How fast is wingsuit flying

The championships, hosted by the US Parachute Association, test competitors on three disciplines, each measured in a window between 3, and 2, meters of altitude: average speed, distance covered, and time spent aloft. Each flyer gets three jumps in each category, and is tracked via a GPS module on their helmet. They're rated on a curve—whoever goes fastest, farthest, or stays in the window the longest gets a , everyone else a percentage of that—and scores are averaged to find an overall winner.

The three disciplines are related, but each has its own challenging aspect, Ridler says. Time's about falling as slowly as possible; it's "the most physically excruciating," Ridler says, because it requires stretching out as far as possible in the wingsuit, to increase surface area. Distance is more than a function of how long you're aloft, since going faster takes you farther.

Speed's about more than how fast you can Icarus your way back to Earth, because what matters is horizontal speed—so you need some distance to score well. Competitors also need to account for the behavior of the wind, and hope there's no rain, which Ridler compares to being sandblasted in the face. At least they don't encounter any birds or bugs while flying at speed, since they pull their chute around 1, meters, above most critters' range. The wingsuit is a super sensitive instrument. One little problem: our cameraman could barely keep up!

Check out the video above for some epic footage of Florez's test jumps, including some POV video. Want more wild aerial action, including skydiving, BASE jumping, and wingsuit flying? Check out the Miles Above video series. Watch this and find out what a wingsuit race is kph around an aerial racecourse suspended from …. Read Story. First things first though. In order to fly a wingsuit, there is a laundry list of requirements to meet before donning the webbed suit — because there are more elements to manage than in a traditional skydive, and well — safety first!

For example, you need to earn skydiving jumps and yepp — WNY Skydiving can teach you all about it in their Wingsuit Academy. Wingsuit flying or as we say in skydiving, wingsuiting , is a discipline of skydiving using a specific jumpsuit with fabric webbed between the legs and each arm, adding surface area to the human body and creating an increase in lift capacity.

The idea of unassisted flying and gliding through the air like a bird is the dream of many, and the discipline quickly gained popularity in the s. The webbed-looking suits have also evolved for better performance to effect an increased wingsuit glide ratio and speed. We get that question a lot. In traditional body flight ie skydiving , a jumper can reach vertical speeds between mph and mph — depending on their axis for example: flying belly-to-earth or head-to-earth.

This additional surface also increases drag that affects the vertical speed of the flier. The average wingsuit speed is about mph, and it increases the glide ratio or also known as lift versus drag to That means a wingsuiter travels 3 feet forward for every foot they freefall vertically.

Mastering the wingsuit glide ratio and wingsuit speed takes practice and precision. You have to learn the aerodynamics of the wingsuit, and even take a bit of science into your hands. Winds aloft is one aspect you can use to your benefit. There are reports that convey what the approximate wind speeds and direction are.