Hot Air Balloon Wingsuit Poll

[CanuckInUSA 0]

I'm wondering what kind of a club I joined yesterday (what with my first wingsuit out of a balloon jump). I'm sure it's small, but it can't be that small. So who's done what and did I miss any other options?

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[piisfish 135]

not yet, but one day....

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[kevin922 0]

I did my first in Eloy, I think it was 78 seconds from 5,500. .what did you get? :)

Kevin

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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I think it was 78 seconds from 5,500

78 seconds? Dang!!! I suck ...

I exited from 5400, and by watching the video you will see that I got a 30 second delay (my ProTrack read 35 seconds for the entire jump) before pitching my PC at 2500 feet and surprisingly I was open by 2100 feet (I'm beginning to wonder if the canopy opens faster on wingsuit jumps). All this on a GTi suit that I am still in the process of learning to fly. But 78 seconds? Shit now I'm all bummed out ... I obviously still suck at this ...

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[bodypilot1 0]

You probably dont "suck".
Kevin probably weighs less than you, is taller than you, and was jumping his S3?
Getting the longest flights doesn't always mean you suck in a wingsuit.

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[The111 0]

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(I'm beginning to wonder if the canopy opens faster on wingsuit jumps)

Not speaking from practical experience, but I could see that it is possible, if you had a lot of forward drive when you dumped (not the way I dump) that you'd open in less vertical distance, because of horizontal sniveling (like a hop n pop).

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[The111 0]

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Getting the longest flights doesn't always mean you suck in a wingsuit.

Surprisingly enough, getting long flights sometimes even means you are good!

Assuming you typoed and left out a "not" or something.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[The111 0]

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I did my first in Eloy, I think it was 78 seconds from 5,500. .what did you get? :)

Assuming you pulled at 2500, that is an average of 26mph. Is that possible? In the "3 minute men/women" thread people are making a big deal out of 40mph averages... (though admittedly, those averages are over longer durations, hence more difficult).

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[kevin922 0]

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I did my first in Eloy, I think it was 78 seconds from 5,500. .what did you get? :)

Assuming you pulled at 2500, that is an average of 26mph. Is that possible? In the "3 minute men/women" thread people are making a big deal out of 40mph averages... (though admittedly, those averages are over longer durations, hence more difficult).

I think i have it on the protrack at home.. Groundzero was there on the jump with me. I might be having a brain fart, but i'm pretty sure that was the time. I remember Gray (can't remember his last name) got even longer than me but pulled super low...

If I am having a brain fart, then its 50 but definately not lower than that. I'll find it and upload the screen cap from the download..

Kevin

[kevin922 0]

Boy my ADD really was working today. I got home to fnd out the protrack said 40 seconds exit 5400 deploy 2300 and the neptune said 50 seconds exit 5,500 deploy 2400.. not sure which one to believe

Sorry for the making myself look like a badass when i'm not :-)

I coulda sworn that it was higher though.. I wonder if I did 2 balloon jumps while I was out there *thinking*

Kevin

[ManBird 0]

Don't sweat it Kevin. Many people have made that mistake. Did you read my post about freefall computers?

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1061856;

Granted, there is no jump run with a balloon, but the ProTrack seems to be less sensitive to lower speeds that are actually not freefall (exit and deployment). In the case of a balloon, set ProTrack's mode to a SPC type and then back to SLO. I forget the process details... it's used for fixed object jumping... take a look at the manual.

Your Neptune essentially reported 28 MPH while the ProTrack reported about 36 MPH. Being that a significant chunk of the freefall is subterminal, it's not unusual to get a very low average. I think the correct answer is going to be somewhere between the two devices. Did you ever pull charts down from either device?

Where the devices are worn makes a difference, too. Most people have ProTracks on their heads and Neptunes on their hands. For really accurate results, the device need to be in a place that gets constant airflow, and doesn't move much (relative to the rest of your body). I prefer the front pants pocket. The ankle works well, too, as it will still read properly when on your back, but I move my legs around too much to trust my own ankle-readings.

