darklow

I do regular tracking dives with them in regular suits. And i love it a lot. The thing about joing them in wingsuit is about challenge :) I can't imagine in my head can i put my wings away so much or can't, can i gain vertical speed so much as them or can't. I decided to try it already in this weekend, but first wanted to ask here about experience in doing such thing, maybe there are some extra things i should know that i didn't think of myself yet. The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

Has anyone tried to join to some regular tracking divers with wingsuit. On our dropzone some guys time to time make tracking dives (with regular freefly suits). We have quite enough skilled backflying rabbits and others are following quite well and it is lot fun to jumps tracking dives. I was wondering is it possible to dirt dive so much, to catch these divers if wearing a winsguit (PF Phantom) and follow them. Have anyone tried? I just feel so good and comfortable in my wingsuit i want to try to join them and fly near them some time in wingsuit ... The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

We where wondering who would it be - Congratulations!!! I tried my Phantom (#97) this weekend. Love it a lot!!! On 3rd jump with Phantom from 2,7km - 67 seconds free fall :) 4th jump - 3 fast and stable barrel rolls. Very stable and handly suit. Can't wait next weekend The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

#97 here Wondering who will be lucky number #100 :) The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

Proud to join such clan :) Didn't quite understand, what number it is? The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

Got my Phantom today. Perfect match, perfect quality, already love it and can't wait for weekend to try it - to fly it. Yellow and grey colors will also perfect my grey and yellow colored rig. So bright and colorful, you can't love it :) It was ready and shipped to me in a little more than 4 weeks. Thanks Robert and Phoenix-Fly team! :) Pictures attached below. Full size pictures: Phantom 1 Phantom 2 The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

I guess this could be right answer, it's the same thing i noticed about myself while practising front loop, when bending legs, i accidentaly am spreading them a little bit. Also i was thinking about throwing the chute farer, advice. I am usually trying to make throwing move quite fast, so the opened arm wings wont affect my stability, i think i could throw it a little farer away than i do it now. Will work on these two points next weekend. Thanks. About the rig container, i bought new system last autumn and have about 80 jumps on it, so condition is great. About pilot chute size, i really can't tell exactly, must measure it to tell correctly. P.S. JohanW yes i haven't updated jumps a while, not 100 more, but some more it is. The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

First a little about my first acrobatic experience :) This weekend i was again practising my wingsuit jumps on GTI. I had about 15 wingsuit jumps, and my exits, flights, openings were stable. As i had noone to fly with this weekend, i decided to start to do some simple acrobatics... By the book ("Skyflying Wingsuits in Motion" by Scott Campos, as i have limited access to wingsuit instrucors, book is irreplaceable resource for me, thanks again Scott ) i started to practise the frontal loop. First jump i practised to fold legs and put them near chest and back as described in a book, and all times it came very well. Second jump i wanted to try full frontal loop. I folded legs and put them to chest. Folded arm wings and went to frontal loop, BUT i unfolded a little leg wings while looping and when i was on my back i got thrown back on my belly, but i didn't loose stability, but just laughed, it was fun :) Third jump i made it. I was all the time thinking, repeating and imagining in mind while sitting in airplane, "hold the legs, dont open them while in loop" and succeeded, i went to frontal loop, made it, then opened arm wings then leg wings, and i was stable again and flying towards the same point. I was smiling i was happy i could make it, i had so much joy and fun of learning and doing front loop. Definately will continue practising loop and learing new ones, while they gets more stable and smooth .Then it came time to start opening procedure... Now about the problem. I clapped with my legs, folded legs and put my arms on the rig, grouped my body as usually ... wait a little to loose horizontal speed and threw pilot chute, put my arms near wings cut-away handles, put head little up and waited for caopy opening as usual. I waited and waited, and it didn't came out, waited a little more, and still nothing. I had similar situations while in RW, than behind you creates tubulences? that pilot chute goes in to it and it has not enough power to get bag out of the rig. All i did is the same as before in RW - i started to change my body position, shake a little - right - left, so the air behind my body will mix and stop that turbulence - and it helped, after i did it, i felt usual opening feeling, bag going outside of a cointainer, and usual opening. Trully i didn't liked this feeling of waiting and waiting and nothing happens (i guess it was for maybe 2-3 seconds but anyways i didn't like it and realize something is not as good as always) It was not so bad or scary, but i definately don't want such things happen too often :) Does anywaone have experienced the same? How to avoid it? Maybe i didn't wait my vertical speed is enough, but then horizontal still should be quite big and there would be no such turbulences behind me... Or maybe the rig is the problem? (Canopy and rig is by Russian producer, Canopy - Flamingo 150, Rig - Retal Golf 2, attached image) Thanks. The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

Nice video! It played at my computer without any problems. Liked very much camera work on last opening, you can really see good and very acceptable opening here (sequence and positions exactly as i was teached). Because of openings are one of most important things in wingsuit flying - mccordia maybe if you have some other good and correct openings (and also bad ones to show how not to do) it would be great to put them in one lesson in your video flight manual section on flylikebrick.com site. The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

