's all keep asking the simple questions, and reaching evermore for better and better answers.

Onward to better!

Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com
Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com
Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

[DSE 3]

Whichever spin works, Brian...

However...you are incredibly responsible in your downsizing advice and advocacy.

You're taking exactly the opposite approach in wingsuiting, and I'll say it more clearly; A person who needs and is asking advice on managing flatspins in a large suit has no business being in one.

Hint: It's the same in a large suit as it is in a small suit, and should be a skill/technique learned very early on. Most of our students for example, know this by their fifth wingsuit jump. It's a staple in any properly-taught wingsuit training program.

[BrianSGermain 1]

It is true that spin recovery is and will continue to be a core facet of any good wingsuit training program. I cannot accept, however, that there is just one way to solve the problem. This is the reason why I posted the question in the wingsuit forum, and as I expected, the answers varied widely. Hugely illuminating discussion.

What if one was to ask the question, "Has anyone had luck with getting out of spinning line twists on a high performance canopy, and if so, how?" This is the same quality of question, and the same kind of information that I (we) desire. I do not want one cookie-cutter answer. Schools, public or skydiving, always come up with one-size-fits-all answers, simply because it is easier to put into a curriculum. Is this the absolute truth? Of course not. I want to learn and spread a wider spectrum of truth that leads to a lasting safety in our sport.

If you, Doug, were to ask a simple question about linetwists in the canopy forum, would some suggest that you should not be allowed to fly a high performance parachute? It seems to me that for your passion to learn, you should be should be rewarded rather than ridiculed. Your desire for answers is what keeps you safe. I would answer you, as a caring member of the canopy community with everything I have to offer, and think, wow, that guys cares about his safety and the safety of those around him. Good on him for asking a thought-provoking question to take our paradigm beyond where it has been before.

I would hope that the wingsuit flock would be as loving and supportive of those within its ranks.

We are all in this together.

-Brian

Instructional Videos:www.AdventureWisdom.com
Keynote Speaking:www.TranscendingFEAR.com
Canopies and Courses:www.BIGAIRSPORTZ.com

[johnmatrix 21]

dthames

***Whats the big deal with these mini force risers ? is there an advantage ?

Could be that the Jedi is better with The Force risers. Who knows.

Wondering if the price will include a copyright levy that gets paid to LucasFilm.

[dthames 0]

Quote

But the question needs to be "why?" Big suits are killing people right and left, and most of those folks couldn't fly a small suit, let alone a big one.

WARNING: Conservative old guy ahead:

I don't mind being an old conservative guy but I am still pretty new to all of this an really want to be more informed to I can make the best choices. DSE, how are larger suits killing people. control issues and collisions, spinning fliers to their deaths, or what? Not to argue but to know.

I have struggled with about everything in skydiving, so I am no hot shot. I doubt I will every flock with anything larger that my R-bird. But for the C-182 DZ (9,500 AGL) and the option to jump often limited to an open slot on a tandem load, a larger suit might be something I would like to have someday.

Brian, sorry to highjack the tread, but I would like to hear what DSE is thinking.

Thanks,
Dan

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

[DSE 3]

Quote

Brian, sorry to highjack the tread, but I would like to hear what DSE is thinking.

There have been numerous problems with instability. True "flatspins" are incredibly rare, and in most instances where someone has talked about one, video shows it to merely be corkscrewing.
However, in those rare moments that are real, I've personally witnessed three, two of which ended up with bruised eyes, and I'm aware of at least four other similar instances. None resulted in a fatality. However, the two that I witnessed nearly did.
Loss of altitude awareness, loss of consciousness (in one of them). There is one fatality that is suspected to have been from a disorienting spin.
The old school thought taught one way of dealing with instability, predominantly from people who had never actually been seriously unstable.
We spent 48 jumps testing spins in a variety of suits, using a device built by a NASA and Air Force engineer. We've used those results to also figure out how to get out of them.
With big suits, there may be more than one method, yet in trying everything we've seen described, only one method with minor variation worked efficiently and fast.
It's frustrating to see so many young wingsuiters screwing up and plowing into each other, into canopies, losing altitude awareness and having AAD fires simply because they were in a rush to get into big suits before they knew how to fly their body first.
However, while it's true that upsizing in a wingsuit too soon is just as dumb as downsizing a canopy too soon, the larger wingsuit won't auger one into the ground like a small canopy may do in with an inexperienced jumper.