Reply to: Anyon tried wingsuit flying?

[SueEllen]

Maybe something that encapsulated them in a big ball like those you can roll down hills inside. To avoid the person smashing against the side and therefore ground when making contact, have it filled with bubble wrap with a space in the middle for a person. Simple.

Zorbing

Is great!!!

[zeitghost]

I suspect its not really something you try... you either succeed or you don't!

Wise words.

[Snarf]

Anyon tried wingsuit flying?

I suspect its not really something you try... you either succeed or you don't!

[northernladyuk]

Wing suit flying looks insanely dangerous, and I can't imagine the average IT contractor being into it.

I wondered idly if someone trapped on an upper floor of a skyscraper, like the unfortunate people above the flames in the twin towers during 9/11, would have any chance of surviving had they been able to don a wing suit and jump from a window or the roof.

I would imagine they'd have to build up quite a speed before being able to level off, and the biggest risk would be crashing into an obstacle such as another building before they could glide safely to the ground.

The correct English way to do it is in the manner of that pioneer of human flight: Eilmer of Malmesbury. Give it a go, and if you survive, you mind lend the suit to David Davis, to see if the UK can get away with a couple of broken legs after it goes over the cliff edge.

[Hobosapien]

I doubt this would work. A motorcyclists generally hits something that will crumple a bit and/or go skidding along the ground and slow down relatively slowly. Someone jumping of a building is doing to hit the tarmac that does not move much.

There have been suicide attempts by people jumping off tall building only to walk away because they land on top of a car though.

Maybe something that encapsulated them in a big ball like those you can roll down hills inside. To avoid the person smashing against the side and therefore ground when making contact, have it filled with bubble wrap with a space in the middle for a person. Simple.

[greenlake]

Makes me feel queezy just looking at that!

[Hairlocks]

Re surviving falls from sky scrapers, maybe the answer lies in personal airbags. Apparently motorcyclists can now buy clothing with airbags that deploy when they crash.

As a typical sports bike's top speed is greater then typical terminal velocity of a person falling from a tall building, if those airbags are designed for the person to survive a crash at that speed then they should also survive a fall if there was such kit to put on at the upper floors and roof of sky scrapers.

One for mythbusters to try out.

I doubt this would work. A motorcyclists generally hits something that will crumple a bit and/or go skidding along the ground and slow down relatively slowly. Someone jumping of a building is doing to hit the tarmac that does not move much.

There have been suicide attempts by people jumping off tall building only to walk away because they land on top of a car though.

[Hobosapien]

Re surviving falls from sky scrapers, maybe the answer lies in personal airbags. Apparently motorcyclists can now buy clothing with airbags that deploy when they crash.

As a typical sports bike's top speed is greater then typical terminal velocity of a person falling from a tall building, if those airbags are designed for the person to survive a crash at that speed then they should also survive a fall if there was such kit to put on at the upper floors and roof of sky scrapers.

One for mythbusters to try out.

[deebeegee]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWfph3iNC-k

"Grinding the Crack"

Look at the shadows at 1:26

And the same point from a static camera at 1:40

Jeb is one of the lucky ones - he managed to survive flying straight into the ground
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5nlOdxZt_4

[deebeegee]

I do believe the guy who did this is now dead.

Most of the videos you'll see of these death defying stunts you'll find that death caught up with the protagonist in the end - and usually not a long time after.

[centurian]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWfph3iNC-k

"Grinding the Crack"

Look at the shadows at 1:26

And the same point from a static camera at 1:40

[deebeegee]

Wing suit flying looks insanely dangerous, and I can't imagine the average IT contractor being into it.

I wondered idly if someone trapped on an upper floor of a skyscraper, like the unfortunate people above the flames in the twin towers during 9/11, would have any chance of surviving had they been able to don a wing suit and jump from a window or the roof.

I would imagine they'd have to build up quite a speed before being able to level off, and the biggest risk would be crashing into an obstacle such as another building before they could glide safely to the ground.

I have a wingsuit but I only ever use it out of aircraft. There's actually quite a lot of IT geeks into it, and it's definitely on the nerdier side of the sport - lot's of flight data and statistics to capture and analyse.

There are not many buildings in the world which you could use a wingsuit from as, like you premise, it takes a while to get flying. To survive a wingsuit landing takes a lot of cardboard boxes - only Gary Connery (jumped into the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony from a helicopter dressed as the queen) has ever done it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5_ITt2LM0A
So ruling that out you'd need to wear a BASE rig (parachute system) and you would be better off getting a parachute open as high as possible as this will give you a better glide angle than a wingsuit.

Plenty of people have jumped from plenty of office buildings, including a few I've worked in. Most have had quite a lot of training on how to fall stably enough to deploy a parachute and how to steer and land it in a tight urban environment.

Specifically looking at the 9/11 scenario i would expect the winds to be super sketchy due to extreme heat but given the alternative it would be worth a shot. You'd want to be at least 160ft up to have altitude for the canopy to open before you landed though

[ladymuck]

There was a base jump done off Pan Peninsula in Canary Wharf

Video: Watch two guys illegally base jump off the 48th floor of the Pan Peninsula building in Canary Wharf – Now. Here. This. – Time Out London

So, yes, you could have jumped off the top of the twin towers and lived to tell the tale, in theory

[MarillionFan]

I do believe the guy who did this is now dead.

[PurpleGorilla]

Anyon tried wingsuit flying?

Makes me feel queezy just looking at that!

To answer my own question, I imagine the big problem with landing safely even after leveling off would be the horizontal speed, which is probably well above 100 MPH and maybe a lot nearer 200 MPH!

Mind you, when jumping from the top of one of the Twin Towers (as was), if one headed out into Hudson bay then maybe "pulling up" at the last moment and braking by being transverse to the direction of flight would slow one down somewhat.

The space shuttle had an emergency zip line on the launch platform. You come down that at a fair lick.

https://youtu.be/DHBLwstvLEA