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Trae

What is the fastest wingsuit available at the moment?

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In reply 2The111's "I would question the logic of waiting for something that "must" be in the works

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Logic what's that?

Still looks like the Vampire and the wait for more and better which must be worth waiting for.....:P

Jumping a Vampire do you have to keep slowing down for all the other suits?

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in reply to "I vote for Yves Rossi and his Jetman. '

Yeah pretty good alright .
If he had one available for sale I would seriously consider buying one.
Although that jet-wing is not really user friendly looking.

In the meantime ....things are looking fairly vampiric.

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the fastest suit is the one with the fastest pilot inside.... :P



This statement is only 33% correct ;)

The speed is a combination of pilot's skill, pilot's weight and the suit.

However the question was only about the fastest suit, and that is currently V1.

bsbd!

Yuri.

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in rep 2 "If you want I can put you in contact, at the time he was looking for other pilots...."

..........................................................

Sounds good ,.. my lack of French would possibly be a prob ;)

Any clues what his current project is?

Thanks all for the rest of the replies .

The Vamp1 wins.

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I'd like to know what goes the fastest forward.



As it has already been stated, the pilot plays a big part in a complex equation of variables. You cannot judge it by speed alone as an indicator of performance but it does play a part.

We fall through the sky on a glide slope as we have no engine or thrust to keep us level as does a plane. Using any one of the many variables alone as an indicator of performance is inaccurate. Things such as glide ratio, speed (both vertical and horizontal),etc. are all continuosly changing during a flight and are never consistant throughout the entire flight(see attached GPS jump profiles from a coach dive at the Eloy skills camp). You can average all of those variables to get an idea of your performance, and thats exactly what it is...YOUR performance on that flight not the suits. Chasing numbers on wingsuit flights is akin to a dog chasing it's tail, you end up going around in circles going no where. If one wants to use numbers to gauge performance it should be used correctly(taking all the varibales into account) and as a guide for personal performance over a period of flights or time. Comparing pieces of those flights with others flights and their make of suit is pointless to use as a scale of ones overall performance let alone how that suit may perform with you in it. If your objective is to know how much distance one covers or how long one was aloft it has to be standardized as to where the recording starts and where it stops to be compared to another person or against ones self, accurately. This was one of the issues that was kept in mind when the tracking derby was first being established and was unanimously agreed apon by myself, Loic and Claude, especially in reference to wingsuits.

Perhaps you could clarify your question. I am assuming you are wanting to cover as much ground horizontally as possible over the course of your flight?
"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

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in reply to"Perhaps you could clarify your question. I am assuming you are wanting to cover as much ground horizontally as possible over the course of your flight?
.......................................
What suit has the fastest Forward speed ?

This doesn't need to be complicated
The following may further clarify /simplify my question if you don't get it.

Say you had two identical weight people with identical skills. (just pretend for a while ) and they were testing suits to see which was the fastest horizontally...as in velocity not max distance travelled .....FORWARD SPEED.

What suit would allow them to travel the fastest forward? eg which suit would beat the others in a race .

This is really quite a simple question. Not tortoise and hare ..flat out forward velocity.
From the replies so far it seems like the Vampire1 has the highest forward speed abilities.

I'm in the market for a new suit and don't want to get stuck with a slow one.

:)

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The following may further clarify /simplify my question if you don't get it.



I get it but what you are asking is not that simple. These two imaginary, equal skilled people will still have differences in their performance and therefore will have different results if all you are using is speed as a determining factor. The best answer to your question can only be answered by you after you have flown different suits and found what works best for your flying needs. To try and arbitrarily make a decission based on a number or other peoples numbers is fundamentaly flawed. I can tell you that I can fly very fast in my suit and provide you with data, that doesn't mean you will have the same results.

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which suit would beat the others in a race ..... I'm in the market for a new suit and don't want to get stuck with a slow one.



You can purchase any of the manufacturers top end suits but there is no guarentee you will be able to fly it fast just because someone else does. You can buy a fast car but thats no guarentee that your going to win a race against a better driver. Fly the different suits out there and choose a suit that works for you. If you let peoples opinions influence your decission without testing them for yourself, you may be disappointed.

But just to be fair and answer your question "What suit has the fastest Forward speed ?"

The answer is mine with me in it. Just go back and look at the numbers in the attachment I posted, 106 mph Vh, Velocity of 118 mph and a 2.0 Glide Ratio:)
"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

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DOH.....


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The answer is mine with me in it. Just go back and look at the numbers in the attachment I posted, 106 mph Vh and a 2.0 Glide Ratio



go monkey... flap yo wings...

people quit ur biotching and jump any freaking suit you want... dont blame the suit if you suck.... just jump more and have fun so you suck less?
Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...

