Extreme Skydiving

Unit Overview

In this unit you will be introduced to the outrages outdoor extreme sports of Wingsuit skydiving, Freeflying and Skysurfing. These extreme sports came from the sports of skydiving and BASE jumping. Wingsuit flying is where participates wear a special suit that enables the human body to glide through the air. It is almost like a human hang glider. A Wingsuit is also known as a birdman suit or a flying squirrel suit. The sport of Freeflying is a form of skydiving that began in 1990’s when Olav Zipser started experimenting with non-traditional forms of body flight while free falling. Skysurfing is a cross between surfing and skydiving. The skydiver wears a board attached to his or her feet and performs surfing type aerobatics during free fall. You will also be learning about muscular strength and muscular endurance. Muscular endurance is the ability to use the voluntary muscles many times without getting tired. Muscular strength is the ability to use the voluntary muscles many times without getting tired.

Wingsuit Skydiving

Wingsuiting is an exciting extreme sport that combines skydiving and BASE jumping. Like both of these activities, wingsuit flying requires the flyer to either jump out of an aircraft or off a fixed object to achieve a high enough altitude. Wingsuit skydivers use the suit in conjunction with a skydiving or BASE jumping parachute system. While hang gliders can coast in for a safe landing, wingsuit flyers have to deploy their parachutes and float the rest of the way to the ground. Wingsuit skydiving uses a specially designed suit with arm and leg wings. A skilled wingsuit pilot can cover great horizontal distances experiencing the effect of true flight.

Wingsuit pilots are unable to reduce their speed fast enough for a safe landing without the use of a parachute. However, until they pull their parachute, participates can soar horizontally at high speeds while performing aerial acrobatics. A wingsuit can add a level of difficulty to a parachute or a BASE jump. Therefore it is recommended jumpers are experienced by requiring a minimum of 200 skydives before their first wingsuit jump. Today there are many designs for different levels of experiences for the wingsuit pilot.

The early Wingsuits were made of canvas, wood, silk, steel, and other types of material and they were considered very unreliable. It is recorded that between 1930 and 1961, 72 of the 75 original wingsuit pilots died testing their wingsuits. Because of the high fatality rate, the United States Parachute Association (UPAP) banned the use of wingsuits.

In the late 1980’s Christoh Aarns made great strides in wingsuit design. His design added stability to the suit and because of these advancements, the UAPA lifted its ban on wingsuit skydiving.

The mid 1990’s took the wingsuit concept further with French skydiver Patrick De Gayardon’s design which made the wing surface greater between the legs and under the arms of the suit. He later died while testing this concept, but De Gayardon’s design went on to become the basis for modern wingsuit technology.

Patrick De Gayardon

The first commercially available wingsuits were sold in 1998. Since then the sport has grown with two wingsuit manufactures currently offering a wide range of designs.

How does a windsuit work?

The wing suit works because of the basic concepts of flight. They are weight, lift, thrust and drag. Weight pulls the object that is flying down, lift happens when the downward momentum of the object meets the resistance of the air. An example of this would be sticking your hand out of a moving vehicle. The force resistance you feel is the motion of the air opposing the motion of your hand. If you make your hand a flat surface or airfoil, then this slows down the rate of the object dropping and it moves the object upward at the same time. Weight and lift cover the vertical motion (up and down) of an object. Thrust and drag cover horizontal movement (flat, level) of an object. The average skydiver moves towards the earth at a rate 120 miles per hour (mph) and can soar horizontally at 30 to 60 mph. An average wingsuit pilot can fall at a rate of 50 to 60 mph and can reach horizontal speeds of 70 to 90 mph. That is why windsuit skydiving is considered one of the most extreme sports of our time.

Wingsuit Training

Wingsuit skydiving is a very difficult task. The United States Parachute Association requires that any skydiver using a wingsuit for the first time must have the completed the following requirements:

è A minimum of 200 freefall skydives made within the past 18 months.

è Receive one-on-one instruction from an experienced wingsuit skydiver.

-OR-

è A minimum of 500 freefall jumps to go without an instructor.

Most Wingsuit manufactures, offer training courses and they also certify instructors.

Freeflying

Freeflying is considered a skydiving discipline which began in 1990 when Olav Zipser began experimenting with non-traditional forms of body flight. Freeflying includes the traditional belly-to-earth positions of freefalling. Freeflyers also extend into vertical flight where the flyer is in an upright position (falling feet first) or in an inverted position (falling head first). These positions increase freefall speeds so that new formations and routines are made possible. Freeflyers maneuver into different body positions which are primarily in vertical body positions. The basic positions are sitting, standing and head down. When head down in freefall, the human body can attain a high rate of speed.

A freeflyer must have a great understanding of the aerodynamics of the human body in freefall. The first thing a freeflyer needs to learn is to control in all of the traditional freefall positions.

