GK Ben B Trying again for Distance Record

[LouDiamond 1]

Where Ben deployed at is where he landed at. He did not deploy high and ride his canopy from 25k or from 3k to his landing point. He opened and spiraled down to land. If you read the story, the farmer saw him deploy and land. He was also tracked in freefall by the chase team on the ground.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[arai 0]

still, doesnt it set a precedent that its where you land? with todays gps options I'm suprised there wasnt an ability to do in flight distance tracking.

For the actual record was there a reason you choose to not use an opboard gps option? was that how previous distance records were recorded?

still an awesome accomplishment.

[unclecharlie95 3]

I know Adrian used an Airtec data logger for recording the freefall time - but how did he measure the horizontal distance? If that is the record to beat it also sets the precedent for the measurement system..

BASEstore.it

[LouDiamond 1]

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I know Adrian used an Airtec data logger for recording the freefall time - but how did he measure the horizontal distance? If that is the record to beat it also sets the precedent for the measurement system..

Are you asking how Adrian measured the horizontal distance or how Ben did?

I do not know how Adrian measured the horizontal distance of his flight or how accurate that distance really is. If and when I see Adrian's wife again, I will ask her.


As for Ben's jump. The C-17 has an onboard GPS system that is interfaced with the Portable Flight Planning Software system, the navigator has access to and uses this for all aspects of flight planning. Based off the wind calculations that I did for Ben and the navigators real time winds, a known GPS coordinate and heading was identified as the release point before the plane left the ground. The coordinate was entered into the planes flight planner by the navigator in the same way precision air drops of cargo/bombs,etc are done. Ben left the aircraft exactly as the aircraft was over the designated release point, after his 6 mins 35 seconds flight, he landed on the ground above where he opened and that grid coordinate was taken by the ground chase team. From there it's simple measuring from point A to point B via the grid coordinates. In this case the navigator was able to go back after wards and input the landing point grid coordinates into the mission planner/Falconview and measure the distance from the release point to the landing point.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[SuperGirl 0]

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Ben left the aircraft exactly as the aircraft was over the designated release point, after his 6 mins 35 seconds flight, he landed on the ground above where he opened

wait, so the 6 mins 35 seconds also include canopy time?
I realize this was about setting a distance record and not a time record, but I'd still be curious to know what the exact flight time was in just the wingsuit, if it wasn't 6'35"

I guess it again comes down to we as a community figuring out what kind of measurements we would like to see of future record attempts.

Ben's jump remains a very cool one!

But from a "what did we learn from this?" perspective... what do folks think would be sufficient evidence to avoid these types of discussions in the future? At least one GPS device on the wingsuit flyer? Or perhaps 2 GPS devices showing minimal error between their results, to avoid further doubts about noisy data? What else? Worth thinking about.

[arai 0]

I guess I just assumed you'd have a gps on the flyer. As far as future attemps, probably worth its own thread, but I'd say it has to be something that doesnt require this kind of support. Great to get it, but not everyone has two c-17 globemasters on standby. I'd imagine gps loggers are accurate enough now to get one off the flyer. would just have to figure out when to start the track.

I'm also curious since you mentioned you doing the wind calculations for him if you remembered to put the winds at his back? ;)

[LouDiamond 1]

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Ben left the aircraft exactly as the aircraft was over the designated release point, after his 6 mins 35 seconds flight, he landed on the ground above where he opened

wait, so the 6 mins 35 seconds also include canopy time?
I realize this was about setting a distance record and not a time record, but I'd still be curious to know what the exact flight time was in just the wingsuit, if it wasn't 6'35"

I guess it again comes down to we as a community figuring out what kind of measurements we would like to see of future record attempts.

Ben's jump remains a very cool one!

But from a "what did we learn from this?" perspective... what do folks think would be sufficient evidence to avoid these types of discussions in the future? At least one GPS device on the wingsuit flyer? Or perhaps 2 GPS devices showing minimal error between their results, to avoid further doubts about noisy data? What else? Worth thinking about.

Ben's freefall time was 6 mins 35 seconds. It DOES NOT include time under canopy.

