Suit input...

[DSE 3]

I'm a big guy, 195, 5'9".
So far I've jumped a Classic, GTI, Firebird, Phantom...and trying to decide between a Ghost and a Blade. I flew just fine with all of the suits I've tried, and feel comfortable deploying all of them.
Seems like a tough choice between the Ghost and the Blade, and have had recommendations for both from people I trust.
I'd like some input that might help me make a decision?

[helxen 0]

what's your primary sub-discipline in wingsuit flying?

flocking == ghost
performance == v2 or blade (let holywars begin!) v2 is better.
hanging in midst of nowhere == GS1 or M1

[mccordia 73]

Based on what experience flying those suits lena ;-) ??

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[helxen 0]

I'm not Lena, but Vlad, Jarno :P

circa 250 flights total, few dozens in v1/v2 and sfly, vast majority is phantom.

And yes i'm pf addict, flame on.

[mccordia 73]

then get your own dz.com profile...;-)

And as fun as comparisons and flame-wars are..contests show the different top of the line suits of various competitors to be closer matched in performance then anyone is willing to admit...and the pilot is always the deciding factor in what suit flies further when comparing those.....

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[helxen 0]

I have my own profile here for 3 years already, no, honestly! (and nickname is 10 years old already, aswell)

As for trying to keep ontopic, would you agree that ghost is more convenient choice for flocking for a midrange pilot, compared to bullets like blade or v2? (i assume flocks with somewhat bent knees, as most of them currently are)

p.s. i prefer performance solo or two-way flights, that's why i'm up for v2 (yes, that's bad marketing by birdman in russia, i dont see enough blades here, but could demo one on first ocassion!)

[mccordia 73]

The nickname looked a lot like lena's...sorry about that...

As for which suit is better...wingsuits are just a stable, well inflated wing profile.
And it only provides you with stability and lift. As in the end its still about you learning how to fly it well. Flocking especialy, comes down to 90% skills...and the suit (provided it can keep you up with the group in terms of lift/wingsize) doesnt do a wole lot for your flying besides that.
Give it time and more then a few jumps and you can learn to fly it in any situation. Be it slow or fast. And that truly goes for almost every (big) suit...

Ive seen some lesser examples of inflation on the ghost, but that aside..if anyone asks me currently what suit to get..I honestly wouldnt know what to reccomend based on performance... I have my own preference for the suit I fly. I can fly time/distance/flock/backfly/aerobatics like a squirell on caffiene pills, and truly love it to death! But I cant say that its not comparable in performance to quite a few other top of the line suits from other manufacturers..

I dont quite like all the niche suits (designed for a specific sub-dicipline) as a lot of the current big suits are well suitable for a mixture of things..aerobatics, flocking, distance flying...and owning 15 suits for all different types of flying just seems silly..

But having to choose...I thing the ghost/stealth(looks great! solid inflation)/sm1/blade would probbly all be wise choices performance and constructionwise and speed of delivery and service could probably be what weighs in heaviest when ordering..

And with 1 week turn around times....I think Tony is the hands-down winner in that section (even though 20 mph sustained is a load of poopoo;)

as for the original question on Blade or Ghost...Id probably go with the Blade based on better inflation..even though the tail-flapping on the Ghost supposedly doesnt hinder....but when it comes to flying..I think both would be a good choice performancewise...

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[DSE 3]

Jarno, what you've posted is exactly what I'm hearing from folks recommending both suits.
As beautiful as the Tony suit is, I won't go there, simply because it seems the design changes faster than I change my socks. I'd like a suit that will hold some resale value when it's time to move up to whatever the next thing might be. So far, haven't seen any real compelling reasons for the Ghost over the Blade or vice-versa. I prefer the look of the Blade, but not terribly thrilled to hear stories of 5-6 month wait times, either. Price is somewhat negligible, as the Blade and Ghost are about the same cost.

[mccordia 73]

Quote

As beautiful as the Tony suit is, I won't go there, simply because it seems the design changes faster than I change my socks.

It does do 20 mph sustained supposedly

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[Gadget 0]

We just get 4 new Blades and got them in 4 weaks. So they have speed up some things

If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes???
My logbook

[fergs 0]

I jump Blade, love my Blade and recommend a Blade. I haven't flown a Ghost (nor even seen one), so cannot comment on one from experience. However, whichever suit you choose, fly it well. Flock with it well.