Traditional Freefall Positions:

Ø The Box Position- the Belly is pointed to the earth.

Ø The Back Flying Position-the back is pointed to the earth.

Ø The Head–up Flying Position- this is like standing up while freefalling feet pointed to the earth.

Ø The Head-down Flying Position-this is like standing on your head while freefalling, head pointed to the earth.

Ø The Side Flying Position-this is like being on your side while freefalling, side pointed to the earth

These positions are not held for the entire skydive. Freeflying involves a constant transition in position and speed. This involves a continuously flowing skydive, with all positions explored. A more static position is used when skydivers are concentrating on building large formations.

Freeflying is extremely dangerous due to the increase in freefall speeds and potentially faster horizontal speeds. Freeflying has dangers way beyond a normal skydiving. While freeflying is a younger and more extreme addition to skydiving, it is becoming a popular event in competitions and world records.

Skysurfing

Skysufing is a team parachute sport. The team consists of a Skysurfer and a Camera flyer. The Skysurfer rides on a specially designed skyboard during freefall, sliding, spinning, twisting and surfing through the sky. The Cameraflyer records the performance with a camcorder mounted on his or her helmet. The Cameraflyer also contributes to the performance by interacting with the skysurfer’s performance. When a skysurfer is filmed by another skydiver falling alongside them, the resulting film gives the appearance that the skysurfer is riding on the air in the same way a surfer rides on a wave. The downward motion is not very apparent and this creates the illusion that a skysurfer is gliding on air currents like a sailplane or hang glider. In fact a skysurfer always falls at a high speed comparable to any other freefalling parachutist.

The boards that are used for skysurfing look like a snowboard or a large skateboard. The skysurfer’s feet are attached to the board and is easily removable in case the performer loses control or has difficulty opening his or her parachute.

Comparing Skysurfing to other board sports is a common mistake. The only thing Skysurfing and skate boarding or snowboarding have in common is that they all involve some type of board. Skysurfing is much more related to freestyle skydiving. Both sports perform gymnastic/ballet-style maneuvers utilizing aerodynamics during freefall. However, adding a board to the equation makes it an entirely new sport.

Skysurfing requires a considerable amount of practice. The most basic skill is to stand upright on the board during freefall and tilt the nose of the board downward to generate forward movement. This basic maneuver requires plenty of balance which experience skydivers find very difficult to perform. The extra drag of the board upsets the balance and makes the skysurfer flip over. More advanced maneuvers such as loops, rolls and helicopter spins, are more difficult and are usually mastered after the basics are learned.

The Invention of Skysurfing

Skysurfing was invented by two French skydivers Dominique Jacquet and Jean-Pascal Oron in 1986. It did not become popular until the 1990’s thanks to the efforts of the late skydiver Patrick De Gayardon. De Gayardon was famous for his unique style of skysurfing because he pushed the boundaries of skydiving. His was also known for the development of the modern Wingsuit.

Because of the possibility of dropping the board, not every skydiving club permits skysurfing. Only a minority of skydivers have attempted this recent specialization in the sport of Skysurfing. Like all forms of extreme skydiving, skysurfing is considered extremely dangerous and should only be performed by experts and skydivers who have great amount of practice.

Skysurfing videos:

Muscular Strength and Muscular Endurance

Muscular Strength

Muscular strength is the ability of the muscles to exert force like weight lifting the heaviest weight you can manage.

The Three Different Types of Muscular Strength

Static Strength	Static strength is the strength needed to push or pull a very heavy object or to hold a very heavy object or weight above your head. Examples: power weight lifters and Sumo wrestlers

Dynamic Strength	Dynamic strength is the strength needed to keep a load moving over a long period of time. Examples: rowing and swimming

Explosive Strength	Explosive strength is the strength needed for a single explosive act. Examples: the high jump, shot put, hitting a baseball

Muscular strength is improved by using heavy weights and doing a few repetitions. It is very important that, before starting any weight lifting program, you seek the advice of an expert in this type of physical exercise. Do not attempt a weight lifting program by yourself. If you do not know how to properly start a weight program you could do more harm than good. You should always have someone to help with the weights and to spot you during your weight lifting routine. Before buying a set of weights, you should go to a gym and try the equipment to make sure that this is the kind of program you want to start.

Muscular Endurance

Muscular endurance is the ability to use the voluntary muscles many times without getting tired. The best way to improve muscular endurance is to use circuit training. Circuit Training is a series of exercise machines set up in sequence. The exercises are performed one after the other, each stressing a different muscle group.

When doing muscular strength and muscular endurance exercises, always make sure that you are using the correct form. Doing excessive repetitions or lifting more weight does not make you stronger sooner. Trying to do too much when performing strengthening exercises can increase your risk of injury. Always pay attention to your body and its safety. It is best to seek the advice of a weight lifting expert before you start any weight lifting program.