Thread: British wingman Becomes First Skydiver To Land Safely Without Parachute

Originally Posted by jfost

hey cool! That's probably a lot like regular rollerblading in that it *seems* fun while you're doing it, but later when you watch the video you feel let down and embarrassed.

Never said I thought it was cool, just saw the potential for Red Bull/Monster/GoPro to make money off some dude to go splat on some mountain road in the Alps as he tried to 'land' a wing suit flight sans parachute/boxes/water.

Originally Posted by That was Pontus

Never said I thought it was cool, just saw the potential for Red Bull/Monster/GoPro to make money off some dude to go splat on some mountain road in the Alps as he tried to 'land' a wing suit flight sans parachute/boxes/water.

I know, I see where you are going - just had to throw that in as an ex-rollerblader who used to videotape myself to "get sponsored"

Is it real? Like it was mentioned, the camera guy doesn't seem to care, there is no vehicles or anyone running up to the boxes in a recovery operation. Any independent verification?

Ooops tuning in to world news ABC right now with a report.

Originally Posted by jfost

I know, I see where you are going - just had to throw that in as an ex-rollerblader who used to videotape myself to "get sponsored"

I walked up to a jibber ski pro once and said, "hey aren't you that rollerblade pro?", he was not impressed.

Originally Posted by TitanneeNC

Is it real? Like it was mentioned, the camera guy doesn't seem to care, there is no vehicles or anyone running up to the boxes in a recovery operation. Any independent verification?

I didn't want to say anything , but I was wondering. I find it hard to beleive the guy wouldnt have worn a go pro, the camera lost sight of him breifly. Still, his forward speed upon impact would have been impossible to replicate unless he actually did fall from very high, wingsuits dont pressurize and start gliding until they fall for a ways. Wheres the back story, where did it happen, etc etc.

I bet its really but I wouldnt be that shocked if it were faked.

Originally Posted by leroy jenkins

Someone should do it into snow. Not me.

When I was in Valdez 8 or 9 years ago, this guy was flying around with the same heli company looking for a perfect spot to land a no-parachute skydive. The guy said he wanted to do it "to end world hunger". I guess he finally came to his senses or something, because I never heard anything else about it.

i guess one guy dying would help world hunger, but no way it's gonna end it.

Why is everyone questioning if this is real?

You can slow it down to around 50mph with a wing suit. Most of you have probably beatered on skis going that fast.

Still, super ballsy for a first time no-chute-lander! This should open the way for many sick things in the near future!

In that video the guy cruises just above a slope that pretty much matches his angle of descent for quite a distance. I wouldn't think it would be all that hard to land it on skis or a sled or something except for the fact that the skis/sled/whatever would screw up your aerodynamics and who knows what would happen when you try to rotate into a feet-down position as you touched down.

A few years back some French guy said he was going to try to be the first person to land and was planning to use a big ramp that matched his angle of descent. Never heard anything more about it though.

Originally Posted by Blurred

Why is everyone questioning if this is real?

You can slow it down to around 50mph with a wing suit. Most of you have probably beatered on skis going that fast.

Still, super ballsy for a first time no-chute-lander! This should open the way for many sick things in the near future!

It looked possible, but something just looked a bit odd about the video, theres a longer one out now that shows a bit more context and looks a bit more real.

There have been lots of people that have taken several hundred foot falls into snow and walked away without much forward momentum or any prior planing as to slope angle. I think its very much possible to do it with minimal chance of injury, but yea, not me, not in a million years.

Originally Posted by Chainsaw_Willie

In that video the guy cruises just above a slope that pretty much matches his angle of descent for quite a distance. I wouldn't think it would be all that hard to land it on skis or a sled or something except for the fact that the skis/sled/whatever would screw up your aerodynamics and who knows what would happen when you try to rotate into a feet-down position as you touched down.

A few years back some French guy said he was going to try to be the first person to land and was planning to use a big ramp that matched his angle of descent. Never heard anything more about it though.

i assumed you would have to land head first.

Originally Posted by goldenboy

When I was in Valdez 8 or 9 years ago, this guy was flying around with the same heli company looking for a perfect spot to land a no-parachute skydive. The guy said he wanted to do it "to end world hunger". I guess he finally came to his senses or something, because I never heard anything else about it.

Haha, Alaska Backcountry Adventures, Thompson Pass maybe? 2005? I heard the same thing about that guy. Except after watching this landing, it would make sense to land on a fairly shallow slope. I'm stoked to see this happen. It's a small leap in the evolutionary experience of the Darwin Awards.

Originally Posted by Gerome

Haha, Alaska Backcountry Adventures, Thompson Pass maybe? 2005? I heard the same thing about that guy. Except after watching this landing, it would make sense to land on a fairly shallow slope.

Exactly. We were asking the guy questions in their Atco trailer, he had all these diagrams and calculations trying to find the perfect slope angle to land on- too steep and he would just ragdoll and too flat he'd just splat. Wish I could remember what his "perfect angle" was.

Here's the other perspective:


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/vide...-connery-video

Originally Posted by goldenboy

Exactly. We were asking the guy questions in their Atco trailer, he had all these diagrams and calculations trying to find the perfect slope angle to land on- too steep and he would just ragdoll and too flat he'd just splat. Wish I could remember what his "perfect angle" was.

Can't remember his name, but that kinda sounds like the really smart fella, phd in physics or something, wrote a paper published in a scientific journal detailing the physics of wingsuit flight and formulas required to accurately and safely calculate trajectory, he talked a lot about not being a crazy risk taker and instead having it all figured out and being smart enough to beat the odds. Then he splatted into the side of a mountain. Might be a different guy, but that would explain why you never heard anything else about that project.

Originally Posted by reukk

Here's the other perspective:


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/vide...-connery-video

That was cool.

I remember talking to a few Kiwi wingsuit guys about this when I was in NZ ten years ago. They were planning on landing on the side of Coronet Peak without a chute, just a wingsuit. They made it sound pretty doable. Crazy that ten years later, people are still trying to do it successfully.

That was pretty cool. Shitload of boxes, wonder how wide the landing area was.

Originally Posted by shredgnar

That was pretty cool. Shitload of boxes, wonder how wide the landing area was.

From that gaurdian view, it didn't look that wide. Nuts.

double gopros + jump scouting in Valdez = "training for AK"???

edit: that was a shit-ton of boxes...

He should do it over water with a RIB jet boat to land in, to match his speed.

Originally Posted by scottyb

He should do it over water with a RIB jet boat to land in, to match his speed.

now THAT'S extreme!

have you contacted Red Bull yet or should I???

Holy shit! Crazy! All those boxes must've been expensive!

It won't be long before he's throwing a pair of l138's out as landing gear.

Originally Posted by scottyb

He should do it over water with a RIB jet boat to land in, to match his speed.

IN all seriousness, aircraft carriers can go about 35mph top speed, I think thats probably about 40% of the speed of this guy on impact, build a sloping ramp on a carrier deck and coat it with astroglide and I think its possible. Course itll never happen cus aircraft carriers arent really rentable for silly stunts but still.