Wingsuit Flying
Discover what it's like to be a wingsuit flyer
Wingsuit flying is the closest you can get to being a superhero, but why do the people who do it take such risks and what are they thinking when they're speeding through the skies?
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Mike Swanson is scared of heights, but that hasn't stopped him becoming one of the world's best wingsuit flyers. He and fellow fliers Miles Daisher and Andy Farrington admit they all get nervous before a flight. Who wouldn’t? After all, this is one of the most extreme activities you can do.
Miles Daisher, Andy Farrington and Mike Swanson together with Jon DeVore
© Farras Oran/Red Bull Content Pool
Humans aren't meant to fly, but by putting on special aerodynamic suits that inflate as their wearer plummets towards the ground, these super humans make the impossible possible. In fact, with enough experience, wingsuit wearers can fly right past giant skyscrapers, between narrow cliffs, or even into a flying plane.
Swanson, Daisher and Farrington have done more than 7,500 BASE jumps and 47,500 skydives between them, including thousands of 'proximity' flights past cliffs and buildings, or serene 'scenic' flights high above the Earth wearing a wingsuit.
It takes a special mentality to take part in this world, so we asked them how and why they do it and what it actually feels like to fly.
What first made you want to go wingsuit flying?
Mike Swanson: In 1998, I tried out the first production wingsuit. It was fun, but slow going. Four years later, in France, I saw Loïc Jean-Albert premier the wingsuit he used to fly down mountains and said, 'I'm going to do that'.
Miles Daisher: I saw my roommate Frank Gambalie slick tracking (flying with his body) off the Great Troll Wall in Norway, Europe's most vertical mountain wall, and I was locked in. I had to get flying.
Andy Farrington: For me, I'd done skydiving and I'd done BASE jumping, so this was just the natural next step.
Miles Daisher and Mike Swanson in action over Los Angeles
© Andy Farrington/Red Bull Content Pool
Do you ever get nervous?
MS: I'm actually scared of heights, so, for me, approaching the exit point is more scary than the jump itself. I'm nervous skydiving if nobody has jumped there before and it's not perfect, but on a BASE jump, once I fly I'm good.
MD: I get nervous all the time. It's usually about when we land, because timing is everything. I also get nervous when trying something new, if I'm uncertain of how things will go and how I'll react to what's happening.
AF: Yes, I get nervous, but I would say it's performance based. I worry about how I'm going to perform more than the jump itself.
Nerves are par for the course on any wingsuit flight
© Andy Farrington/Red Bull Content Pool
What goes through your mind just before you jump?
MS: On a normal skydive, I visualise the plan and make a final gear check. For BASE and in new locations, I do more mental calculations, based on where it is, the technical aspects, my skill level and the weather.
MD: I visualise the whole jump from start to finish, then backwards and then forwards again. Then, I either get fired-up and hyped, or I try to calm down, depending on the type of jump or terrain we're flying.
AF: I scout the line and then I make sure I have a good plan for the execution. Just like a ski racer, if you do the top as planed, then the middle section and down to the bottom part of the run should be good.
Miles Daisher, deep in contemplation on his way to a BASE jump location
© Wayne Reiche/Red Bull Content Pool
And what goes through your mind when you're flying?
MS: The more technical the jump, the more I have to get myself right in that moment, completely focused on my flight.
MD: Just air. When I'm flying, I'm calm and in the moment. Everything I've done to train my reactions to the environment takes over and I'm just enjoying the ride.
AF: Nothing. Peace, freedom, focus and relaxation.
Andy Farrington feels nothing but ease in the skies
© Brian Nevins/Red Bull Content Pool
What's the physical experience of flying like?
MD: At first it's a leap of faith. Your wingsuit inflates and you hope it does in time to get your glide on and not skip off the rock you jumped off. Once you hook up with the air, you just feel absolutely awesome.
Depending on your ability and skill level, you either fly the suit, or it will fly you. The most important thing is to always think about airspeed. Speed is your friend. It gives you the power to fly.
