Wingsuit 101: A Crash Course in Flying

Since the dawn of time, humans have been envious of flight.  This ability offers a level of freedom that’s unparalleled, to go where ever you’d like, whenever you’d like is the stuff dreams are made off.  Unfortunately we’re not flying completely independent yet but we’re close!  We asked Bobby and Elias, two adrenaline junkie wingsuit flyers, a few of your top questions so we could learn more about the extremely epic sport of wingsuit flying.

What is Wingsuit Diving?

Bobby: Wingsuit skydiving is when you wear a "bat like" suit and you fly through the sky horizontally rather than just falling vertically. You can fall for longer and cover a lot more distance while wearing a wingsuit, and perform a lot of other tricks etc.

Elias:  A variation of normal skydiving, it involves the skydiver using a suit with wings like a flying squirrel, for each vertical meter you fall you go 3 meters forward, you do need a parachute besides the wingsuit, it is the closest to flying that humans are capable of.  
 

How much will a wingsuit typically run?

Bobby: The price will vary depending on the type, size and brand of suit. You could pay between $1000-$2000 US. 

Elias:  Wing suits costs can be $1000-$1800 for a new one, you can find a used one between $100-1200.

Any clue how much it would be to put a logo on one?

Bobby:  To have a logo added it could cost up to $500us again depending on size, style, color etc.

Elias:  Logos are a custom extra that can cost anywhere between $100-$500.

What are some of your favorite skydiving events?

Bobby:  I love going to wingsuit boogies or record attempts.  The people are all there for the same reason so it's always a good vibe around the place.

Elias:  My top two events would be the Redbull Aces Wingsuit Events and the Wingsuit World League. 

What made you so passionate about wingsuit diving versus traditional skydiving?

Bobby:  I just love to fly and for me that's what wingsuit diving is.  It’s more flying as opposed to traditional skydiving which is more falling. 

Elias: Jeb Corliss.

What’s the history of Wingsuits?  Was someone just like hmmm lets add some more fabric and hope for the best or was there a methodology behind it?

Bobby: No I don't know too much about the history of it. The technology and skills change so fast now that I just try to keep up with what's going on now the best I can.
Elias:  Yep, wing suiting started around 1910 but it was until 1990 that people started developing wing suits for the open public.

 What other extreme sports do you adrenaline junkies like to do?

Bobby:  I love base jumping, especially when you can jump along the coast and land on the beach.

Elias:  For extreme sports I like surfing, motocross, climbing, diving, and downhill anything.

Thank you both for your insight on wingsuit skydiving!  Check out Bobbyand Eliason Instagram!