Wingsuit Flying
What is a wingsuit and how does it work?
Inspired by flying squirrels, the modern wingsuit turns a skydiver into a human glider. How do a few square metres of fabric make controlled flight possible?
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Wingsuit flying is one of the most extreme forms of human flight. By wearing a specially designed suit that stretches between the arms and legs, earning it the nickname "squirrel suit", pilots can transform a vertical freefall into a controlled glide through the sky at speeds of more than 250kph (155mph).
Part skydiving, part aviation, the sport allows aerial athletes to travel miles through the air before deploying a parachute.
Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak, is a stunning location for wingsuiting
© Dom Daher/Red Bull Content Pool
Whether flying above mountain ranges, alongside other pilots in formation or across open landscapes, wingsuit flying allows athletes to cover large distances through the air before deploying a parachute.
But what exactly is a wingsuit, how does it work, who invented it, and why are humans able to glide like flying squirrels? To find out, it helps to understand the science and design behind the suit.
01
How does a wingsuit work?
Sebastián Álvarez soaring to three new wingsuit flight records
© Scott Palmer/Red Bull Content Pool
A wingsuit is a specially designed suit worn during skydiving that turns a vertical fall into a controlled glide through the air. It works alongside a parachute, which is used at the end of the flight for landing.
The suit is made from strong fabric such as nylon and has three wing-like sections: two between the arms and the body, and one between the legs. When a pilot jumps from a plane or a mountain, air flows into these sections and inflates them, creating shape and surface area.
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Sebastián Álvarez's volcano flight
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As the wingsuit pilot moves through the air, the suit interacts with airflow to create lift and reduce the speed of falling. This doesn’t allow the pilot to fly upward like an aircraft, but it does allow forward movement while gradually descending.
In simple terms, instead of dropping straight down, a wingsuit lets the body move forward through the air in a controlled glide. Experienced wingsuit pilots can travel several metres forward for every metre they descend.
02
What's the difference between wingsuit flying and skydiving?
The main difference between wingsuit flying and skydiving is that wingsuit pilots don't just fall, they glide. While a traditional skydive involves descending mostly vertically before opening a parachute, a wingsuit allows the pilot to travel forward through the air while slowly losing altitude.
03
The origins of wingsuit flying
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Wingsuit flying in the Swiss Alps
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Early ideas for wingsuit flying date back to 1912, when Austrian-born tailor Franz Reichelt tested a homemade parachute-style suit by jumping from the Eiffel Tower. The attempt did not succeed, but it marked one of the first recorded efforts to create human gliding flight.
In the following decades, other inventors continued experimenting with early wingsuit designs. By the 1930s, American pioneers Rex G. Finney and Clem Sohn ('The Bird Man') were developing suits made from canvas and sailcloth. In the 1950s, French skydiver Léo Valentin introduced rigid wooden wing structures to improve glide performance. These early versions remained highly dangerous and difficult to control.
A major step forward came in the 1990s, when French skydiver Patrick de Gayardon developed a more stable design using fabric webbing between the arms and legs. This approach allowed for more controlled forward glide in freefall.
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In 1999, Finn Jari Kuosma and Croatian designer Robert Pečnik introduced the first commercially produced wingsuit, making the sport more accessible. They went on to develop the sport by setting up an instructor training programme.
In 1999, Jari Kuosma and Robert Pečnik introduced the first commercially produced wingsuit and helped formalise the sport through instructor training programmes.
Elite wingsuit flyers come together to sharpen their technique
© Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool
Modern day wingsuit pilots include: Spain's Dani Román, Germany's Max Manow, France's Fred Fugen, Chile's Sebastián Álvarez, Austria's Marco Fürst and Marco Waltenspiel, and Miles Daisher, Andy Farrington and Mike Swanson from the USA, as well as England's Amber Forte.
04
What are the four stages of a wingsuit flight?
A wingsuit flight is typically broken into four stages: planning and preparation, the jump, the flight, and the landing. Each stage requires precise control and careful decision-making.
The planning phase
Wingsuit pilot Sebastián Álvarez preparing for his feat
© Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool
Preparation is the most important stage of a wingsuit flight. Weather conditions, wind direction, altitude and terrain all play a critical role in safety and performance. Many pilots plan their flight in detail before take-off, mapping out jump altitude, flight path, horizontal distance and the exact moment for parachute deployment.
The jump or drop
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There are two main types of wingsuit jumps. Airborne jumps take place from aircraft such as planes, helicopters, hot air balloons or paragliders. BASE jumps involve fixed locations such as buildings, antennas, bridges or cliffs. Each type requires different techniques and levels of experience.
The jump marks the transition into freefall. Whether exiting from an aircraft or a fixed point, the pilot must immediately stabilise their body position to ensure the wingsuit inflates correctly and the flight path is controlled from the start.
The flight
A drone tries to keep up with Peter Salzmann
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
During flight, the wingsuit increases the body’s surface area, creating lift and reducing the rate of descent. This allows forward motion through the air instead of a straight fall. In ideal conditions, pilots can travel around three metres horizontally for every one metre of vertical descent. Maintaining control requires constant adjustments using the arms, legs and body position.
The landing
A wingsuit cannot slow down enough to land safely on its own. Before reaching the ground, the pilot deploys a parachute, then transitions into a controlled glide to land safely in a designated area.
05
Wingsuit flying records and milestones
Wingsuit flying continues to evolve rapidly, with recent years bringing new records in speed, distance and flight duration.
Álvarez harnessed the power of a jet stream to break records
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
One of the most significant recent achievements came in 2025, when Chilean wingsuit pilot Sebastián Álvarez set new world records during a high-altitude jump. He reached speeds of around 550 kph (342 mph), covered a distance of more than 53km, and stayed in the air for over 11 minutes, setting records for speed, distance and time of flight in a single run.
Big emotions for Peter Salzmann after the world record BASE jump
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
In the same year, Austrian wingsuit pilot Peter Salzmann launched from a narrow ledge at 3,713m above sea level, setting a new BASE jump speed record of 347kph, up from 340kph. He wore a wingsuit he developed specifically for the attempt. To put the speed into context, Formula One cars reach top speeds of around 320kph at the Red Bull Ring.
Formation flying remains another key milestone in the sport, with teams of wingsuit pilots completing coordinated group flights where spacing, timing and altitude must remain precisely controlled throughout the descent. One of the most notable examples came when Fred Fugen and seven other top wingsuit pilots completed the longest terrain formation ever flown over the Mont Blanc massif, flying in a continuous line across the mountain range before separating and landing in the valley.
Amber Forte prepares for a flight
© Dan Griffiths / Red Bull Content Pool
Female athletes have also set significant milestones in the sport. One of the most notable belongs to British wingsuit pilot Amber Forte, who holds the female wingsuit speed record.
Two wingsuit pilots share the sky
© Kennedy Amungo / Red Bull Content Pool
- Fastest combined speed, distance and duration record: Achieved by Sebastián Álvarez during a high-altitude wingsuit flight covering over 50km at extreme speeds.
- Longest terrain formation flight: Completed over the Mont Blanc massif by Fred Fugen and seven wingsuit pilots flying in a coordinated line.
- Highest BASE jump speed record (347kph): Set by Peter Salzmann from a 3,713m launch using a specially developed wingsuit.
- Fastest female wingsuit pilot (283.7kph): Achieved by Amber Forte during the FAI World Cup of Wingsuit Flying in Nevada in 2017, setting the female speed world record.
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