 Everyone is familiar with skydiving and BASE jumping as extreme aerial sports. Extreme, meaning not something your "average Joe" is capable of or even willing to do. It takes a certain inborn trait, a natural desire to be a thrill seeker. I guess, as with anything, there are different degrees of Thrill seekers. For example, I acquired my Private Pilot's licence, I have driven an Indy Car at 155 mph, I've ridden my motorcycle at 130 mph wearing nothing but shorts, tennis shoes, and sunglasses. I have even worked 90 feet in the air, but I really don't think I have what it takes to willingly leave a perfectly good airplane in flight, or just jump blindly off a cliff. These are definitely the upper echelon of Thrill Seekers. Now they have taken it one step further. As if flips, spins, and even snow boarding in mid air wasn't thrilling enough, now they've got WINGS ! The "Wingsuit", as it is known, is basically just fabric sewn between the legs and arms of a skydiving suit which allows the jumper to configure himself and the suit into the shape of an airfoil and literally fly. The terminal velocity of a skydiver is between 110 and 140 mph, while an instantaneous velocity of -25 mph (yes, negative) has been recorded for a "Wingsuit" pilot. In other words, he is capable of CLIMBING ! Which takes us to the next step in the evolution of the "Birdman", is it possible to create enough forward speed to overcome the vertical speed and actually land WITHOUT a parachute ? Believe it or not, there is at least one organization pursuing this possibility. A pioneer in the art of BASE jumping, Jeb Corliss and test pilot Luigi Cani, have actually made jumps using the ICARUS VX-39, to obtain data on forward and vertical speeds using GPS telemetry. The conclusion of the tests is that landing a wingsuit without a parachute is possible according to the numbers. They are presently working on 4 different technologies to achieve a safe landing.
For some truly incredible videos of "Birdmen" in flight, including one who even uses a model jet engine, go HERE . For Wingsuits currently available, head over HERE.
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Today in Aviation History :
July 30, 1935... Lieutenant Frank Akers of the U.S. Navy becomes the first person to make a "blind" landing at sea. His biplane has a hooded cockpit allowing him to see only his controls and instruments. He lands on the USS Langley.
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