Is it a bad idea to order a wingsuit before taking a first flight course?

[PolinaVin 0]

Hello,
I'm rapidly approaching my 200th jump and I am planing to take a first flight course this summer. Considering the lead times on a new wingsuit makes me impatient to jump. Would it be a terrible idea to order one early or am I better off renting for a while?

[voilsb 1]

Short answer: Yes


Long answer: When you do your first flight, you may rock it, or you may suck it and fall like a rock. You'll most likely want to spend at least a few jumps flying a handful of different suits to decide what you like best, what you fly best alone, and what you fly best with other people. Then you order whichever suit or suits you need at that point.

Brian

[WickedWingsuits 0]

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Hello,
I'm rapidly approaching my 200th jump and I am planing to take a first flight course this summer. Considering the lead times on a new wingsuit makes me impatient to jump. Would it be a terrible idea to order one early or am I better off renting for a while?

You can rent wingsuits by the month to fill the gap while your suit is on order. That way you can have the best of both worlds, order the suit that will last you but keep jumping and working the right progression with rentals.

Summer Rental special, 5 weeks for the price of 4! That is $160 a month.

Try before You Buy with Wicked Wingsuits - WingsuitRental.com

[DSE 3]

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Hello,
I'm rapidly approaching my 200th jump and I am planing to take a first flight course this summer. Considering the lead times on a new wingsuit makes me impatient to jump. Would it be a terrible idea to order one early or am I better off renting for a while?

A number of students do rent; others buy well in advance. Perhaps 10-15% of our foreign students bring in suits or have their suits shipped here for their FFC's. Most of them are P2's, there is a reason it's by far the most common suit in the modern wingsuit world, used by both beginners and experienced wingsuiters alike.
Whatever you do...learn to fly your body first and foremost. Before you get into a wingsuit, and after...

[The111 0]

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Most of them are P2's, there is a reason it's by far the most common suit in the modern wingsuit world, used by both beginners and experienced wingsuiters alike.
Whatever you do...learn to fly your body first and foremost. Before you get into a wingsuit, and after...

Right on.

Short answer: yes.
But... almost "no" if you buy a P2. ;-) Unless you are really fat or have really weird situation otherwise, or really strange goals, P2 will probably be great first suit.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[drkramm 0]

i got lucky my friend who is the exact size of me had started with wingsuits earlier then me ... so when he went from his access to his intro .. i started the access lol then he got an r-bird and i got his intro .. now we both rock the r-bird and i only had to buy the r-bird

[aarthus 0]

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learn to fly your body first

of course !

Patrick de Guillebon

[mchamp 1]

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Most of them are P2's, there is a reason it's by far the most common suit in the modern wingsuit world, used by both beginners and experienced wingsuiters alike.
Whatever you do...learn to fly your body first and foremost. Before you get into a wingsuit, and after...

Right on.

Short answer: yes.
But... almost "no" if you buy a P2. ;-) Unless you are really fat or have really weird situation otherwise, or really strange goals, P2 will probably be great first suit.

+1

My FFC is next weekend and I already put an order through for my P2 3 weeks ago! lol And I am by no means fat

For info regarding lift ticket prices all around the world check out
http://www.jumpticketprices.com/dropzones.asp

[vitriol 0]

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learn to fly your body first

of course !

Good one, made me laugh!

[mortcj 0]

May as well order 2

[kleggo 138]

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Hello,
Would it be a terrible idea to order one early or am I better off renting for a while?

No and Yes


I am in a similar position and have had great success taking advantage of the opportunities offered by Spot at Skydive Elsinore for instruction par exellence and Simon @ wickedwingsuits.com for Tony Suit rentals.


have fun

Craig

[repcool 2]

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Hello,
I'm rapidly approaching my 200th jump and I am planing to take a first flight course this summer. Considering the lead times on a new wingsuit makes me impatient to jump. Would it be a terrible idea to order one early or am I better off renting for a while?

Your question and dilemma is shared among many new to the wingsuit discipline and it was the primary reason for us creating Wicked Wingsuits (WingsuitRental.com), a nationwide and soon to be global monthly rental service for wingsuits.

The problems I saw were:

Problem “Too small” - New wingsuiters were\are buying suits that they outgrew within 50 jumps.

These suits could be appropriate long term solution for some but for others they quickly outgrow the choice. The cost to the customer is measured in both time and money. Money lost to buy and then sell at a loss on a used market and time in waiting for the custom suit and private sale.

