Jump numbers before first wingsuit flight

[SkyDivinRyan 0]

I was told 200 is the min before your first ws jump(cant wait lol) So i was just wondering what number were you at when you decided to suit up ? thanks

[aerodynamite 0]

I had 700 jumps before first wingsuitflight.

- No mercy in the flock! Straighten your legs!!! -

[VectorBoy 0]

200 and change

[sdctlc 0]

I had a late start I guess, 15+ years and well over 3000 jumps till my first WS jump.. Better late then never I guess!!

Scott C.

"He who Hesitates Shall Inherit the Earth!"

[aerodynamite 0]

I waited on purpose couple of years becouse I knew that after wingsuitflight freefall wont give the kicks anymore. I was right. Why fall if you can fly?

- No mercy in the flock! Straighten your legs!!! -

[MyTwoCents 0]

170 skydives and 100 BASE (not relevant for technique, but for stress-management to some extent).

I predict and hope the minimum number of skydives required for first wingsuit flights will come down in the future. 200 jumps for a first Prodigy flight seems heavy. Conversely, it may not be enough for a V2. Adaptable and individual progression seems desirable to me.

[JohanW 0]

500-odd

Johan.
I am. I think.

[dragon2 0]

~350

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[Tonto 1]

About 3300.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[piisfish 135]

I had around 330

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

[monkycndo 0]

Just over 200

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[boachanoff 0]

Hi,100 jumps is accepted as minimum for Prodigy-it is hybrid between wing suit and normal suit!


Plamen

[bofh 0]

Quote

Hi,100 jumps is accepted as minimum for Prodigy-it is hybrid between wing suit and normal suit!

It's 300 in Sweden and 500 for "bigger" wingsuits.

I had around 320 when I did my first jumps with the Prodigy.

[The111 1]

190 in 9 months.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[MarkM 0]

Had 200 jumps when I tried a wing suit.

[moonglo 0]

315, but I only waited that long cuz I didn't have access to a suit that fit before then!

On a side note I had a guy with "more than 500 but only 281 logged" jumps and rental gear ask me about a first flight last weekend. Found out soon enough he had done 500+ jumps pre-1977 and 4 recently! I think it is more important to be current and comfortable with how his "new" gear works and have good in-air awareness than jump numbers, and I told him to look me up when he had made at least 100 jumps on his own modern gear!!

[Tornolf 0]

Just over 200.

A waddling elephant seal is the cutest thing in the entire world.
-TJ

[aerodynamite 0]

"reply]170 skydives and 100 BASE (not relevant for technique, but for stress-management to some extent)."

I agree. It is easy to fly but when things start to go wrong experience and ability to do right things in a rigt time is needed.

- No mercy in the flock! Straighten your legs!!! -

[SouthernJumper 0]

460 jumps have 498 since first wingsuit jump all have been wingsuits

[BlindBrick 0]

Quote

200 jumps for a first Prodigy flight seems heavy.

Yesterday, I would have agreed. Today though, I would disagree. I went for my first flight today, on a Prodigy. I missed the loop the wing attachment strap goes through when I suited. Everything went fine until ~7 grand when I lost my left wing. I immediately entered a suprisingly quick spin, had to diagnose the problem, free the other wing and then regain stability.

200 doesn't seem so bad to me, since it should give you more experience with dealing with fast-happening, high-stress situations.

-Blind


[edited for spelling]

"If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

[MyTwoCents 0]

Quote

I went for my first flight today, on a Prodigy.

Congratulations!

Quote

I missed the loop the wing attachment strap goes through when I suited.

Did you go out on your own? No judgement, just curious. Or did you take BMI/PFI/other instruction? I'd like to think that an instructor would have caught such a thing.

Quote

Everything went fine until ~7 grand when I lost my left wing. I immediately entered a suprisingly quick spin, had to diagnose the problem, free the other wing and then regain stability.

And you lived through it. Would you say it was more stressful (relatively speaking) than a standard emergency procedure would be for somebody with only ten skydives (no wingsuit)? I doubt it...

I've met people with 300 skydives that shouldn't be skydiving (let alone wingsuiting). I've met people with 20 skydives that could comfortably fly a wingsuit.

The problem is in who decides when a person is fit to make a first wingsuit jump. To mitigate this, picking some random number as a minimum is not a terrible solution.

However, I think the number as it stands today is too high. Let's lower the bar, and leave it up to instructors and DZOs to install more stringent rules when they believe a person isn't ready yet (similar to how canopy downsizing works in North America).

Skydiving appears to be on the decline (BASE being one of many threats), and wingsuiting may very well be a great way to keep more people in the sport.

[TomAiello 25]

Quote

The problem is in who decides when a person is fit to make a first wingsuit jump. To mitigate this, picking some random number as a minimum is not a terrible solution.

However, I think the number as it stands today is too high. Let's lower the bar, and leave it up to instructors and DZOs to install more stringent rules when they believe a person isn't ready yet (similar to how canopy downsizing works in North America).

You do understand that the number is not enforced by any actual regulatory agency, right? It's pretty much left up to instructors and DZO's to sort out what they want to enforce.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[MyTwoCents 0]

Quote

You do understand that the number is not enforced by any actual regulatory agency, right? It's pretty much left up to instructors and DZO's to sort out what they want to enforce.

Come to think of it, I think I knew this but forgot. Maybe it's because typically the wingsuit community permeates a police-like image when it comes to minimum requirements. The UK comes to mind (although my understanding of their regulation may be wrong or out-of-date).

I stand corrected.

Regulation aside, I believe the standing advice made sense when the sport was younger, but as wingsuiting matures I think we'll see the recommended requirements come down.

[VectorBoy 0]

Quote

Quote

You do understand that the number is not enforced by any actual regulatory agency, right? It's pretty much left up to instructors and DZO's to sort out what they want to enforce.

Come to think of it, I think I knew this but forgot. Maybe it's because typically the wingsuit community permeates a police-like image when it comes to minimum requirements.

Actually the wingsuit community is pretty loose when it comes to wingsuits. There is and has always been plenty of solo exploration going on. This countries ( USA) governing body only has recommendations when it come to wingsuits. Your country and your DZ may have other rules, guidelines etc, as part of that governing body.

The "police -like" image you are referring to is propagated by a faction of the overall wingsuit community which is definitely not the voice of the entire community. Sometimes that faction comes off sounding like the "mattress label assault squad" but there is no manufacturer enforcement authority what so ever. Instructors from this faction have been the first to violate the hard numbers rule.

[aerodynamite 0]

I haven´t met any police-kind regulating in wingsuiting. I think we have to be responsible for safety of beginners and the whole sport. If you don´t know what you are doing you are danger for yourself and for everybody in the sky.

I don´t know if there is a certain number of jumps which makes you qualified for wings. People are different. No matter if you have 100 or 1000 jumps first flight is good to make with instructor. That is what I think.

- No mercy in the flock! Straighten your legs!!! -