Humans flying like a bird...

WOW! That is really something!

Looks like it would be a rush!

Kandace
 
Watching confirmed my fear of heights, I could not watch the whole video. That is insane....
 
The first time I actually saw one of these was in the last "Tomb Raider" movie so these have been around for a spell....
 
Those guys are a lot crazier than I am, a small error when you're that close to stuff at those speeds will be ugly (and fatal).
 
Frostbite Falls

Frostbite Falls

I've seen a lot of things that come pretty close to human beings flying like a bird. Gyros, hang gliding, sky diving, jet packs and even that Austrian "rocket man" dude with a micro-jet propelled bat-wing. But this flying squirrel thing is insanely cool. Who here would have the avocados to do this? :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZchINzk43E&feature=player_embedded

Shades of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Gliding like a flat rock.
 
Its a great way to cover a large area of terrain in a high alt low open and yep we have been doing this for alt of years now.
 
Oh I dunno Paul. Re the open casket funeral just stick a wing suit with a strategically placed helmet and goggles in there and let imagination do the rest.
 
You got to admit, that does look like fun!
 
Around '65 or '66, my friend Russ doubled for Burt Lancaster using "bat-wings" for a movie that I can't remember the name of.
They had a bit longer wing span and he said his arms ached and had spasms after every flight.
 
It'll be intersting to know some stats. Like glide ratio. Would it have a better glide ratio than an engine out on a gyro? What's there speed etc?
Awesome stuff.
 
Never confuse flying with falling. Perhaps all my sailplane time has given me too big a bias, but for a glide ratio that bad and at such high speed, it might be more descriptive to call it a "dive" ratio or "plummet angle".
 
Helicopters are typically in the 3-4:1 range, gyro's are probably in that same ballpark.
 
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