The problem with jumper worn GPS is that unless you have a GPS repeater inside the aircraft, which most don't have access to or are allowed to do, the jumper worn GPS is not going to have a constant signal and you will have errors in the track data.

The other issue is having the ability to mark exactly when the person leaves the aircraft. That would require the jumper to physically touch his device to get it to start logging his flight, something thats not really conducive to a good exit nor is it precise as it either gets turned on before the jumper exits or slightly after. Using the C-17s onboard GPS/Flight planner and it's ability to precisely log when the jumper leaves the aircraft removes any issues with what I just mentioned and provides far more accurate coordinates than what most of us use recreationally to log our flights with. Taking the second reading from the ground where the jumper lands also removes any type of error that may have developed during the flight data recording and makes determining exit and landing coordinates less difficult. Again, this is all based on the jumper opening up and spiraling down to land, not continuing on under canopy to further the distance travelled. The only post processing needed is to know the exact exit/release coordinates and the exact landing coordinates and compute the distance between the two.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[mccordia 73]

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Again, this is all based on the jumper opening up and spiraling down to land

Outside of this record attempt..but spiraling straight down can either work for or against a jumper, depending on winds. As moderate or heavy as they may be.

Speaking for myself, I think none of the above comments are aimed at more than an attempt at understanding how the readings and results where measured/recorded, and nobody is trying to discredit results or bash methods used.

Nothing but praise for the acheived results! Shame he didnt get those few extra seconds (or ft) to also push past the 6:47 time record...would have been awesome getting both in one go....

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

Ben is a nice guy. Good on him.

[LouDiamond 1]

Some new video from the plane and a narrative of what took place can be seen HERE

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[Tony-tonysuits 0]

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What suit is that?

an X-Bird with Fastback formly called the X-Wing

the arms had only one layer of foam in the leading edge as the sut was made before the second layer was tried and tested.

Life is a series of wonderful opportunities,
brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.

tonysuits.com

[kallend 1,623]

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Some new video from the plane and a narrative of what took place can be seen HERE

Very nicely done. Thanks, Scott.

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[kallend 1,623]

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The sun rose behind the Altus Air Force Base flightline this morning to reveal beautiful skies and weather that far exceeded expectations for today's big jump. It was an early start for everyone, as the team loaded bags and equipment in the van at 0400. Once at the aircraft, everyone went to work like a well-oiled machine. Golden Knights media relations set up three tripods to record in-flight video, and SFC Arlyn Slade performed pre-mission checks on SSG Borger's parachute and equipment.

Prebreathing started at 0600 on the nose, as maintenance technicians did last minute checks of the aircraft electrical systems. About five minutes into prebreathing, the technicians found that there was a problem with the aircraft's emergency backup power system, which put everyone involved in high gear immediately. Luckily, the planning process had been exhaustive so everyone knew exactly what do do. The alternate aircraft was parked 100 feet away and and was fired up within minutes of the discovery. Crew members disconnected their oxygen, rushed to the other aircraft, and reconnected their masks as quickly as they could. Meanwhile, ground support personnel brought the gear and cameras and reconfigured the new aircraft for the mission. Everything was back on track in no time and the hitch only pushed the drop time back by 20 minutes.

Wheels were up at 0720 and the aircraft immediately began the climb to 32,000 feet. Everything went as planned while in flight, and SSG Borger exited the C-17 at 0749 and landed safely at approximately 0756. He traveled a total of 11.5 miles and now holds the world record for greatest distance traveled while in freefall. SSG Borger was in freefall for 6 minutes 35 seconds, just short of the current world record of 6:48.

Overall, the jump went well and everyone was safe. The level of support the Golden Knights have received from everyone at Altus is unparalleled and the successful attempt could not have been possible without them.



Story and pictures by SGT Rachel Medley


Full story and pictures HERE

Not that Wikipedia is definitive, but the Wiki entry on wingsuit records states:

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The greatest verified horizontal distance flown in a wingsuit is 12.7 miles by Alvaro Bulto, Santi Corella and Toni Lopez.[10] The three Spaniards crossed the Strait of Gibraltar on June 23, 2005, after jumping from an aircraft at an altitude of 35,000ft.

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.