Wingsuit Flying: Is this Possible?

If you have ever visualised soaring through the air like a superhero, you are not alone. Dreams of flying have fascinated human imagination since primeval times. Even with the arrival of aircrafts and the cumulative accessibility of air travel, the prehistoric question stays with us: what if we could merely spread our arms and fly like a bird?

For centuries, early flight innovators strained to attain this very feat by ascribing artificial wings to their backs and arms. But then again just as the myth of Icarus ended with the Greek hero falling to his death, history books are full of tales of wholehearted innovators diving from high places, wings spread; and plunging back to the Earth.

Today, the dream is a complete reality. Bordering on something between a flying squirrel and a snow angel, the wingsuit permits skydivers and base jumpers to leap out into the sky, spread their arms and soar through the air.

In a sense, wingsuit flying is a cross amid skydiving and hang gliding. Like both of these activities, wingsuit flying entails the flyer to either jump out of an aircraft or off a cliff to attain a high enough height. While hang gliders can bank in for a safe landing, wingsuit flyers have to organize their parachutes and float the rest of the way to the ground; they simply cannot decrease their speed fast adequately for a safe landing deprived of the use of a chute.

But, until the moment they pull their parachute chord, wingsuit flyers can soar flat at high speeds and complete aerial acrobatics; all while plunging at a rate much slower than that of a usual skydiver.

The average skydiver plummets towards the surface of the Earth at a rate of 194 kph (121 mph) and can soar horizontally at 50 to 100 kph (33 to 65 mph). Typical wingsuit flyers fall at a rate of 55 to 67 mph (81 to 97 kph) and can jet through the air at 115 to 145 kph (72 to 95 mph).

To comprehend wingsuit aerodynamics and how the outfit allows its wearer to actually fly, you have to understand the basic physics of flight. The first principle to keep in mind is that air is a fluid -- much like water. And so this force fights your suit and allows the user to soar through the sky.

If you require flying gear then please do not hesitate to contact Icarus Airwear for more information in this regard.