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Wingsuit flying (or wingsuiting) is the sport of skydiving using a webbing- jumpsuit called a wingsuit to add webbed area to the diver's body and generate increased lift, which allows extended air time by gliding flight rather than just free falling. The modern wingsuit, first developed in the late 1990s, uses a pair of fabric membranes stretched flat between the and flanks/ to imitate an airfoil, and often also between the to function as a tail and allow some aerial steering.
Like all skydiving disciplines, a wingsuit flight almost always ends by deploying a parachute, and so a wingsuit can be flown from any point that provides sufficient altitude for flight and parachute deployment – a drop aircraft, or BASE jumping exit point such as a tall cliff or mountain top. The wingsuit flier wears parachuting equipment specially designed for skydiving or BASE jumping. While the parachute flight is normal, the canopy pilot must unzip arm wings (after deployment) to be able to reach the steering parachute toggles and control the descent path.
Wingsuits are sometimes referred to as "birdman suits" (after the brand name of the makers of the first commercial wingsuit), "squirrel suits" (from their resemblance to ' wing membrane), and "bat suits" (due to their resemblance to or perhaps the aptly named DC Comics superhero Batman and his Batsuit).
A wingsuit was first used in the US in 1930 by a 19-year-old American, Rex G Finney of Los Angeles, California. The goal was to increase horizontal movement and maneuverability during a parachute jump. These early wingsuits used materials such as canvas, wood, silk, steel, and whalebone. They were not very reliable, although some "birdmen", such as Clem Sohn and Leo Valentin, claimed to have glided for miles.
Batwings, a precursor to wingsuits, were showcased in the 1969 film, The Gypsy Moths, starring Burt Lancaster and Gene Hackman.
In the mid-1990s, the modern wingsuit was developed by Patrick de Gayardon of France, adapted from the model used by John Carta. In 1997, the Sammy Popov designed and built a wingsuit that had a larger wing between the legs and longer wings on the arms. He tested his prototype in a vertical wind tunnel in Las Vegas at Flyaway Las Vegas. Popov's wingsuit first flew in October 1998, but never went into commercial production. In 1998, Chuck "Da Kine" Raggs built a version that incorporated hard ribs inside the wing . Although these more rigid wings were better able to keep their shape in flight, this made the wingsuit heavier and more difficult to fly. Raggs' design also never went into commercial production. Flying together for the first time, Popov and Raggs showcased their designs side by side at the World Free-fall Convention at Quincy, Illinois, in August 1999. Both designs performed well. At the same event, jumpers performed formation wingsuit skydives with de Gayardon's, Popov's, and Raggs' suits.
Exiting an aircraft in a wingsuit requires skills that differ depending on the location and size of the door. These techniques include the orientation relative to the aircraft and the airflow while exiting. It is also important that wingsuit pilots spread their legs and arms at the proper time to avoid hitting the Empennage or becoming unstable. The wingsuit immediately starts to fly upon exiting the aircraft in the relative wind generated by the forward speed of the aircraft.
Exiting from a BASE jumping site, such as a cliff, requires a different technique. In these situations, a vertical drop using the forces of gravity generates the airspeed that wingsuits need to generate lift. This is also the case when exiting from a helicopter, a paraglider, or a hot air balloon. Unlike when exiting an airplane, it takes time to build up airspeed to inflate the wingsuit and provide aerodynamic control. So exiting the cliff in a proper orientation is critical.
A typical skydiver's terminal velocity in belly to earth orientation ranges from 180 to 225 km/h (110 to 140 mph). A wingsuit can reduce these speeds dramatically. A vertical instantaneous velocity of 40 km/h (25 mph) has been recorded. However, the speed at which the body advances horizontally through the air is still much higher (up to 100 km/h 62 mph).
The glide ratios of older wingsuits made in the 1990s through the early 2010s were closer to 2:1. It was possible for expert flyers to achieve a 3:1 ratio but this was very difficult. However, advancements in modern wingsuits allow flyers to achieve a 3:1 ratio much more easily, allowing for higher speeds.
Beginner wingsuits have less surface area and lower internal pressure. This makes them easier to control and less likely to go unstable in flight. Less fabric material makes it easier to deploy the pilot chute at the end of the flight. With experience, pilots can choose to upgrade to more advanced suits that have more surface area and increased glide performance.