In the end, what's important is that you have fun. I actually haven't jumped with my ProTrack since the batteries died about six weeks ago. Video is the most accurate tracking device. :)

"¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯"

Click

[The111 0]

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Boy my ADD really was working today.

Heh... I thought it said AAD at first. Had to think about that one...

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[bodypilot1 0]

Surprisingly enough, getting long flights sometimes even means you are good!

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Assuming you typoed and left out a "not" or something.

Nope, no typo.
I have seen people that can get very slow speeds in a wingsuit, but cant fly or flock with anyone else because all they know how to do is get out and spread the wings.
Total control and manueverabilty makes a good wingsuit flyer.
Not everyone weighs the same or has the surface area so they need to adjust their fallrate same as you would in RW.
The guy that is 6' 150lb and has the wingspan of a 747 can probably get some realy slow speeds, but if he is going to get on some good fun flocking dives with people heavier and/or shorter than him, he'd better know how to have total control of his suit or he will be doing solo's 100's of feet higher than his buddies flocking below him.

Be safe.

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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Boy my ADD really was working today. I got home to fnd out the protrack said 40 seconds exit 5400 deploy 2300 and the neptune said 50 seconds exit 5,500 deploy 2400.. not sure which one to believe

Sorry for the making myself look like a badass when i'm not :-)

Well all of a sudden I feel a little better about my performance. For a while there I was thinking that my jump wasn't very good when you said you did 78 seconds from the same altitude (I know Gray was saying he can get some sickly long delays). But now things make a little more sense. Using the ProTrack readings (since we both jump a ProTrack), we both exited at 5400 and I was open two hundred feet lower than you did with 5 seconds (not factoring in the 200 feet) of less freefall time. So the S3 versus GTi, your weight and body compared to mine and our different experience levels sort of make your and my numbers make a little more sense.

But those are just numbers ... I'm still on a high from the experience. The sort of jump which I did on Sunday has it's dangers (tracking over a residential area), but it was an adventure and I never was in danger of actually landing in the streets. I had no trouble flying my canopy almost back to the DZ as I safely landed in a field about 1/4 mile south of the DZ's landing area. The video just makes it look like I was going to bounce on some guy's house. Dang ... as long as I stay safe and healthy, things can only get better from here on out.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[The111 0]

Yeh, I understand your point here, it's just the original post you replied to was Steve saying he sucks because he can't go long... and you said going long doesn't mean you suck... which wasn't what he was implying. I thought what you meant to say was "going long doesn't mean you're great"... or "not going long doesn't mean you suck"... but I could be wrong. I did understand your intent though.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[ManBird 0]

Careful. There are two Steves here. Crawford should get in here and then we'll confuse the hell out of everybody.

I think Ed was saying that the ability to float your suit doesn't necessarily equate to flying skill. I think it's all subjective. Personally, I like to set goals in each area, then continue to up the ante as I meet them... like attempt ot break three minutes, and then six miles, and then four points, and so on. Once that's beat, go bigger... 3:15, 6.5 miles, six points, and so on.

In other words, there's really just too much to do with these suits to only focus on floating.

"¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯"

Click

[bodypilot1 0]

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Yeh, I understand your point here, it's just the original post you replied to was Steve saying he sucks because he can't go long...

Here is what I told him.

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You probably dont "suck".

What part of that did you misunderstand?

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[bodypilot1 0]

Your right Steve. It's fun trying to be good in all aspects of wingsuit flying.

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[ManBird 0]

[replyI could see that it is possible, if you had a lot of forward drive when you dumped (not the way I dump) that you'd open in less vertical distance, because of horizontal sniveling (like a hop n pop).

[The111 0]

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Here is what I told him.

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You probably dont "suck".

What part of that did you misunderstand?

I was talking about this part.

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Getting the longest flights doesn't always mean you suck in a wingsuit.

It seemed to me that you were implying that the common perception is that "getting long flights *does* mean you suck" and you were offering a different perspective. Oh well, maybe I'm still missing something.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[CancerChris 0]

Hello, I have manifested four times for a ballon jump, just hasn't happened yet. Although I do have seven jumps from a chopper with a S1birdman suit. Well, anyway I will be in Rantoul--Maybe? Cancer Chris