This wingsuiter had a questionable body position while deploying his main canopy, which resulted in a front flip through the risers! 10/10 on the front flip… 0/10 for doing it while tossing the pilot chute!
This outside view from the second wingsuiter gives us a good perspective on issues with this deployment. It should be noted that the transition from wingsuit flight to canopy flight is a particularly tricky skill in skydiving and it requires the wingsuit pilot to be very aware of what they’re doing with every part of their body.
Here, we see the pilot first drop their knees and bring their feet together, and then they proceed to drop their upper body down, almost as if they were attempting a swan dive into a pool. That resulted in the front flip through the risers.
There are multiple techniques for deploying a canopy while in a wingsuit. Newer jumpers are sometimes taught to collapse all their wing surfaces to minimize the burble behind them. More experienced jumpers increase pressure on their leg wing in order to flare their body, decrease their forward speed, and come to a head-high orientation. This video wasn't submitted with a detailed description, but we’re guessing this jumper was attempting that maneuver.
However, with wingsuit deployments, it’s crucial that the pilot holds their body position through the deployment process. One wingsuiter we consulted on this video noted that the pitch is just the start of the deployment process, not the end of it, and that wingsuit pilots need to hold that body position until their canopy is open.
This wingsuiter had a questionable body position while deploying his main canopy, which resulted in a front flip through the risers! 10/10 on the front flip… 0/10 for doing it while tossing the pilot chute!
This outside view from the second wingsuiter gives us a good perspective on issues with this deployment. It should be noted that the transition from wingsuit flight to canopy flight is a particularly tricky skill in skydiving and it requires the wingsuit pilot to be very aware of what they’re doing with every part of their body.
Here, we see the pilot first drop their knees and bring their feet together, and then they proceed to drop their upper body down, almost as if they were attempting a swan dive into a pool. That resulted in the front flip through the risers.
There are multiple techniques for deploying a canopy while in a wingsuit. Newer jumpers are sometimes taught to collapse all their wing surfaces to minimize the burble behind them. More experienced jumpers increase pressure on their leg wing in order to flare their body, decrease their forward speed, and come to a head-high orientation. This video wasn't submitted with a detailed description, but we’re guessing this jumper was attempting that maneuver.
However, with wingsuit deployments, it’s crucial that the pilot holds their body position through the deployment process. One wingsuiter we consulted on this video noted that the pitch is just the start of the deployment process, not the end of it, and that wingsuit pilots need to hold that body position until their canopy is open.
