Chunky boy needs to slow down - wings ?

[jonno 0]

So I'm a big lad and I fall freaking fast. It's getting a bit boring being base every jump and my buddies are having to go into stand to stay up with me on the odd occasion. So one of my fellow jumpers has suggested if I'm not going to loose a large amount of weight anytime soon that I should try using camera style wings to slow me down. He also reckons it could help me fine tune my position. I say baloney. It's just going to give me a false temporary advantage and short term solution for the odd jump but not a long term solution. I have the slowest suit I could get made and I'm doing all I can to fly big. But I'm nor sure wings are the answer are they ?

[jumpsalot-2 3]

I could see you using a camera suit to slow down your sit-fly, but I think that is not very versatile to truely freeflying. If you can't do other transitions, you're right back where you started....being base in a sit.

Life is short ... jump often.

[FreeflyGoat 0]

Sew pockets onto you suit :-) Just kidding. I'm having some fall rate issues because of my weight also. Body position can only help so much and I'm maxed out to fall with people lately. Pick up a 20 pound dumbell and imagine jumping with it. It's a considerable amount of weight. So for big guys like us the only option is to drop some body weight. The way I look at it is that I can either clean my diet up, workout more and be able to compete and perform in freeflying, or stay the same size and resort to being the base on fun jumps.

Good luck to you.

_________________________
goat
derka jerka bukkake jihad

[bomb420 1]

You can try changing your body position a tad which is easiest to learn in the tunnel. I tend to use a daffy position when I want to slow down a bunch. Check out the photo as an example...

HYPOXIC

[rehmwa 2]

wings sounds like a bad idea, but sometimes dramatic body sizes require dramatic efforts.

when my wife builds a FF suit for Bigger guys - these are the features

1 - highest drag material she has
2 - double and triple layers (preferred over just looser) - especially on the extremities - this can be done in conjunction with patterns and designs too.
3 - still a looser fit (though this hurts your flying ability so this is the last input after maximizing those first two)

This has been very effective.

I'm always a believer in the pilot (FF and RW and etc) having more control whereas suit building is minor compared to flying abilities. But in some cases, every little bit helps.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[MartinOlsson 0]

One word - Cordura. And lots of it. Boogieman and others are making suits almost completely made of cordura. Makes them super powerful with loads of stoping power.

/Martin

[pilot-one 0]

I too have had this issue. Finally I am losing some weight. From 235 I'm down to 205 and expect to drop another 15. I am now "floaty" in the same jumpsuit that I was previously hauling ass in. Not only am I lighter but I can move around much better.
The problem with the baggy cordura jumpsuit is it's really hard work to do much other than just "sit" there.
Of course some people don't have the option of losing weight depending on body composition.
The best option is to lose weight. Do it right and it's not hard at all.

[tistouta 0]

I think with a combination of:
- the rght jump suit (baggy & cordura)
- the right position (daffy, on your knees)

you'll fligh just as slow as some light weight ladies

[freeflynick 0]

Try what Bomb420 suggested, or even when in a sit, push both your feet out to the side so you expose all your lower leg to the wind (in a normal sit you are effectively corking your lower leg with your feet and therefore getting no drag from them).
Try finding a heavier FF coach and getting advice / doing some jumps with them.
There is a lot you can work on with body position before having to resort to wings/balloon suits etc.

Hobbes: "How come we play 'War' and not 'Peace'?"
Calvin: "Too few role models."

[pilot-one 0]

Here's kind of what bomb means and a little different angle. Maybe don't try to put your leg back like that yet but catching the air on the inside of your shins will make a huge difference. It takes a lot of practice though.
Zach here is around 210 pounds and pretty solid. He's jumping with the skinniest of runts that I would estimate around 140ish, not experienced and quite floaty.

[beowulf 1]

Yeah, Zach is a great flyer!

That's a great example of how beneficial lots of tunnel time is for improving flying skills.

Bottom line if you want to be a better freeflyer, go to the tunnel. Zach works at the Skyventure Colorado tunnel and is a great instructor.

[JumpeRod 0]

+1 for Bomb420 and Pilot-One's posts

If you can, take some time in the tunnel to fine tune that body position. It's super awkward at first, but it becomes very comfortable and also frees your hands up for docking, etc. (reference Zach in Pilot-One's photo)

Another trick is to really dig in with your back (almost a backfly-sitfly hybrid) to create that lift you want. You'll have to pull your lower legs further back (feet closer to your butt while still presenting inner shins to the wind) to counter the drive, and you'll be less maneuverable but maximizing the use of the huge amount of surface area your back offers will slow you down significantly while feet-down.

There is an art, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss. Pick a nice day and try it.
-- Douglas Adams

[ctrph8 0]

I have been wrestling with this for a while. I'm about 250 out the door and have had problems with excessive speed. I called Tony Suits and they talked me through building a suit that would work for me. They were really patient with my questions and the suit rocks.

Wings are not the answer! You still need to fly your body but having the suit work with you helps a lot too.

Quote

I think with a combination of:
- the rght jump suit (baggy & cordura)
- the right position (daffy, on your knees)

you'll fligh just as slow as some light weight ladies