Wingsuit comparisons?

[Courteney 0]

Hi everyone,

At the recent Desert Boogie in Swakopmund, a coupla guys from SA had Sugargliders. Very interesting looking design. Now I was wondering if anyone has flown a wide range of suits ie: S-Fly, Matter2, Sugarglider, V1, S3 etc...and could come to a conclusion of which suit ranks as best. Best as in glide ratio/performance/maneuvrability/forward speed/downward speed etc. The reason is that especially with the S-Fly, Matter2 and Sugarglider they look pretty much the same. (obviously they have their differences).

Cheers,

Courteney.

...drags me down like some sweet gravity!!!

[SullyFlyer 0]

I have not flown many suits, just Bird-Man Classic, GTI, and S3. I think you will find that different suits are good for different things; i.e. aerobatics, glide ration, fast inflation for BASE, or flocking. Though all suits can be used for most everything, it's the very talented pilot that will want to specialize the suit for different disciplines.

As someone who doesn't always jump out of planes, I have a very good feeling about Roberts new suit, but we will have to wait until more suits are made to see the proof.

I think the V1 will have more range than any other suit on flocking dives and the max for air time and glide ratio will be higher with highly skilled pilots. And hopefully the contour of the arm will be more ergonomic to cut down on possible fatigue on long flights.

That's my humble opinion. Have at it...

~
Fear is the thief of dreams...

[LouDiamond 1]

I've flown every suit except the sugar glider and the V1. I don't think you can say which one is "best" because it really depends on what you are after. One man's best may be anothers worst.What I have found is that each suit has it's own inherent flight characteristics. I have found the mono wing suits to be similar in their flight characteristics but with Loic's suits having more performance range and overall craftsmanship/durability. I have one of Loic's original suits from the crosswinds video and it has held up superbly as has Omar's suit which was made around the same time. Overall, these suits have a floaty feel to them in comparrison to BirdMan suits. I am assuming that the sugar glider has even more of a floaty feel and less forward drive than the current mono wings based on feedback from people flying them and what others have observed when flying with the other suits.


Birdman suits, to include the new line of suits and the PF suit will continue to have fast forward drive/speed and a 3 wing system.


The real underlying object to guage or compare is the pilot. A skilled pilot will be able to make any of the suits do what they were designed to do when flown properly.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[The111 0]

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Birdman suits, to include the new line of suits and the PF suit will continue to have fast forward drive/speed and a 3 wing system.

I was talking to a prominent wingsuit pilot the other day. He was mentioning his surprise at seeing, during the DeLand event, how much forward drive Loic could get in his "small floaty suit" (I have heard many people express this same surprise).

In response, I said something I have been thinking for a long time - what would be the result if someone made a wingsuit with an inflatable body AND a large (S3/V1 size) 3 wing system? He replied matter-of-factly that such a suit already exists (from BM) in prototype form and is being flown by at least one person who posts on these boards right now. Rumor?!

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[piisfish 135]

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He was mentioning his surprise at seeing, during the DeLand event, how much forward drive Loic could get in his "small floaty suit" (I have heard many people express this same surprise).

Thanks to spread the truth...
Many people said and wrote loads of BS about this suit without having seen one, and even less flown one...
Now maybe someone will finally say how the S-Fly flies relative to a VX39 compared to another wingsuit which is on the pictures...

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

[medusa 0]

"I'm new in the wing suit world", in my humble opinion, wing suits were created to increases your delay during freefall, and to cover more distance during freefall. all other things such as maneuvrability, aerobatics, fast inflation...etc, can be put in second place when you are looking for the best wing suit.

for me THE BEST SUIT is the one that you can get the more delay and cover the more distance with.

Medusa

Get Killed or Die Trying!
Patent pending ATFK15456

[bodypilot1 0]

I have flown every suit but the V1, and I can say the "Proof is in the Pilot".

Though the mono wing suits generaly have a much different flying position then the 3 wing suits, it basically all depends on what style and "name" you like to say is the "BEST".

What really is funny is the "followers", that are saying one brand of suit is better then the other, when they themselves "cut their teeth" on the suit they are now trying to now put down.


Choose what is comfortable for YOU.
Wingsuit jumpers will have alot of makers to choose from in the future, trust me...


Be safe
Ed

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[The111 0]

No comment on my question Ed?

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[LouDiamond 1]

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He was mentioning his surprise at seeing, during the DeLand event, how much forward drive Loic could get in his "small floaty suit"

That goes back to what I was saying. The PILOT is the true guage.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[KrisFlyZ 0]

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He was mentioning his surprise at seeing, during the DeLand event, how much forward drive Loic could get in his "small floaty suit"

That goes back to what I was saying. The PILOT is the true guage.

Not really!! The S-Fly has a lot of forward drive. I think people are forgetting that Loic's Girlfriend Kathy was right there with the big suits as well.

Kris.

[The111 0]

Agreed. The pilot is important - and the lesson to be learned there is that you should not critique a suit you don't know like the back of your hand (at least not without admitting you haven't fully explored its potential yet). The flipside is that we should not assume the pilot is EVERYTHING. The best pilot in the world couldn't make a Classic (flown by him) outglide an S3 (flown by him). There is a degree of objectivity to what a suit can and can't do... but we don't usually get to see those things until a pilot figures out how to do them! :)

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[LouDiamond 1]

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Not really!!

Hang on a sec. Lets rewind to WFFC. I remember you and about 3 others coming back to the Birdman tent after trying the Matter suit and voicing your dislikes that it was slow and floaty. So is it the suit or the pilot?


