5-8: Wingsuit Flying 
A wingsuit is a specialized suit designed with arm wings and a leg wing intended to increase the total surface area of the skydiver, which decreases vertical (downward) speed and increases horizontal (forward) speed. A wingsuit will decrease the skydiver’s full range of motion, whereas baggy jumpsuits and tracking suits still allow for a full range of motion. A wingsuit pilot is a skydiver who wears a wingsuit.
These recommendations provide guidance for a skydive that entails wearing a wingsuit, along with parameters for wingsuit progression and more advanced wingsuit-flying jumps.
The BSRs require any person performing a wingsuit jump to have at least 200 skydives and hold a current skydiving license. USPA also recommends the participating skydiver become a well-rounded, multi-discipline skydiver and canopy pilot. A wingsuit pilot should possess situational awareness regarding loading the plane, aircraft climb pattern and location, jump-run direction, exit order, exit separation, parachute opening, canopy flight, and landing pattern.
Before engaging in wingsuit jumps, a participating skydiver should take a first-flight course (FFC) with an experienced wingsuit coach. While USPA does not have a specific rating for wingsuit coaches, wingsuit manufacturers often offer instructional ratings for their products and provide contact details for endorsed wingsuit coaches. Regardless of manufacturer endorsement, a wingsuit coach should have a current USPA Coach rating and be a highly experienced wingsuit pilot. The drop zone where the FFC is held determines who can conduct it.
Wingsuit pilots should use non-elliptical canopies with reliable, on-heading openings. A beginner wingsuit pilot should limit their wing loading to no more than 1.3:1. An experienced wingsuit pilot should limit their wing loading to no more than 1.5:1.
Wingsuits create a large burble above and behind a skydiver and may not provide the pilot chute enough air for clean inflation and extraction of the deployment bag from the pack tray. USPA recommends a pilot chute with a diameter of at least 26 inches. Wingsuit pilots should use a pilot chute handle that is as light as possible, and USPA strongly recommends a bridle length of at least 7 feet from pin to pilot chute. The bottom-of-container throw-out pilot chute is the only deployment system that wingsuit pilots should use.
USPA recommends wingsuit pilots use an AAD and an RSL with a MARD. Jumpers should consult their drop zone about its rules regarding AAD use for wingsuit pilots. Wingsuit pilots should wear helmets, especially when flying in groups, and use an audible altimeter and a visual altimeter mounted on the chest strap or mud flap. Wingsuit pilots should wait to wear any camera until their exits, flights and deployments are consistent, stable, and routine.
Regardless of experience in other disciplines, jumpers should seek thorough training with an experienced wingsuit coach before engaging in wingsuit flying. Before flying wingsuits in larger groups, novice wingsuit pilots should fly formations with a coach to develop exit, body position, docking, transition, breakoff, and deployment skills, following the same model as for the freefall and canopy-formation disciplines.
Regardless of wingsuit experience, jumpers should learn new wingsuit skills in groups no larger than a 3-way. This includes acrobatic maneuvers such as barrel rolls and docked transitions, XRW (mixed canopy and wingsuit jumps), performance flying, and dynamic flying. Before flying in a group larger than three wingsuit pilots, each participant should be able to make a stable and controlled exit. They each should be able to approach other wingsuit pilots in a gradual and controlled manner, checking their airspace and remaining aware of all other wingsuit pilots in their group. They should also each be able to break off and create a safe distance from other wingsuit pilots for deployment.
Wingsuit size progression should follow the manufacturer guidelines regarding minimum jump numbers. Larger wingsuit sizes require more skill. A wingsuit pilot wishing to advance into the next suit size should seek guidance from an experienced wingsuit coach. Just as it is important to have solid skill sets on a current canopy before downsizing, it is also important to have solid skill sets on a current wingsuit before upsizing.
Group wingsuit flights should have planned breakoff and deployment altitudes. Wingsuit groups should have a planned breakoff signal to communicate that the group flight is over. The beginner wingsuit pilot—as well as wingsuit pilots who do not have consistent, stable deployments—should deploy at a minimum of 5,000 feet AGL.
Wingsuit deployments require active management of forward speed and body symmetry. Arm wings of the suit may fully obstruct the jumper’s ability to quickly deploy their main parachute without a specialized deployment technique. Wingsuit pilots should become proficient at the deployment technique before advancing in their progression of suit size.
Wingsuit pilots have additional steps to their post-deployment procedures following normal canopy inflation:
- clear airspace
- unzip arm wings first
- perform canopy housekeeping
-
stow the tail wing
(This depends on the personal preference of each wingsuit pilot and should not take priority over flying the canopy predictably and safely.)
Wingsuit pilots often share canopy airspace with tandems and jumpers still on student status, as well as other jumpers who may have deployed higher than 6,000 feet AGL. Wingsuit pilots should exercise awareness around these other canopies to avoid canopy collisions.
Emergency Procedures: Arm wings may restrict movement and inhibit the wingsuit pilot from grabbing their risers until the arm wings are unzipped. Any wingsuit, regardless of the model, should allow enough range of motion for the wingsuit pilot to pull the main cutaway and reserve handles without unzipping the arm wings.
During a high-speed canopy malfunction, the jumper should immediately execute emergency procedures without wasting time unzipping the arm wings first. In the event of a low-speed canopy malfunction, it may be necessary to unzip the arm wings in order to reach the risers. Wingsuit pilots should demonstrate the ability to unzip the arm wings all the way in a smooth and controlled fashion while practicing low-speed-canopy-malfunction drills. Unzipping the tail wing is not crucial for canopy flight, and an unzipped tail wing can potentially entangle with the main or reserve.