The air foil shape is formed by pressure inside the wing and the construction of the suit. Internal ribs help form the shape. Having a smooth leading edge is especially important as it is the source of most lift and most drag. Reducing inlet drag while maintaining high internal suit pressure is also important in modern wingsuit design. The number of air inlets and their positions vary on different suit designs. Suits that are focused on freestyle flights often have inlets on the back surface of the suit to maintain internal pressure when pilots are "back flying" in a face-up orientation.
A 2010 redesign tested in a wind tunnel by the 8th Conference of the International Sports Engineering Association (ISEA) found that adding material to the wingsuit between the head/helmet area and connecting it to the wrist, thus increasing upper wings' size, would "...lower lift-to-drag ratio in most testing scenarios. The decrease in lift-to-drag ratio was due to the combination of an increased lift and a higher increased drag." Other innovations in the late 2000s and early 2010s helped increase the glide ratio further.
A wingsuit BASE jump begins by jumping from a cliff. Within seconds, air inflates the suit into a semi-rigid airfoil shape. By holding a proper body position, the wingsuit flier is able to glide forward at a ratio of 3:1, meaning that they are moving forward three meters for every meter of descent.
As suit technology and pilot skill have improved, wingsuit BASE jumpers have learned to control their flight so that they can fly within several meters of terrain. “Proximity flying” is the practice of flying a wingsuit close to the faces and ridges of mountains. Flying near terrain gives a greater sense of speed due to having a close visual reference. Loic Jean-Albert of France is one of the first proximity flyers, and his pioneering flying brought many BASE jumpers into the sport. In November 2012, Alexander Polli became the first wingsuit BASE jumper to successfully strike a wingsuit target. Polli died August 22, 2016, in a wingsuit accident, after crashing into a tree.
Wingsuit BASE jumping carries additional risk beyond a wingsuit skydive. Jumping from a fixed object means starting with low airspeed which requires different flying positions and skills. During the flight, hazards exist such as trees, rocks and the ground which must be avoided. While skydivers typically carry two parachutes, a main and a reserve, wingsuit BASE jumpers typically only carry one BASE-specific parachute.
Wingsuit BASE jumping is an unregulated sport. But to perform the activity safely requires jumpers to be an experienced skydiver, wingsuit pilot, and BASE jumper. It takes hundreds of practice jumps to achieve skill in each of these disciplines before considering wingsuit BASE.
On 25 October 2009, in Lahti, Finland, Visa Parviainen jumped from a hot air balloon in a wingsuit with two small turbojet attached to his feet. The engines provided approximately of thrust each and ran on kerosene fuel. Parviainen achieved approximately 30 seconds of horizontal flight with no noticeable loss of altitude. Parviainen continued jumping from hot air balloons and helicopters, including one for the Stunt Junkies program on Discovery Channel.
Christian Stadler from Germany invented the "VegaV3 wingsuit system" that uses an electronic adjustable hydrogen peroxide rocket. The rocket provides of thrust and produces no flames or poisonous fumes. His first successful powered wingsuit jump was in 2007, when he reached horizontal speeds of over 255 km/h (160 mph).
Prior to this, the largest wingsuit formation recognized as meeting the criteria for a national record consisted of 68 wingsuit pilots, which set a U.S. national record at Lake Elsinore, California, on 12 November 2009. The largest global record was a diamond formation involving 100 wingsuit pilots at Perris, California, on 22 September 2012. These records have since been retired as they do not meet the current rules.
Two world records have been set since the rules update. A 42-person formation over Moorsele, Belgium, set an FAI record on 18 June 2015. This was broken on 17 October 2015, when 61 wingsuit pilots set the current FAI world record over Perris Valley Airport near Perris, California.
The current U.S. national record includes 43 wingsuit pilots. It was set on 5 October 2018 in Rosharon, Texas, at Skydive Spaceland-Houston.The U.S. national wingsuit formation record can be found in the official USPA records database with the status set to "current," the zone set to "U.S. National," and the group set to "Wingsuit Flying". http://competition.uspa.org/records/current
The current U.S. open national docked record (when wingsuit pilots complete a formation holding onto each other) was set in 2014 by 5 wingsuit pilots--Billy delGiudice, Matthew Veno, Andreea Olea, Jeff Harrigan, and Sarah Chamberlain--at Connecticut Parachutists in Ellington, CT. The U.S. national wingsuit formation record can be found in the official USPA records database with the status set to "current," the zone set to "U.S. National," and the group set to "Wingsuit Flying". http://competition.uspa.org/records/current
The current world record for longest time in flight within the performance competition rules, i.e. within of vertical distance, was set on 28 Aug 2018 by Chris Geiler (US) with a time of 100.2 sec (1.67 min).