Go with the flow, that's what Miles Daisher does
© Wayne Reiche/Red Bull Content Pool
AF: To go fast, you dive down and point with your head; to fly slower, you fly with your head up and push your muscles; and to bank, you dip your shoulder down in the direction you want to go. It's just like a glider.
MS: Wingsuits so controllable and manoeuvrable that you can fly at all sorts of angles and speeds, on your belly or your back, and you really can get within a few inches of a targeted spot if you want.
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Barrier of spears
The Red Bull Air Force take to the skies in South Africa to BASE jump and do some wingsuit flying.
How fast do you fly and how do you feel that speed?
MD: If you float, you can go as slow as 125kph, but if you dive and push, you can go over 225kph. You can feel the trembling of speed wobbles, like on a skateboard. At that point you need to know your limits to avoid a flat spin.
You can't just put on a suit and fly, so what was the learning process?
MD: I started to learn to fly my body while skydiving and once you've got that, you can just put on a suit and fly. It’s easily done if you understand aerodynamics and have good body control and spatial awareness.
The tricky part is landing. You can't land a wingsuit directly; you pull a parachute at the end of the flight, so you need to be in control to manage that transition and land well. You need to have done at least 200 skydives.
It takes time to feel comfortable flying through the air
© Andy Farrington/Red Bull Content Pool
What are the most important skills you need?
MS: You need to be comfortable with flat tracking (flying your body) and to be comfortable with all aspects of intermediate skydiving. I'd done almost 10,000 skydives before I started wingsuit flying.
AF: As well as having plenty of experience, you need to be comfortable and flexible. You can't fly like a complete robot.
All smiles from Andy Farrington when back on terra firma after a flight
© Marv Watson/Red Bull Content Pool
How long did it take you to learn?
MS: I'll let you know when I stop learning.
AF: Yes, you're always learning. The basics come pretty fast, but people are changing the way you fly all the time.
MD: I'm a very quick learner, so I was able to fly a wingsuit on the first try, but I've been flying a wingsuit for 20 years now and I'm still learning.
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Which do you prefer, proximity flying or scenic flying?
MS: Proximity for sure. Both are fun, but proximity is the best.
AF: I like both.
MD: It depends on my mood, but I find that proximity flying is much more intense and calculated and I love gnashing my teeth, pumping up the jam and going for it.
The views from wingsuit flying can be spectacular
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Where's the best place you've ever flown and why?
MS: It's hard to pick one. Flying over Petra in Jordan, through downtown Chicago and flying past the Intercontinental in Los Angeles at night with the supermoon were all great, but there are so many. The list really goes on and on.
MD: My favourite line is the backside of the Jungfrau in Switzerland. You buzz the top edge of the cliff bands all the way down to the paraglider landing area at the base of the Stechelberg cable car.
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How do you analyse, accept and justify the risks you take?
MS: It's all about minimising risks and that starts with training. I train as much as I can. Constantly. It's also about understanding your skill level and equipment. That's vital to staying alive.
AF: You have to be proficient and stay current. That not only means with flying the wingsuit, but also skydiving in general. I do about 1,000 skydives a year, but they're not all wing suit jumps.
MD: You have to know your limits in every wind conditions and it's essential to do a risk assessment for every jump. Make a bad choice or a bad decision and you could be looking at six to eight weeks of healing time, or even worse.
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Has anything ever gone wrong for you on a flight?
MS: Yes, I got lucky early on. I did a long terrain flight down the Eiger and our group exited too early. I learned a big lesson that day about having the margin for error that gives you a second shot if you need it.
MD: Once, my wingsuit didn't get into its glide and I had a split second to decide whether to deploy my parachute before I hit the ground, or to aim for the likely impact spot, build speed and then pump up the glide power to escape. I went for the latter and I ended up just skimming the ground on the cliff and making it out to the open air below. It was a close call. Now, I'm far more methodical in my pre-jump preparation.
The margins can be fine. Safety is wingsuit flying is always paramount
© Michael Clark/Red Bull Content Pool
In one sentence what does it mean to be able to fly?
MS: It's simple – flying makes me happy.
MD: The ability to fly opens another realm of how we can interact with Earth and it's the greatest feeling in the world to me.
AF: It's the closest thing to being a super hero!
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