Joining tracking dive with wingsuit

[darklow 0]

Has anyone tried to join to some regular tracking divers with wingsuit. On our dropzone some guys time to time make tracking dives (with regular freefly suits). We have quite enough skilled backflying rabbits and others are following quite well and it is lot fun to jumps tracking dives.

I was wondering is it possible to dirt dive so much, to catch these divers if wearing a winsguit (PF Phantom) and follow them. Have anyone tried? I just feel so good and comfortable in my wingsuit i want to try to join them and fly near them some time in wingsuit ...

The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness
http://adventure.lv/

[mccordia 73]

I know Costyn has followed some regular dives in a wingsuit.
Flying it collapsed when close to the group, but also being able to do tim porter-ish broad carves around the formation that would normaly be impossible for us mere mortals

If you fly a rodeo, speeds are quite close to normal tracking-speeds as well...

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[phoenixlpr 0]

I manage to get 64 seconds on my FFC with a Phantom. It felt stable anyway.

I think you should be able to fly together with trackers.

I have not tried yet and I got problems with even reach or get close/fly close to an Impact.

[maretus 0]

Quote

Has anyone tried to join to some regular tracking divers with wingsuit.

This might be a stupid question but why ? Why not join the regular tracking dives as a regular tracker wearing freeflysuits etc like everybody else ? That way you'll be able to work on your tracking skills and not have to work on flying "dirty" WS -flight. WS are great for WS stuff, long flights and nice flocks but tracking in its own is beautiful discipline too.

http://www.ufufreefly.com

[darklow 0]

I do regular tracking dives with them in regular suits. And i love it a lot.

The thing about joing them in wingsuit is about challenge :) I can't imagine in my head can i put my wings away so much or can't, can i gain vertical speed so much as them or can't.

I decided to try it already in this weekend, but first wanted to ask here about experience in doing such thing, maybe there are some extra things i should know that i didn't think of myself yet.

The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness
http://adventure.lv/

[mccordia 73]

Make sure you try it on a small jump with experienced people first

Being able to pop up at 50 mph (or more) less vertical speed then the rest of the trackers mean you could seriously hurt yourself, or anyone who's above you when that happens...

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[darklow 0]

Quote

Make sure you try it on a small jump with experienced people first

Being able to pop up at 50 mph (or more) less vertical speed then the rest of the trackers mean you could seriously hurt yourself, or anyone who's above you when that happens...

My plan of this trying jump on weekend:
1. Exit last one
2. Observe where others are and don't loose them
3. Don't fly in center of tracking jumpiers, but only on one side, so if i can't get woth them i always can fly away to side no to pop up
4. We will be doing max 5-6 people tracking dive
5. If i see i can't catch them, i just fly away and make regular wingsuit jump

The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness
http://adventure.lv/

[Costyn 0]

Quote

Has anyone tried to join to some regular tracking divers with wingsuit. On our dropzone some guys time to time make tracking dives (with regular freefly suits). We have quite enough skilled backflying rabbits and others are following quite well and it is lot fun to jumps tracking dives.

I was wondering is it possible to dirt dive so much, to catch these divers if wearing a winsguit (PF Phantom) and follow them. Have anyone tried? I just feel so good and comfortable in my wingsuit i want to try to join them and fly near them some time in wingsuit ...

Yes, I have done this a number of times in the past and I know some people that regularly join tracking dives in their wingsuit. It requires some unusual wingsuit flying.

Firstly, the smaller the suit the better. A Classic or Prodigy is ideal.

As for the flying bit: just collapsing all your wings will usually not suffice to keep close to them. However, if you dive down, you will also gain forward speed, getting ahead of the formation.

The best way I've found is to fly circles: just do a quick diving 360; you will lose a lot of altitude that way and quickly catch up to the tracking formation. Do another, and you'll be on level, you can fly next to them for a while.

Theoretically it should be possible to also carve underneath the formation, flying on your back. However, I haven't tried this yet. When I was joining the tracking jumps, I wasn't at all proficient in flying on my back.

Flying a wingsuit in a tracking dive does give you god-like (like Tim Porter) manueverability, but it is also somewhat harder to control. The guy whom I learnt it from was a little heavier as well, and he was able to just "float" above the base by collapsing his wings. Pretty cool visuals, to see a wingsuit in a tracking formation.

Like Jarno said, a rodeo flies at tracking speeds, and they can be an ideal base for a tracking or atmonauti jump.

Good luck and have fun. Remember the 360's, they're they key to staying with the formation.

Cheers,

Costyn.

Costyn van Dongen - http://www.flylikebrick.com/ - World Wide Wingsuit News

[pierre3636 0]

me and a friend have done it a few times witha group of 6 in S3s es... its freekin hard work getting that low! and as soon as you open anything the you rocket outta there (forwards and up) - kinda like chasing a first WS jump student in a classic (except the trackers fly straight)

~ time is ~ time was ~ times past ~

[Tonto 1]

I've done it a bunch of times. 1st in Eloy with a couple of PF tracking suits. I only lifted on them when I pulled away. They had plenty forward speed.

I've done rodeo with trackers around too, and the speeds are close. It's really nice to see their faces when you do the liftoff. Most of them are verticals and have never really seen what a wingsuit can do. I like to show them. I break off at about 6000ft, and then carve a 270 and come past 3 or 4 of them before pitching. I usually get about 30 seconds more than them between 6000 and my opening.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[FlyinBob 0]

Interesting question - I had it myself a few weeks ago, and jumped on an 8-way tracking dive led by FreeFlyer Jason Lively (on his back), just to see if I could do it in a wingsuit. I've done many regular tracking dives in regular suits, but thesedays prefer to fly wings so took the opportunity. No other wingsuiter was available to flock that dive.

I let everyone on the load know what I was doing, flew my Acro (smallest suit I have), left last from the plane, dove hard and did a sweeping 360 to catch up with the group, pretty much the way Costyn described it.

Had to fly dirty, but was there, hanging a few feet off to the side of the leader. Fine control is difficult when flying dirty, so washed around a bit, but kept enough distance to be safe. I avoided getting underneath the formation for pop-up collision reasons. I approached from and stayed to the side. It was fun being there - the challenge of it was intriguing!

I'd love to try it again flipping onto my back and getting under the formation where I could see everyone. I've done a fair amount of backflying with several kinds of wingsuits so feel that I would be comfortable doing it with a tracking group.

At breakoff, I went to the side and slowly slowed down, separating from the group, eventually punching out and gliding well away from the crowd to pull. The range you have relative to the trackers is awesome! Just be careful with it.

Old Guys Rock!

[Bowie 0]

Try to be above the rabbit and dive hard when you open your wings you will accelerate forward with a speed the trackers wont believe possible. but be sure the space above and in front of you is free because you will make quite a distance.
done this a few times in my s3s

Bo Wienberg

vimeo.com/bowienberg

[tr027 0]

I haven't done that but I've done kinda the opposite. Joined a tracking suit jump wearing regular, proper fitting clothes and had a track suit go low on me. I think that was more fun and challenging than bringin a wingsuit to a track suit jump.

"The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it. " -John Galt from Atlas Shrugged, 1957

[leroydb 0]

skydmonkey1 has done it

Leroy


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