There are many facets to advanced wingsuit flying. Due to the increased risks involved, only experienced wingsuit flyers with the assistance of a coach following the prescribed outline under Section D—Training of this chapter should attempt any of the following disciplines:
- XRW – a discipline in which a wingsuit pilot flies in close proximity to and/or completes docks with a canopy pilot flying a high-performance parachute at a high wing loading.
- Performance – a competitive discipline that involves a wingsuit pilot flying for maximum performance in three separate tasks: speed, distance and time.
- Acrobatic – a competitive discipline that consists of docking with other wingsuit pilots and performing acrobatic maneuvers.
- Mixed – any wingsuit flight that occurs with other skydivers in freefall, such as rodeo, angles, and carving around freefall groups.
- Large Formations – as a record category, wingsuits can fly in large formations to achieve state, national and world records.
- Dynamic Flocking – a type of wingsuit flying that consists of group members flying together in a steep angle, such as layouts, flares, and carving.
- Accessories – jumping with accessories to wingsuit gear such as brackets, streamers and/or harnesses with ropes or handles. Wingsuit pilots should exercise great care, be cautious about entanglement issues, and plan cutaway procedures for everyone on the jump, whether they are in wingsuits or not.
Restricted Movement: Arm movements are more restricted during a wingsuit skydive, although the amount of restriction is model-specific. Arm wings of the suit may fully obstruct the jumper’s ability to quickly deploy their main parachute without a specialized deployment technique.
Limited Visibility: The wingsuit pilot should follow the wingsuit manufacturer's guidelines when attaching a wingsuit to the harness-and-container system and use special care to ensure that the wingsuit does not obstruct the cutaway and reserve handles. Since harness leg straps are not visible when the wingsuit is fully zipped up, jumpers should take great care to ensure the leg straps are fully tightened while gearing up and during the pre-jump gear check.
Tail Strikes: During exit, wingsuit pilots must be especially careful to avoid colliding with the tail of the aircraft. A wingsuit flyer must direct their head into the relative wind, avoid jumping up while exiting, and refrain from fully opening leg and arm wings until they have passed below the tail of the aircraft. Wingsuiters should ask the pilot whether an engine cut is possible for their exit, since a solid engine cut helps wingsuiters avoid colliding with the tail during the exit, particularly in low-tail aircraft.
Out-of-Control Flight: Due to the responsiveness of pressurized wingsuits, stable and controlled flight requires subtle and relaxed movements. If a wingsuit pilot cannot control the heading of their flight, they may tumble and become disoriented in what is known as out-of-control flight (OCF). Wingsuit pilots should seek out coaching early in their progression to learn the skills necessary to control their wingsuit flight and avoid OCF. USPA strongly advises wingsuit pilots to adhere to the manufacturer's recommendations for the minimum number of jumps required to fly a certain size or style of wingsuit. If OCF occurs above deployment altitude and controlled flight cannot be regained within 5 seconds or within 5,000 feet of altitude loss, deploy the main parachute. If unable to locate the bottom-of-container deployment handle, pull the reserve immediately. If OCF occurs below a wingsuit pilot’s planned deployment altitude, they should deploy regardless of their body position, which follows the pull priorities for any skydive. The inability to fly and deploy in a stable and controlled orientation will increase the likelihood of needing to execute emergency procedures. Wingsuit pilots should frequently practice their emergency procedures while visualizing the various scenarios where OCF occurred.
Coordination with other groups: Wingsuiters should be aware of other groups’ deployment altitudes and types of skydiving activities on their loads. Wingsuiters should be especially aware of any other movement groups and any skydivers on the load intending to deploy above 6,000 feet. If multiple groups of wingsuiters plan to exit on the same load, the groups should coordinate their flight patterns to allow separate airspace per the drop zone’s policies.
Navigation and Weather: Wingsuiters can travel for miles between exiting the aircraft and the deployment point. Thus, navigation—plotting a route, maneuvering to follow that route, and adapting when conditions change—is a critically important skill. Wingsuit pilots should determine winds aloft prior to jumping by consulting the pilot or winds-aloft forecasts. Wingsuit pilots must meet the cloud-clearance and visibility requirements of FAR 105.17, and the margin needed for their horizontal flight may exceed what other freefall groups need. If the wingsuit flight occurs near a coastline or other large body of water, the wingsuit flight pattern should remain close enough to the shoreline to ensure that each wingsuit pilot can make it to the designated landing area or another suitable landing area. Wingsuit pilots should consider wearing flotation gear on these types of jumps.
Wingsuit pilots generally fly a planned flight pattern, which may vary due to drop-zone and air-traffic concerns. The wingsuit flight pattern should avoid crossing jump run and should consider canopy traffic, particularly tandem and AFF students. The BSRs require at least 500 feet of vertical and horizontal separation from tandem pairs and students, and a safe distance from any other canopy.
Landing Out: If improper navigation occurs, a wingsuit pilot may land off. Wingsuit pilots should be familiar with the off-landing procedures of the drop zone. If landing in water is unavoidable, the jumper must fully unzip the arm and leg wings before landing in the water to allow as much freedom of movement as possible after entering the water.
This pre-flight checklist can help you determine the specifics of your jump. Draw your flight plan on the map of your drop zone and confirm it with the drop zone staff, load organizer, pilot, and S&TA.
- What is jump run for your load?
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What are the forecasted winds at these points during your jump?
- Exit altitude
- Flight
- Deployment
- Landing Pattern
- Current Ground Conditions
- How many groups and other jumpers are on your load?
- What is your exit order?
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Are there any other wingsuit or movement jumps on your load?
- Have you discussed and coordinated deployment areas with these groups?
- What are the terrain factors to consider in navigation?
- What is the intended landing pattern and holding area for the jump?
- Have you ensured that your flight path does not interfere with jump run?
- Is your flight plan appropriate for the skill level and wingsuit size for other jumpers in your group?