outrager 6 #1 May 5, 2005 Yo ! I just had an interesting discussion with a friend who is trying to put together a wingsuit competition. His idea was to set a fixed distance and see who is the fastest to cover it. I see a major problem here, since being heavy (or adding a huge weight vest) is a sure way to beat an equally good but lighter pilot. Max glide (max distance) competition favours a particular body type (tall, long arms) but that is offset somewhat by the fact that longer arms make it harder to hold a perfect position for a significant period of time (basic leverage comes to play here). Then again, same body type is also an asset in max speed comp, where you actually need to have max L/D plus max weight. A wingsuit model and fit make even more difference. What to do about that? Finally, how to measure? GPS is a great and precise tool, and one could cut a piece of GPS track between, say, 12000' and 4000' to get a very accurate result. However, it will only be meaningful for people who fly at the same time, because the winds aloft change all the time and are almost impossible to measure accurately, and they are a very significant part of the resulting ground speed measured by GPS. These wind limitations are very minor or almost non-existent on BASE flights, and such flights are very easy to measure precisely. However a majority of people stick to airplanes, so we will limit this discussion to skydives. Another very promising direction would be competing in teams, basically RW flocking etc - there can be a million ideas in this direction. Average skill level is almost here to start doing competetive team flying, we would only need some good ideas. This puts everybody in equal conditions, since max glide or speed are not important - the competition focus is precision flying. This is not my favorite type of flying, but many others can throw in tons of experience. Acrobatics is another obvious field. What else? Any ideas, suggestions etc ??? bsbd! Yuri. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
veter_ 0 #2 May 6, 2005 I'm curious about possibility of using variometers (devices used by para/hanggliders) to measure true airspeed. Recorded airspeed, integrated over time, with combination of altitude data from GPS can give the true track trajectory as if the air was still. Another way to correct GPS data for wind speed is to throw some kind of wind indicator (small round parachute, for example, or a pillow Last, but not least, landing wingsuits without parachutes in large flocks will be a lot of fun. Think geese. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #3 May 6, 2005 There is already something like that underway called the Tracking Derby. Myself and Loic have been working with the man behing the Tracking derby, Claude Tzifkansky, on how to best incorporate wingsuits in a competion environment. Wingsuit competions will be added in the near future. See attachment for details."It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
base570 1 #4 May 6, 2005 Am I reading this right??? Yuri talking about a competition??? Jeez you must be really bored or under some sort of mind control Jason 570 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
outrager 6 #5 May 7, 2005 QuoteAm I reading this right??? Yuri talking about a competition??? Jeez you must be really bored or under some sort of mind control First, i did put it in a classic "a friend of mine would like to know..." way Second, i am bored out of my mind! I feel awesome, i can see 20/15 but still have to chill for another week before i can jump. LASIK rules, but then you really see what you're missing! As for the mind control, we will discuss it in private. I must say that certain rumours regarding a potential wedding keep me deeply concerned bsbd! Yuri. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badenhop 0 #6 May 8, 2005 Quote Yuri talking about a competition? Remember in Star Trek when Kirk would have a major mind struggle, and spoke like this:(?) MUST (pant, pant) SUPPRESS (struggle, struggle) URGE (pant, pant) TO (struggle, struggle) COMMENT (pant, pant) Funny how the thing goes around and around.================================== I've got all I need, Jesus and gravity. Dolly Parton http://www.AveryBadenhop.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 25 #7 May 9, 2005 I'm just waiting for Avery to enter that first competition--and what he'll call out as his flight plan just before exit...-- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