Anyways this theme is nice topic by the beer :) Competitions are good things, it's a challenge, you have goals and you need to have goals to aim for. I guess it is in every sports, for example i like ice-skating too, it is fun, but if i start serious training in figure-skating :) i don't think i would have more fun that now. I think all you need is to get right balance between fun, relaxing and your mission, target, getting closer to your goals. And i think some are forgetting the first one, that's it. About RW - since i am not jumping RW anymore and just flying, they kinda reject me a little as i betrayed them, for not doing it anymore. So if you talk about forcing, there is a little force from instructors and other members. Some of them have more than 6000 jumps, but all they do is RW, they have never tried wingsuits or even freefly. For AFF stundents they give no other choise than RW. But it's not so bad here last years - we have some good freefliers and now some beginner wingsuit flyers, so things are getting better. I believe new generation will win and change this thing! The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

voodew1 i couldn't agree more with your post. I had long thoughts about choosing between RW and FF. I had much fun in RW, but for now i have no longer fun from these jumps, although i am not so experienced, but since i was going in RW formations with experienced jumpers and instructors, i never ruined it - i was quite good in it. But now these jumps are not fun for me anymore, everyone are too much serious about that competition thing. In Latvia in our dropzone we can jump only on weekends, and i want to enjoy these weekends as much as i can. I am already sacrifising almost all summer weekends with my friends, for going to dropzone - to HAVE FUN and joy, not stress and competition. Now i have found my passion - wingsuits, when every one are preparing for jumps, working on formations, i see no smile, no joy on their faces. By that time with big smile on my face i am looking in the sky searching for clouds ;) I am not saying RW and FF are not fun, it is a lot. But mostly when it comes to competition thing, it changes a lot, it becomes as u said as job. P.S. Blue Skies! As i said i am not so experienced as everyone else here, so don't take my thought close to heart. It's just weekend again has almost come and i couldn't hold these thought to myself! ;) The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

I just red again all the advices and answers to my post this morning with new and fresh thoughts. And i guess you're right that i am rushing things a little bit. it's just that i'm so excited about wingsuit flights :) For all this time since i started jumping, i couldn't decide what discipline to choose, to dedicate myself. In my 30th jump we already where going RW - 2 and 3ways without any problems. Then we went to Kolomna dropzone (Russia) for training week with proffesional instructors, with video analysis after each jump, where i made about 50 jumps in a week, and after that i had no problems going in RW 10 and more people ways. Also basic figures, 360 degree turns, etc, offered no difficulties. But RW somehow didn't excited me so much. I tried freefly a little bit, to see what is it, how hard is it. Started learning sitfly. Found out new vision perspectives it can give you comparing with RW. I liked freefly a lot. But then we got these two GTI wingsuits in our dropzone, since then my interest in wingsuit flying become in first place. I guess i am just kind of guy who sometimes like just to fall out of plane, make unregular saltos, feel the warm air, relax, stabilize myself and open canopy. Although wingsuit jumps need more attention to opening and other important things, for now it relaxes me more than any other discipline. When i land, i can't get smile and excitement from my face for more than hour :) I am definately looking some wingsuit festivals for nearest dropzones. Month ago i was planning to go to Kolomna dropzone again, but since passion in wingsuits and money resources are limited as for all of us, i changed my mind, and looking for spending this money for some wingsuit boogie. mccordia where did you heared about Estonia wingsuit festival? tried to search for info, but without results. Thanks again. The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

I felt ready for wingsuit flight. Had good tracking skills. And really really wanted to try wingsuit. Started it with instructor. With training tracking flights, imitating openings and first flight with suit also imitating openings. mccordia - thanks for info. P.S. Your videos are really inspiring me, to learn and enjoy flight even more ;) Also recieved info about "Skyflying Wingsuits in Motion" - it looks like this book is exactly for me and definately going to purchase it. The thing is i can't always fly 2-way, because of no partner, so i better practise alone something new, not just fly straight. The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/

Have some questions about next steps after i have learned for simple and stable exits and flights with my first wingsuit - BirdMan GTI. We have also tried to fly two together, not so perfect, not so close, but we are working on it :) Questions are about independent flights while training and flying alone. What exercises should i start with to improve my skills (also acrobatical)? Faster turns, saltos, backflying? Esspecially interested in backflying. What would be the best order for these acrobatical tricks and are there any manuals already written for doing that. Is it possible and safe with GTI wingsuits to do such tricks? Of course i can try just turn myself on back or roll and see what happens and see if i can handle it, but is it the safest way? Since in our dropzone and country (Latvia) we have no professionals in wingsuit flying only place to ask this is here. First steps and instructions in wingsuit flying we learned in another country at professionals, but the rest training is up to ourselves ... Thanks. The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness http://adventure.lv/