Take a look at this discussion:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=2806545;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;

Sorry, don't know how to make it a clicky. Can someone help?

fergs

[sdctlc 0]

Quote

Sorry, don't know how to make it a clicky. Can someone help?

fergs

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=2806545;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;

"He who Hesitates Shall Inherit the Earth!"

[QuietStorm 0]

Spot:

For comparison I laid the Ghost overtop the Blade and they both appeared to have the same surface area.

Guys like you and I really need more wing to start out with due to our large body frames/body mass.....its like wing loading on a canopy. You gotta have a lot of forward speed to generate the lift; you come out the sky faster. When you put on the brakes to fly relative you stall out and drop out. Your range of control of the "lift sweet spot" becomes very small; one slight misadjustment and your out of there. A frustrating experience I have repeated one too many times when trying to fly relative to a flock with my body size in a Firebird and little people in huge wingsuits.

I never had the chance to try out all the different wingsuits like you did and bought my first wingsuit right after my first flight. I bought an "intermediate" suit - A Firebird; from Scott's recommendation; at the time the Vampire V1 by Phoenix and SkyFlyer S3 by Birdman were the "hottest" suits out there. As per Scott's advice I did "grow into" the FireBird with my skills but eventually my entire upper body would be so tired as I tried to keep up with skinny/light guys in Vampire V2's and SkyFlyer S3 or S6. I had less wing so I had to fly the shit out of my body.....hardly had the strength to pitch my pilot chute at pull time.

I have demo'd both the Tony Super Mach 1 and now the Blade. I have noticed that with either suit I never had to struggle to fly relative to others and my body was not exhausted at the end of the dive; wingsuiting was enjoyable again.

I have not had the opportunity to fly a wide variety of suits but I agree with both Scott and Jarno that good wingsuit flying is BOTH a combination of the suit and the pilot. There are poor pilots flying really big suits that make up for thier mistakes and awesome pilots in smaller suits who can fly circles around them. In the beginning I was actually flying my Firebird better than the Blade; it was not until the end of the boogie that I really started to learn the "feel" of the Blade and start to make it fly for me.

I was ready to buy a Tony Super Mach 1 but I was not comfortable with the current wing-cutaway system. I was also attracted to the fact that Tony is in FL and can make any repairs and service the product quickly within the domestic US. The determing factor for the purchase of the Blade was the safety of the the wing cutaway system. I believe the Phoenix Fly suits have a similar system.

I also bought the Blade on a promised 1 month delivery time. Maybe Birdman is reacting to competitive market pressure, losing orders to Tony Suits due to delivery issues, and therefore "stepping up" his game.

I was ready to go demo fly the Phoenix Fly Ghost at the Eloy boogie but the winds cancelled the days I could fly.......bummer.

I think you will do fine in either a Phoenix Fly Ghost or Birdman Blade or S6 Skyflyer.

I really like the Tony Suits and will keep them up on my radar screen until some changes are made on the wing cut-away system.

[DSE 3]

thanks for the input John, and for allowing me to demo your Firebird at the boogie. Those jumps really helped me a lot, in figuring out which direction to go. I've made up my mind, pending a responding email from the manufacturer.

BTW, did you see your pix from the boogie?

[Gadget 0]

Ok you made up your mind.

Please tell what conclusion you came to. Don't let us hang in the wind like that ....

If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes???
My logbook

[DSE 3]

I ordered a Blade. hell, if it makes John look sexy...then I need one of those too.
Seriously, it was a hard decision, and between the roughly 50 PM's from several here, a phone phone calls there, and personalized input from a number of people at the boogie, it wasn't easy to choose. I understand that between the Ghost and the Blade, the majority of difference comes down to the pilot, not the nylon. So, I'm gonna suck for a while, until I can hang out with Ed, Monkeyboy, the Scotts.... and whomever else will help me learn to soar.

[mccordia 73]

Quote

I'm gonna suck for a while, until I can hang out with Ed, Monkeyboy, the Scotts

Sounds like my type of initiation ritual! hmmm....

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[aerodynamite 0]

Good choise! I just flew my first flights with my new Blade and it was totally A W E S O M E !

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