Flying the Acro

[980 0]

Wazzup Matt!

Get a Phantom with the backvents then.

The wings on the Phantom are plenty big enough that after only 20 jumps on the suit, I’m easily getting 3 minute skydives from 14 000 ft in it compared to 3:15 – 3:30 for my S3 once I had like 300 jumps on that and got it modified.

Forward speed on your back is a major issue if you fly a big suit and want to flock.

I always end up throttling back the forward speed on my back when flocking because people can’t keep up. Like Luke said, with a big tailwing flying dirty on your back is not easy.

Either that or hit the gym and muscle up!

Cya

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

Put your feet together, Sam. That will get you more "loft" and less drive on your back.

Chuck

[980 0]

thanks Chuck!

I know what you're saying, but I really dislike doing it because of all the flapping the legwing does then.

cya

[The111 1]

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thanks Chuck!

I know what you're saying, but I really dislike doing it because of all the flapping the legwing does then.

cya

Me too. The other problem is you lose a lot of the float your legwing gives you when you shut it down, forcing you to rely on a VERY efficient arm position to stay with a slow falling flock (which wears my triceps out fast for some reason). Omar has an idea which I've only tried once or twice but could be pretty good I think. Picture yourself lying flat on the floor in a fully extended backfly position. Bring your knees up so that your thighs are now vertical (instead of horizontal) and your lower legs (knee to foot) are still horizontal. The only problem I have with it is I've found it hard to keep my pelvis out while doing this, so fallrate can suffer this way too. I am going to play with it some more though.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

He probably got that from watching Soul Flyers II. There is footage of one of those guys flying like that in the DVD.

[VectorBoy 0]

I did not ask for a Vampire with stick-on backvents. I said that I would like a suit with big wings that inflated in any orientation.

[LouDiamond 1]

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Picture yourself lying flat on the floor in a fully extended backfly position. Bring your knees up so that your thighs are now vertical (instead of horizontal) and your lower legs (knee to foot) are still horizontal.

It is similar to backflying done by some tandem cameramen with and without a camerawing. Arvel(BlueSBDeath) is very good at doing it and it looks similar when done in a wingsuit. The trick is to only pull the knees towards/away from the chest enough to stay with the other person both horizontally and vertically. Its not the best looking example of backflying but it allows one to get and stay under the other person and film/take pictures. It is very easy to pike too much at the waist while filming and sink out. It's like doing an atomic crunch, so if your abs aren't up to it, it can wear you out pretty quick.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
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SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[The111 1]

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Its not the best looking example of backflying but it allows one to get and stay under the other person and film/take pictures.

And many times flocking is not the best example of bellyflying. Sometimes you gotta look ugly to fly relative. Just look at some of those guys in S3's and V1's in big flocks, with their feet on their ass and their arms swept back.

My absolute favorite is seeing Perry take his grippers and bring them in and point them downwards... me and Omar say it looks like he's holding guns.

Going a bit off topic, I will add that I do not think flocking in a big suit is stupid, as some will say. True you have to fly it dirty once in your slot, but you have so much more range for getting to the formation, away from the formation, and recovering from any other unexpected problems.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[LukeH 0]

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I do not think flocking in a big suit is stupid, as some will say. True you have to fly it dirty once in your slot, but you have so much more range for getting to the formation, away from the formation, and recovering from any other unexpected problems.

interesting point, by that rational is doing 4way RW in camera suits a better idea than regular RW suits?

***not having a go at you*** just making a point

P.S. not sure if you were referring to me but i never said it was stupid. i reluctantly sold my GTi and Prodigy recently and have been trying to learn to fly my V1. if there is any flocking going on i'll be there in the V1. however i didn't buy the V1 for this purpose. if i was buying a suit primarily for skydiving (and i will be soon) i'd buy a Phantom or Acro. I don't know if you have ever tried the Phantom but it has phenomnial range and is easier to fly maxed out especially for extended periods when you are weedy like me! i believe it would be a FAR better choice for the majority of skydivers. i've never tried one but i'd guess the Firebird is in the same league.

i do say that buying a Vampire is not the best choice if it's mainly to be used for skydiving. the suit is more expensive, the mylar is a hassle to fold (minor) it is much more demanding to fly and is less maneuverable. in return for putting up with all of this you get some extra performance at the top end only when flying to the MAX, something i reckon rarely happens in flocks. the obvious question then is why do people choose it? ignorance? ego? stupidity? call it what you like.

but heh i've got the highest performing suit on the market! ... oh wait... damn you robi!

if you cast your mind back to z-flock 1 the GTi's were flying well below maximum and staying with the flock of mainly S3s. there were prototype prodigys in there too. at the other end of the scale i've seen people in S3 and V1 suits that couldn't stay with a flock to save their lives! (in fact i was one when i first got the V1 and was trying to stay with flocks with a slow forward speed) i'm sure you have seen the same.

[The111 1]

For me I guess I'm a cheapskate and can only afford one wingsuit. I agree with most of your points but I'd rather fly dirty while flocking and have to option to go fast on breakoff, if I'm only going to have one suit.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[kittiwake 0]

Phantom with back-vents rulez!

This baby has it all: a fantastic glide, smooth back flying with maneuvrability and crispness close to Acro. It seems like it flies on pilot's instincts and it doesn't wear me out at all, even when I go for max glide. Also, I find it rather forgiving in those silly situations I still put myself in every once in a while

Alright, if max-performance was all that mattered, I guess I'd go for a Vampire, but I haven't really seen all that many sky-divers squeezing all the juice out of their WSs. It's usually the BASE-ers gliding for their lives

Naturally, it'd be nice to have them all and pull them out of the hat as needed, but I can only have one WS at a time and look to spice the experience up with occasional borrowed and demo flights on other models. In that respect, the Phantom with back-vents is the perfect all-arounder, something to pull out of the hat for any occasion.

Praise the Phantom

~~'e'~~

[OmarPR 0]

The way that I control forward speed/fall rate (glide ratio) on my back (as Matt described) works perfectly fine for me, no muscle fatigue, piking or altitude loss here. I find so much control this way that I am also able to turn (up to 360's) on axis an stay relative to others.

The picture of Loic that Scott posted is exactly the body position that I use. I have been playing with that before Soul Flyiers II even came out. Watching Loic do the exact same thing (minus 360's) only re-assured me that I have been doing the right thing.

WINGSUIT ACROBATICS team O zone
ZF#5 , HISPA#70
Blue Skies...
...Big Fat Clouds

[VectorBoy 0]

Hey this tread is about the Acro, Avery's pink Acro and how all the chicks I live with dig it, not about back flying. Please get back on topic guys.

[Zeemax 0]

Are you really flying w/s at 150 jumps?

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