Top ground speed in wingsuit?

[bdrake529 0]

What are the top forward speeds attainable in a wingsuit?

Jeff N told me he can punch his Mach 1 to over 130mph.

On one hand, this is impressively fast.

But compared to the numbers on Tracking Derby, there are people tracking without wingsuits that appear to be exceeding this.

http://www.trackingderby.com/en/trace_view_1826_miles.php
Look at the ground speed graph. He maintains speeds in excess of 150mph (looks like an avg of ~175mph). The vertical speed graph shows he never goes faster than 150mph so I doubt this is a case of head-down speed converted into a short burst of tracking speed. Besides he not only maintains his horizontal speed during the competition time period, he actually increases it.

Compare this to the top ranked wingsuiter (look at ground speed graph)
http://www.trackingderby.com/en/trace_view_2007_miles.php


Am I missing something here? I would have thought wingsuits had potential for much higher forward speed than regular tracking. Is the only benefit of the wingsuit the improved glide ratio due to slower fall rates?

I imagine perhaps the answer is wind-affected speeds vs true speed. Or am I reading the numbers incorrectly in some other way?

Incidentally, those two examples from Tracking Derby I picked are top rated for their logged distance in the recording time period, not the top forward speed. I suppose other records could have even greater forward speeds but overall less glide ratio due to increased fall rate.

Brian Drake

[TomAiello 25]

Are the tracking derby numbers adjusted for wind?

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[Buried 0]

yes winds can effect it.. quite a bit. With just a quick look, you can also see the bearing and pitch angle of each. looks like the "top ranked wingsuiter" was kinda flying ugly and not as straight back to the dz as the other one. vertical speed doesn't necessarily translate to fwd speed either. you can fly suits various ways. that being said, the person in the RW suit could have traveled further if he got out at 15k like the WS.

i'm sure others will bite with more detail.

Where is my fizzy-lifting drink?

[The111 1]

Quote

Jeff N told me he can punch his Mach 1 to over 130mph.

From the Z-Flock 3.0 thread, Jeff's winning flight took him 3 ground miles in 176 seconds. That translates to 61mph avg forward speed.

However, you can go much much faster forward if you also go much much faster downward (dive, for example, or gain 50 lb). But what's the point?

We want to be birds, right? Birds soar, they are not bullets.

As a sidenote, that trackingderby data you posted has a GR of ~1.5, which is the same GR of Jeff's run at 3.0. If the trackers did not have a tailwind, and the data from both jumps is accurate, then our wingsuits are not as glide-assisting as we think (once you factor in endurance).

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[mbondvegas 0]

I think you might be looking at the Data incorrectly.

Fabian (the top WS on TD.com) has a GR of 2.6 to one (4,924 meters horizontal in 1883 vertical)

And Luc's (the tracker on TD.com) has GR of 1.5 to one (3546 meters horizontal in 2327 vertical).

Indeed, looking at ground speed, Luc wins...but not in Glide Ratio. You should also read the "race rules" for trackers versus wingsuiters'. The race is based upon time after exit...not vertical distance.

- - -
I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.

[The111 1]

Quote

I think you might be looking at the Data incorrectly.

Fabian (the top WS on TD.com) has a GR of 2.6 to one (4,924 meters horizontal in 1883 vertical)

And Luc's (the tracker on TD.com) has GR of 1.5 to one (3546 meters horizontal in 2327 vertical).

The WS data I was quoting was from ZF3.0, I did not see any WS stuff on TD.com.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[mbondvegas 0]

Yes, Sorry 111, I meant to reply to the original poster.

I was trying to say that looking at the fastest forward speed is deceiving if you do not also consider the vert speed on the same jump.

WS fall slower, go forward slower but also glide FURTHER.

- - -
I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.

[phoenixlpr 0]

Quote

Are the tracking derby numbers adjusted for wind?

Are you kidding? They have no detailed wind info, just a ground track from GPS.

[mccordia 73]

The biggest flaw in trackingderby.com is the use of 90 seconds of flighttime, and they meassure ground speed (distance) flown..

The winner will always be the person who gets most altitude, and just puts in the steepest dive with the highest ground speed..

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[mccordia 73]

Side subject...Luc Maisin (#1 tracking at trackinderby) did his first wingsuit jump with us a few weeks ago, and absolutely floored a Classic, and flew it with speeds most people would already be in trouble with in their bigger suits

damn good pilot..

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[KrisFlyZ 0]

Quote

Quote

Jeff N told me he can punch his Mach 1 to over 130mph.

From the Z-Flock 3.0 thread, Jeff's winning flight took him 3 ground miles in 176 seconds. That translates to 61mph avg forward speed.

However, you can go much much faster forward if you also go much much faster downward (dive, for example, or gain 50 lb). But what's the point?

We want to be birds, right? Birds soar, they are not bullets.

As a sidenote, that trackingderby data you posted has a GR of ~1.5, which is the same GR of Jeff's run at 3.0. If the trackers did not have a tailwind, and the data from both jumps is accurate, then our wingsuits are not as glide-assisting as we think (once you factor in endurance).

Search 'Wingsuits Speeds' and read Jim's post from a few years ago. 3.6 miles in a GTI at 1.8 GR with a downward speed of around 45 mph.

Trackingderby is about who can jump in the greatest amount of tailwind.

So what does flying for 176 sec but only flying for 3 miles in almost no wind in a huge suit(compared to a GTI) mean? The flyer in the GTI is a few inches taller than Jeff but still a GTI can fly as good as a Mach 1?

Don't use that flight as a yardstick. 2+ L/D(no wind) over 10000' of fall are achievable.

We cannot soar with a wingsuit, a paraglider, glider, or a hangglider is needed for that. Glide can be pretty good when going down slightly faster than 36mph. However one chooses to fly, the joy is pretty much the same
Kris.

[Costyn 0]

Quote

Trackingderby is about who can jump in the greatest amount of tailwind.

... and from the greatest altitude.

Like Jarno said, if you go to 15Kft, and fly for 105 seconds (15 before race start + 90 race time) you'll always cover more ground than the guy who exits at 12Kft and does 105 seconds from there: he will have to fly a lot more flat than the other guy.

Ideally Trackingderby should be an altitude range: who can cover the most ground between 10000 and 5000 ft: that will be a true test of who can get the best glide ratio out of their wingsuit.

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

[Costyn 0]

Another thought: a wingsuit will not help you to get more forward speed. As far as I understood from Luc (suit #1), he flies his body at a kind of atmonauti angle, a very steep track. You don't need a wingsuit to achieve those kind of forward speeds, just a lot of practice.

Also, don't forget that Luc has a race time of only 45 seconds, while Fabian (wingsuit #1) has a race time of 90 seconds. If wingsuits was 45 seconds too, you'd be seeing insane forward speeds as well. It's all just a matter of dialing in that correct angle.

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

[bdrake529 0]

Thanks everyone.

I realized I wasn't considering this from every angle, thus my post. The replies here have helped me understand a bit more.

Brian Drake

[Tonto 1]

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It's the year of the Pig.

[Waldschrat 0]

balloon or heli jump?

[Tonto 1]

Pilatus PC-6.

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