WINGSUIT PRESS FAQ

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Wingsuit Team FlyLikeBrick

Established in 2006 it was one of the first wingsuit teams in the sport, and to this day is still going strong.
The team was integral to the development of wingsuit flying as a competitive discipline in 2008,
and in 2015 helped establish it as an official discipline with the ISC / FAI.
The team has a long list of 1st place podium results in wingsuit skydiving,

wingsuit base jumping and indoor wingsuit flying.

The team currently has a cumulative experience of over 7000 wingsuit flights,
and close to 3000 hours of wingsuit tunnel experience,

making them among the most experienced wingsuit pilots in the world.

FlyLikeBrick is based in Switzerland, with Jarno Cordia and Jenna Gygi as the core members
and Rene Terstegen as the teams dedicated cameraman for competitions.

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Articles and Media

The team gladly assists in media items and articles that showcase the sport in a positive light.
We are professional athletes that dedicate ourselves to training 250 hours of wind tunnel
and over 400 skydives per year to practice this sport at the highest level possible.

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We gladly talk about our training, preparation, professional mindset, goals
and foremost, our love of flying and the freedom it gives us.

If the goal of a article purely opinionated views on risks and danger,
the team is sadly not able to cooperate. 

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What is a wingsuit

A wingsuit is a suit with inflatable ram-air wings between the arms and legs.
They form an aerodynamic profile that generates lift, similar to an airplane wing.
This enables a wingsuit to fly with a glide ratio 3, meaning 3 meters forward for every meter down.

A typical skydive is made from an altitude of 4 KM, with the parachute being deployed at 1 KM.
This allows a wingsuit to fly a horizontal distance of around 8 to 9 KM.

 

How long does a wingsuit skydive last
A normal freefall skydive without a wingsuit lasts around 60 seconds.
In a wingsuit this will be around 2 to 2,5 minutes.

 

How long does a wingsuit BASE jump last
Most BASE jumps are made from lower altitude than skydives.
The duration and distance flown fully depends on the altitude of the jump.
Typical wingsuit BASE jumps are anywhere between 20 to 90 seconds.

 

How fast does a wingsuit fly
A wingsuit typically will fly around 140 to 160 KM/H forward.
When diving down, speeds can increase up to 300 KM/H.
Leveling out from a steep high speed dive, a wingsuit can briefly gain positive lift.
Climbing 10 to 25 meters in altitude. This move is often referred to as a flare

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When was wingsuit flying invented
Modern day wingsuit flying started in 1994 by French champion skydiver Patrick DeGayardon
He was the first one to use ram-air inflatable wings and parachute fabric, creating a true wing generating lift.

In the early 1930 / 1940 there where notable pioneers
such French Leo Valentin and American Clem Sohn
who experimented with various rigid and fabric winged designs.
The skydiving gear used in those days was not as safe as modern day designs,
which made their exploits a lot more dangerous than skydiving is today.

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In the years between 1940 and 1994 there have been several others who experimented
with winged suit designs. 

Media often incorrectly quotes a fictional number of 72 wingsuit pilots of which only 2 are alive today.

In reality there are no statistics or accident reports that validate those claims,

and wingsuit flying is a safer sport than it's often made out to be.
Gear related failure is no longer possible in modern skydiving and base jumping.

Through training and good decision making skills,

wingsuit flying can be practiced as a safe and responsible sport.
 

Is wingsuit flying an official sport

The ISC / FAI officially recognized wingsuit flying as a sport in 2015
There is an annual world championship in wingsuit Performance Flying and Wingsuit Acrobatics

 

What are the current world records in wingsuit flying
Longest Wingsuit Skydive - 9 Minutes 6 Sec. - Jonathan Florez - 20 April 2012
Longest Indoor Wingsuit Flight - 6 Hours 29 Minutes 41 Sec. - Jarno Cordia - 7 January 2018
Fastest Wingsuit Skydive - Travis Mickle - 325 km/h - 6 November 2017 
Longest Distance Wingsuit Skydive - Kyle Lobpries - 30.4 km - 30 May 2016
Wingsuit Acro (Longest Sequence) - 26 Grips - FlyLikeBrick WS Team - 27 Aug 2017

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How do you learn Wingsuit Flying

To learn skydiving, AFF (Accelerated Free Fall) is the first step.
In the course, aspiring skydivers learn the basics of freefall control and use of gear

accompanied in freefall by 2 instructors.

To get started on wingsuit flying a skydiver will need a further 200 freefall jumps in (minimum) experience.
Wingsuit flying is not a sport accessible to anyone without the mandatory skydiving experience.
Contact a local dropzone for more information on the AFF program and the cost of skydiving.

For those wanting to give flying a wingsuit flying a try without skydiving,
and ask questions to experienced wingsuit pilots
we recommend joining one of the FlyLikeBrick.com Indoor Wingsuit Tunnel camps.

 

Jobs in Wingsuit Flying

For those keen to work in wingsuit flying,  job opportunities are available at the higher skill levels

It will require an investment of several years, and many skydives and/or hours of wingsuit tunnel to reach that level.