BryanCampau

Of course there are pilots that have learned in the sky. That’s a no brainer. Most of us here have been flying wingsuits longer than the tunnel has been around. And there’s a lot of factors in how quick (or slow) someone picks it up. Picking the right coach is definitely a big factor. But no matter how you slice it - it will be exponentially faster in the tunnel. It’s no different then a free flyer putting in hours at the vertical tunnel.

The tunnel will make you a significantly better pilot in a shorter period of time. It doesn’t matter what you want to focus on. You will learn in a week what might take a year in the sky. Just like the vertical tunnel for vertical skydivers. So those who have not spent time there may see the only benefit is transitions but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, they are easier to learn in the tunnel because of instant feedback, quality coaching, and ability to quickly repeat drills. But transitions and more importantly control in regards to direction and altitude gain or loss during a transition is highly challenging for many people. So lots of these videos surface. If you want to level up your abilities quickly, the tunnel is the secret. You can’t hide your capabilities or lack there of in the tunnel. You will become a better pilot.

I was once a squirrel supporter. No one can argue that they have good customer service. I’ve flown just about every suit they’ve made and currently don’t own anything from them after flying other brands. I don’t like squirrels products. Everyone appreciates a different thing in a wingsuit. Everyone should form their own opinion from experience. Try them all and buy what you enjoy flying the most. Or just blindly follow the marketing like a sheep. Your choice.

You put 1100 jumps on a low bulk material in 18 months and haven’t noticed a change in performance? Did you convince someone to re line that canopy or is it on the original line set? Manufacturer aside - i don’t see this being possible. I’ve known others to have noticeable issues in less than 500 jumps on low bulk. It’s not a stab at any brand/design - it’s the nature of the material. Even the manufacturers don’t claim them to exceed 500 jumps.

At the end of the days it’s all about priorities. Long term, big picture - wingsuiting will gain a tremendous amount from the tunnel both in pilot skills and suit technology/advancement. Short term - it may be more appealing to say fuck it and enjoy the current suits in the sky or base environment but still progress at a comfortable pace.

You’re right, i wouldn’t pay 1400 euros an hour either! I’m not sure which wingsuit tunnel you priced out. ;) I think last time i purchased time it worked out to about half the cost you mentioned. It may be more fun to go jump off mountains in Italy. But it won’t push the wingsuit industry anywhere and it won’t make you much better of a wingsuit pilot (comparatively speaking to the tunnel).

In your response to your numbered list: 1. The tunnel will very soon be able to adjust in angle in flight. Last time I was there they were waiting on sliding metal plates they designed for the front of the tunnel. Speed has always been adjustable. The argument of there being an issue of adjustments while in flight is laughably easy to solve. A cable system they already utilize from keeping newer people from flying astray exists. Slight modifications and done. Yes of course the tunnel is set up for comfortable flying speeds. For this very moment in time it's primarily used for people who want to increase their skills in suits. Give it a few months or a year and performance coaching will be a thing for the niche market. 2. The tunnel is not THAT expensive. There is paying customers who have accumulated 5+ hours of just flight time. That sort of time takes more then a week to fly since it's physically tolling on the body. I've personally spent 6 and a half hours there and plan to spend more. It has been an excellent tool that will make anyone into a better wingsuit pilot. 3. You should really fly in the tunnel instead of presuming. It is exactly the same as in the sky - no difference in sensation. 4. They make rig covers and they also make fake rigs. They are readily available and nothing new. 5. There is no platform because you are actually flying... 6. There is very few areas with any sort of turbulence. Almost all of the tunnel is consistent and flyable space. You'd feel any change since you are in proximity to walls and floor. 7. Both suit technology and pilot progression would be superior to jumping with a rig and analyzing data post jump. It would be more accurate for performance sky competitions but would not progress the sport as you've claimed it would. 8. You are making an assumption as to what has been done in the tunnel. You should visit and talk with them. The tunnel of course has been used as a business. No one in their right mind would pay millions for a tunnel and solely use it to produce wingsuits that you say should be sold for $200. It would be impossible for them to ever get an ROI. I believe you are looking at the world with blinders on and all you can see is your ideas. You should open up your mind and see that there are others doing great things. In this case they are doing something that will progress wingsuit flying. You should be supportive of this as your whole argument has been around how stagnant it is. Don't be the CoW that you so frequently hate on. It's clear that you put a ton of thought into your work. If you make a commercial true air speed indicator I have no doubt that it will be purchased and used in the sky. I don't believe it will change the world of wingsuiting as you've been gloating about for what feels like the post that never stops. It's been an aggressive marketing campaign. Make it happen and prove the product. Until then - I think everyone is tired of reading updates to this thread.

A few very smart people built a fully flyable wingsuit tunnel that can vary speed and angle. I’d love to know why you feel this isn’t revolutionary and could lead to future advancements in suits? It would certainly do much more than flysight or jumping a vane with a cellphone could do. You seem very opposed to listening and replying to anything that doesn’t promote your own work. I believe this is the reason people are giving you such a hard time. A true airspeed indicator that doesn’t rely on gps is great, but not practical given you need a large attachment to get the reading.

This is a sad attempt at getting the attention off of yourself, Yuri. You are still ignoring the questions directed at you that are relevant to this thread.

Why could any of this not be proven in the wingsuit wind tunnel once they start changing angle? I’m not sure why there is such an opposition from Yuri for the tunnel. I think we all agree that GPS doesn’t provide enough information or rather complete/accurate information. Jumping a vane or a pitot doesn’t gather any data that couldn’t be easily obtained in a wingsuit tunnel that is flyable, adjusts in angle, and adjusts air speed.

well thank you for putting a pool noodle in your suit. You definitely pushed it to the next seemingly unreachable level of human unpowered flight. Sarcasm and shitty comment aside. Sorry for that back there. What’s your end game here if you don’t intend to proof anything or have an idea that will make an impact?

I flew an epicene 150 and 170 for around 400 jumps. Worst canopies I’ve ever flown but they do open nice like a reserve. Zero flare and very little get back from a long spot. I did demo the Horizon and it’s like an Epicene but it at least has a flare. My recommendation is correct body position to have a good opening and get a ZP canopy. But there will be tons of opinions on the topic. I would ignore the marketing and demo a few things if you are in the market for a new canopy.

Really? When you can accurately control wind speed and pitch with the suit in flight, you truly believe they could not accurately measure the performance of a suit and compare to other models? I feel like there is no better way to compare. Please do tell what way to measure beats a flyable wingsuit tunnel? By your previous comment it sounds like you may be unaware that there is a tunnel that is more than just a research tunnel.

It won’t be very long before the wingsuit tunnel is changing pitch as well as speed. I think that will be eye opening to see the true performance amongst various models and manufacturers in there.

My recommendation is try before you buy. You can rent Tony, Phoenix Fly, and Squirrel suits. You may even be able to find someone with similar measurements that lets you try theirs. If there is a few similar size models within the brand then try those too. Then buy what feels best to you. :) We all want and like different things out of our suits.