FKTV.is
Alexandra Bruce
August 4, 2014
Don’t try this at home, folks.
wingsuiting is the sport of flying the human body through the air using a special jumpsuit, called a wingsuit, which adds surface area to the human body to enable a significant increase in lift. Modern wingsuits, first developed in the late 1990s.
A wingsuit flight normally ends with a parachute opening, and so a wingsuit can safely be flown from any point that provides sufficient altitude for flight and parachute deployment.
In 1999, Jari Kuosma of Finland and Robert Pecnik of Croatia teamed up to create a wingsuit that was safe and accessible for all skydivers. Kuosma established Bird-Man International Ltd. the same year. BirdMan’s “Classic”, designed by Pecnik, was the first wingsuit offered to the general skydiving public.
BirdMan was the first manufacturer to advocate the safe use of wingsuits by creating an instructor program. Created by Kuosma, the instructor program’s aim was to remove the stigma that wingsuits were dangerous and to provide wingsuit beginners (generally, skydivers with a minimum of 200 jumps) with a way to safely enjoy what was once considered the most dangerous feat in the skydiving world.
With the help of Birdman instructors Scott Campos, Chuck Blue and Kim Griffin, a standardized program of instruction was developed that prepared instructors.
Phoenix-Fly, Fly Your Body, and Nitro Rigging have also instituted an instructor training program.
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