Problem “Too Big” - New wingsuiters were\are buying suits based on their long terms needs and not short term skills.

Best examples of these included larger males buying an S Bird with very few wingsuit jumps. The suit was the right choice for the long term but the user MUST invest time on intermediate suits to gain the required experience. Again renting saves not only money but especially time. Proficiency can be gained over months on a rental progression model instead of multiple seasons on a buy\sell model.

The program is certainly not intended to compete with local school and demo fleets. Instead it is aimed as a compliment to enable the new and excited wingsuiter who has received quality instruction on a beginner suit to immediately start logging flights and learning to fly their body, while deciding or waiting for their own personal suits.

Wingsuit rental is not for everybody but it certainly appears to be helping many with their progressions saving time and money while promoting safety. I have models the clearly demonstrates it saves money for anybody that has to work through a range of models to get to their “long term suit” that will last them years in many situations.

Simon

[mccordia 73]

Warning...Im about to go into a long rant...so progress at own risk...

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Problem “Too small” - New wingsuiters were\are buying suits that they outgrew within 50 jumps.

Personaly I think this statement is one related to selling suits, and not aimed at the actual need flyers have.
Instead of a focus on skills and training, people into sales and rental are often quick to point fingers and say 'you need a bigger suit' where in any other dicipline, you'd get coaching.

Looking at wingsuit boogies around the world, attending a lot of them personaly, Ive rarely seen jumps where people TRULY needed a large wingsuit to stay with a flock.

Reading posts like the one on the SDC opening weekend, saying they couldnt keep up with the downward speed, showcases the exact oposite.

The suit I fly now at close to 1100 wingsuit jumps, is the same suit I put on a person who is doing an FFC. And in flocking, its VERY rare to come across any jump where more is needed. Including backflying.

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Problem “Too Big” - New wingsuiters were\are buying suits based on their long terms needs

Again...long term 'needs' to me actually reads 'sales incentive' and marketing.

I understand the advertising for your company/service, but the truth is that many beginner/intermediate models (doesnt matter which manufacturer) will be allthe flyers will ever need. Regardless of the focus being time, distance, flocking or aerobatics.

Wingsuits from a more sane size also increase the learning curve, as the feedback you get from your actual limbs flying the wing (as opposed to a lot of inflated surface pulling you around, which you dont fully 'feel' or controll) is also a lot better.

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I have models the clearly demonstrates it saves money for anybody that has to work through a range of models to get to their “long term suit”

I know 3/4th of the wingsuit flyers I know own 1 suit, and have been flying that from when they started. Some people do own a full store of suits. But even than seem to often favour only one or two.

Why do we upsize gear, instead of skills? Its similar to the 100 jump wonder downsizing to a 99 sq/ft canopy to improve his swooping.

We are a weird crowd at times.

Suck in FS> get training
Suck in FF> get training
Suck in WS> buy (or rent) a new $1000 suit every few months

Its a shame some LO's fly a huge comfort blanket at boogies instead of learning to fly a more suitable size wingsuit for the jumps they are making. Look at a video like the last one I did on Zflock, and see that for most people their 'beginner suit' is the same suit they are flying at 1000 wingsuit jumps and more...

I know I made the biggest leap in my personal skills when I ditched 'the carpet' and went with an agile 'beginner suit'.

Again...no ill intentions against the marketing of your business model. But I am getting more and more antsy reading 'up sizing' in wingsuits equalled to 'progressing' and 'upgrading'.
Seeing the flying some people do in the large size suits, often refered to as 'long term suit' is ridiculous compared to what they could do if they stuck with their intermediate suit and had invested the money in actual jumps and serious training.

To the OP:
The beginner/intermediate choices you mention, regardless if its S-fly, PF etc. if you ask me, these suits WILL last a whole jumping career (or untill you wear them out from jumping the sh&t out of them).

Though a good/which intermediate model wingsuit is of course an important aspect of ones choice. And the type of flying later on can make one choose a large surface area model in some cases. Its for sure NOT progression. Its a shift in focus.

Progression happens by learning to fly your body. Not by compensating with ever increasing amounts of fabric.

I sometimes wish the progression in skills was marketed as well as the actual gear itself...

JC
FlyLikeBrick
I'm an Athlete?

[virgin-burner 1]

and after a couple flights with a prodigy, a classic, a phantom and my mach1, i'm now buying a tracking-suit..

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