I stand with my earlier statement, that each suit has it's own inherent flight characteristics when compared to other suits, each having individual specific pros and cons. The pilot is the sole reason the technology works the way it does.It's no different than someone in a classic staying with or outflying someone in a S3, which can and has been done.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[r2hubert 0]

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It's no different than someone in a classic staying with or outflying someone in a S3, which can and has been done.

They are tall skinny guys and some who are more bulky (without talking about skills)

--
Renaud SMA #9
"Mind is like parachute. It only functions when it's open."

[medusa 0]

yess your right,

I'm 6'1 high and almost 140 pounds, really really skiny.
and in my first bird-man jump I used a clasic and I was able to get more glide and more distance that some of the other guys that were using S3, and I'm sure they have more wing suit experience that I do, but the way I'm built helped me even thouth my experience with wing suits is pretty low.

Medusa

Get Killed or Die Trying!
Patent pending ATFK15456

[unclecharlie109 0]

Going back to Courteney's original post.

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...and could come to a conclusion of which suit ranks as best. Best as in glide ratio/performance/maneuvrability/forward speed/downward speed etc.

This question is kind of like going to the one of the canopy forums and asking which is the "best" canopy.

As wise men have already stated, it depends if you put Johnny"75-jump-know-it-all" OR J.C. on the toggles

The next question will usually be "best for what?" CReW? Swooping? Accuracy? etc.

Buying the most expensive suit on the market will not automatically make you a great wingsuit pilot.
You also need to be a good pilot, which for most takes time & practice (a suitable body shape helps also i.e. not a Sumo wrestler)

Manoeuvrability is a subjective thing, you can only assess this at a personal level after flying all the suits and basing it off your own experience and feelings.

It is possible to draw conclusions on performance with hard data (Neptune, Protrack, GPS etc). Taking the same pilot and giving him/her time to learn to fly each suit towards max performance. This way we can measure and compare forward speed & vertical speed (to give Glide ratio) and time the freefall delay.

But manufacturers tend not to publish hard "data" on a suits performance because there are so many variables. Pilot skill being the most fundamental.

Performance is not all that matters with a wingsuit. Remember that price, 2nd hand value, design, comfort to use/ wear, appearance are also important criteria.

I have conducted my own comparisons and made my own informed decision (and purchase).

I recommend you do the same.

Long flights,

J

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

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No comment on my question Ed?

Ed has that suit, though I am not sure he has jumped it yet.

[diablopilot 2]

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Now I was wondering if anyone has flown a wide range of suits ie: S-Fly, Matter2, Sugarglider, V1, S3 etc...

Yep.

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and could come to a conclusion of which suit ranks as best.

Nope.


Lou Diamond said:

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I don't think you can say which one is "best" because it really depends on what you are after.

Exactly.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[VectorBoy 0]

The PILOT is the true guage.

[KrisFlyZ 0]

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The PILOT is the true guage.

Not really!! The S-Fly has a lot of forward drive. I think people are forgetting that Loic's Girlfriend Kathy was right there with the big suits as well.

Kris.

[VectorBoy 0]

I am saying that you cannot classify the S-Fly as a "Floaty Mono-wing" suit. I had no intentions of getting into the suit vs pilot debate.

Kris.

[The111 0]

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Loics suit has no more forward drive on his suit than a properly flown classic.

I really don't know how right or wrong that statement is, but I will say that at the DeLand bigways, I watched the breakoff a couple of times from the ground. A few of the best pilots near the front always seemed to put on the gas and it almost seemed like they were competing to see who could get the furthest. Loic was always the last one open and the furthest forward (he was also probably the lowest to be fair ). The other pilots that opened before him, further back, were VERY good pilots in S3's.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[VectorBoy 0]

Yes my point being that amazing pilots get phat glide, fast penetration and speed based on their skill and not the suit. He would be the top of the flock regardless of what suit he is in.

Cedric gets vastly superior results on the Matter than I do. But he would smoke me in my Matter or on my borrowed S-3, regardless of what suit I was in. Same for Jari, Yuri and a host of others.

I fly with guys that wreak havoc on the classic and most of us fear the day they can afford an S-3 as they will make us really work the entire dive. There aren't many but I know few.

But most of all we regularly flock with visitors that get pathetic results on their S-3. They purchased the suits thinking that this is the way to results and the case is closed.

Nope! You still have to learn how to fly you.

So if some one is impressing you on a suit that is thought of as not so performing as the one you fly then you are working hard enough. You need to fly better.

[KrisFlyZ 0]

You miss the point again. I am not saying the S-Fly is not a mono-wing. I am saying classifying it as a "Floaty Mono-wing" is a misconception.

I am sure that you will agree since you are saying that a suit has no characteristics of its own.

Kris.

[The111 0]

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[Loic] would be the top of the flock regardless of what suit he is in.

There were a lot of really good pilots in that flock who I wouldn't be so hasty to rule out...

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[VectorBoy 0]

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You miss the point again. I am not saying the S-Fly is not a mono-wing. I am saying classifying it as a "Floaty Mono-wing" is a misconception.

I am sure that you will agree since you are saying that a suit has no characteristics of its own.

Kris.

I have no jumps on the crossbow or the Matter 1 and I've never seen the suger glider in person but about fifty jumps on the matter 2 and one on the S-fly. It felt the same as my Matter. Honestly it feels like it has more float than a classic, but "feel" is subjective.

And if I had to define its characteristics I would say like the other mono-wings it is more lower body intensive to fly and the BM suits are more upper body centric. Loic remarked on this very thing when he borrowed my S-3 for jump.