The current world record for longest horizontal distance covered within the performance competition rules, i.e. within of vertical distance, was set on 27 May 2017 by U.S. wingsuit pilot Alexey Galda with a distance of 5.137 km (3.19 mi)
The flare was made after exiting a tail gate aircraft at high speed.
The flare was made after diving and accelerating the wingsuit from altitude.
A detailed study on wingsuit deaths completed primarily by the University of Colorado found that out of 180 studied fatalities, 97% launched from cliffs and another 1% from buildings. The vast majority of these deaths were related to the use of the wingsuit, not to do with external sources. This makes aircraft descending a much less deadly form of wingsuit flying, though deemed less extreme by fans of the sport.
Wingsuit BASE jump records
Highest altitude
On 23 May 2006, the Australian couple Heather Swan and Glenn Singleman jumped from off Meru Peak in India, setting a world record for highest wingsuit BASE jump.
This record was broken on 5 May 2013, by the Russian Valery Rozov, who jumped from on Mount Everest's North Col.
Rozov broke his own record by jumping from on Cho Oyu in 2016.
Longest
The longest verified wingsuit BASE jump is by the American Dean Potter on 2 November 2011. Potter jumped from the Eiger mountain and spent 3 minutes and 20 seconds in flight, descending of altitude.
Biggest
The biggest wingsuit BASE jump as measured from exit to landing was performed on 11 August 2013 by Patrick Kerber with a height of off the Jungfrau in Switzerland.
Wingsuit flight records
Fastest
On 22 May 2017, British wingsuit pilot Fraser Corsan set world records for the fastest speed reached in a wingsuit of . Chilean Sebastián Álvarez broke the World Record on 27 March 2025, he set the new record on .
Greatest average horizontal speed
The current world record for greatest average horizontal speed within the performance competition rules, i.e. within of vertical distance, was set by Travis Mickle (US) with a speed of 325.4 km/h (202.19 mph) 6 November 2017. American Ellen Brennan is considered the fastest flying woman in the world.
Longest time
On 20 and 21 April 2012, Colombian skydiver Jhonathan Florez set Guinness World Records in wingsuit flying. The jumps took place in La Guajira in Colombia. The longest (duration) wingsuit flight was 9 minutes, 6 seconds. Sebastián Álvarez flew for 11 minutes, 1 second on 27 March 2025.
Highest altitude
The highest altitude wingsuit jump is , and was achieved by Aaron Smith above Whiteville, Tennessee, US, on 1 July 2023.
Farthest
, the Guinness World Record for "greatest absolute distance flown in a wing suit" is 32.094 km (19.94 mi) set by Kyle Lobpries (US) in Davis, California, on 30 May 2016. Sebastián Álvarez set the record on 53.450 km on 27 March 2025.
Highest Flare
The highest recorded flare ever achieved so far is in altitude from lowest to highest point, set by Daniel Ossio (CH) in Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland on 3 May 2022.
Highest Flare (conventional)
The highest conventional flare ever made so far is performed by Luke Rogers (AUS), performed in Ramblers, Australia on 9 September 2018.
Landing
On 23 May 2012, British stuntman Gary Connery safely landed a wingsuit without deploying his parachute, landing on a crushable "runway" (landing zone) built with thousands of cardboard boxes.. This was the only instance where a person landed a wingsuit without deploying his parachute and lived.
Safety
Recent statistics reflect the growing safety of the wingsuit activity to being comparable to similar flying activities such as hang gliding, with BASE jumpers in the United States seeing a fatality rate of 2 in 1000 participants as compared to hang gliding's fatality rate of 1 in 1000 participants. A 2012 University of Colorado study found that in wingsuit BASE jumping, there was approximately one severe injury for every 500 jumps undertaken.
Legality
Wingsuit flying is broadly allowed and lightly regulated in countries such as Brazil, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, New Zealand, Iceland, India, Russia, Georgia, Mexico, and Venezuela. While the small French city of Chamonix once banned wingsuit flying, the ban has since been reverted.
See also
Notes
Works cited
Further reading
External links
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