# Can you wingsuit from plane to ground yet without a parachute? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613 "2014-10-26T23:56:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/1 "2014-10-26T23:56:27Z")
When those flying squirrel suits first came out, there was talk about improving them so you could one day glide straight from a plane to a soft ground landing without needing a parachute at the end. Has any progress been made on that front? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/2 "2014-10-27T00:12:53Z")
It’s been done. I don’t know how many times. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/3 "2014-10-27T00:14:11Z")
Anyone can do it _once_. What would be impressive is being able to do it _twice_. Bounces don’t count. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/4 "2014-10-27T00:21:02Z")
The video I saw was of someone doing this into a big pile of empty cardboard boxes. Like, a pile thirty feet wide, sixty feet long, and ten feet high. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/5 "2014-10-27T00:31:25Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > The video I saw was of someone doing this into a big pile of empty cardboard boxes. Like, a pile thirty feet wide, sixty feet long, and ten feet high. That’s incredible aim. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/6 "2014-10-27T00:39:30Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > That’s incredible aim. I was impressed! He hit it right on (I think it was a he), and it took about half the pile to absorb his energy. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/7 "2014-10-27T00:41:06Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Anyone can do it _once_. What would be impressive is being able to do it _twice_. Bounces don’t count. You beat me to it! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/8 "2014-10-27T00:56:52Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dRB-woVjlFY/hqdefault.jpg "Wingsuit landing without deploying a parachute - Gary Connery") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRB-woVjlFY) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DEP8juRSBRo/maxresdefault.jpg "Gary Connery's Wingsuit Landing without using a Parachute") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEP8juRSBRo) The second video shows it better. I was a little off on the dimensions, but still very ballsy. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/9 "2014-10-27T04:22:27Z")
I doubt it because while it looks like they are flying, they are just gliding. And basically they are switching vertical velocity for horizontal. so they still have quite a bit of speed left at the end and those suits dont allow one to just hover. If you go to slow you would stall and plummet straight down. So it can be done but you need something to land in that will cushion your final fall. ---
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/10 "2014-10-27T04:55:39Z")
I liked this one better. This guy jumps from a cliff, skims the side of the mountain, then lands on water, like a floatplane. [CraaAAaAaazy!!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2xmAWS4akE) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/11 "2014-10-27T04:59:52Z")
I am waiting for a surf landing. Imagine a surfboard shaped like an airfoil. You jump out, and surf down, though it would visually appear as if you were surfing with the board oriented sideways. I have seen a few stunts with parachutists using surfboards which gave me this idea, but I’ve never heard of anyone trying it. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/12 "2014-10-27T05:16:37Z")
It’s really a matter of wing loading. A 747, IIRC, has a wing loading of about 70 kilograms per square meter, if we assume Flying Squirrel Man can muster a “wing” area of about two or three square meters then the wing loading would be around 30 to 40 kilograms for an average human. Let’s keep it simple and say then that would give at best a third of the loading of a 747, a third of the landing speed of a 747, nearly 100Km/h, would send anyone to the ER. [On perusing that stunt guy’s Wikipedia entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Connery#The_flight) I see that I’m pretty close with my WAG, 84Km/h horizontal speed and 24Km/h vertical speed. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/13 "2014-10-27T15:43:20Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dRB-woVjlFY](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dRB-woVjlFY) > > [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DEP8juRSBRo](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DEP8juRSBRo) > > The second video shows it better. > I was a little off on the dimensions, but still very ballsy. Seems kinda crazy to me! But yeah, the guy does have balls. Regarding the water landing video, [apparently there is some doubt](http://www.businessinsider.com/wingsuit-flier-lands-on-water-video-2013-10) as to its authenticity. The video gets awfully shaky just before he hits the water. And they only have the one view? What happened to the jumper’s helmet cams? ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/14 "2014-10-27T15:49:56Z")
Sure you can, as long as you are prepared for the inevitable lithobraking. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/15 "2014-10-27T17:24:34Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > Seems kinda crazy to me! But yeah, the guy does have balls. > > Regarding the water landing video, [apparently there is some doubt](http://www.businessinsider.com/wingsuit-flier-lands-on-water-video-2013-10) as to its authenticity. The video gets awfully shaky just before he hits the water. And they only have the one view? What happened to the jumper’s helmet cams? Yeah, it’s bullshit. From what I’ve read, some wingsuit flyers have gotten their vertical speed as low as 30MPH. Hitting the water at that speed is like belly-flopping from 30 feet up - combined with about 80MPH forward speed. Apart from the fake-looking splashdown at 2:24, and the total lack of bounce (just a clean mush-down), his speeds (vertical and horizontal) appear to be much lower than those values. And then of course there’s the startling lack of footage. For a real attempt, they would have 20 different camera angles going (compare for example [Jeb Corliss, Grinding The Crack](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWfph3iNC-k&feature=player_detailpage#t=31)). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-wingsuit-from-plane-to-ground-yet-without-a-parachute/702613/16 "2014-10-27T18:15:42Z")
The idea is too shed speed as drag and lift in order to land at a reasonable speed. It’s supposed to be feasible, but looks really scary to attempt on actual hard ground. The simple flying squirrel suits have the problem of keeping a minimal load on the pilot’s arms, so even with a way to increase the wing area at landing the pilot could end up with both shoulders dislocated before he splats anyway. A rigid wing suit has a better chance of producing a survivable landing.