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people quit ur biotching and jump any freaking suit you want... dont blame the suit if you suck.... just jump more and have fun so you suck less?



You are right but the initial question is a valid one. Is the V-1 right for every? ...no.

Are most of the top pilots and a few also-rans getting their best results with the V-1 after trying and owning most of the suits ever fabricated? Yes. Do they agree? Yes.

This tread didn't get ugly.

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Fly the different suits out there and choose a suit that works for you.



Let's be real, that's just about impossible. I only know of 2 manufacturers (Jii Wings and Fly You Body) which give demos to non-instructors. How is he supposed to get a Vampire, S3S, Phantom, Firebird, and Phi and fly them all? He can't, so he has to go on people's word. And the word is, for most people, that the V1 is the fastest suit they've flown. I know that's true for me, also. I've never flown anything that will outrun a Vampire.

And Trae, to answer one of your earlier questions: Yes, you will be slowing down for flocks. If you're a big guy, being fast will get old fast.

Ted
Like a giddy school girl.

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How is he supposed to get a Vampire, S3S, Phantom, Firebird, and Phi and fly them all?



Last time I checked, both of those manufacturers had reps with demos available both in the US and abroad. If one is interested in flying a suit then one will find a way to make it happen.



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for most people, that the V1 is the fastest suit they've flown.....Yes, you will be slowing down for flocks.........being fast will get old fast.



So why should anyone be concerned with being fast then?;)
"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

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You can buy a fast car but thats no guarentee that your going to win a race against a better driver.



I chopped your second long post to this one line, as the rest was entirely off-topic.

The question was super simple: "What is the fastest car?". There is an equally simple answer, with a particular model that has the highest top speed. Period. Discussing "the best car for you" is an entirely different subject.

Regarding wingsuits, the fastest is V1, without any arguing. It also currently has the highest L/D (glide ratio).

Given the same pilot skill, the fastest suit is the one with the highest L/D and the highest wing loading.

You can probably make a suit that will have much smaller wings (i.e. higher wing loading) while still keeping L/D high, specifically for winning a horisontal speed race. However it won't be very convenient for anything else.

Finally, so far it has been nearly impossible to measure with any precision either horizontal speeds or L/D on skydives, due to equally hard to measure winds that change direction and strength with altitude. However, it is super simple to measure everything almost absolutely perfect on most BASE flights, due to nearly zero winds required for most locations, direct line of flight and perfect exit/opening GPS marks. Thus BASE wingsuit flights, where pilots go all-out (and sometimes MUST fly or die) have been a true measure of wingsuits for the last 6 years. S3 ruled '03 and '04. V1 ruled '05. Let's see what will be "it" in '06 :)
bsbd!

Yuri.

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Last time I checked, both of those manufacturers had reps with demos available both in the US and abroad. If one is interested in flying a suit then one will find a way to make it happen.



OK, I'd like to demo any of the new BM suits. Hook me up, US rep.

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So why should anyone be concerned with being fast then?;)



Ask Trae, he's the one who wants to haul ass. I know that by yourself, it's fun as hell, more fun and more visceral than slow fall or good glide, at least IMHO.

Ted
Like a giddy school girl.

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OK, I'd like to demo any of the new BM suits. Hook me up, US rep.



If you are serious then either contact Birdman or PM me with your information.
"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

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:)Cheers for the spot on stuff.

I've flown, Classic2, Gti and S3....The S3 was the least fun although it did out perform the others.
As some of these were loaners the not quite right fit no doubt affected my judgement .

Is the Vampire similar to fly to the S3?
From what I've been told it flies better with less physical input than the S3.

Is this correct?

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Is the Vampire similar to fly to the S3?
From what I've been told it flies better with less physical input than the S3.



It is somewhat similar, however i personally had to make a big adjustment in my flying style. I got the best glide out of S3 trying to go slow (and it did glide great, 2.4 on best BASE flights!). Same didn't work very well on V1 and i eventually gave up and sped it up, reaching 2.5+ glide.

Physical input (muscle effort) in a maxed-out flight is the same or even a bit harder in V1. This will only increase as perfomance gets better, such are the rules of the game. However, at less-then-max (in a flock) it will take you less effort than, say, a pilot of a maxed-out Classic - because you will be flying in a relaxed body position.

When it comes to glide, the only real competition coming so far may be GS1, or the Sugarglider version that Shaun and Julian are working on. It will probably fly a bit slower, which is a benefit for BASE anyway.

bsbd!

Yuri.

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