Quote:
Originally Posted by sledghammer
What's the airspeed/rate of descent? Could you fly level for a bit, and if so, for how long until stalling? What airspeed would you stall at?
The rate of descent is about 60mph. The forward airspeed is around 80mph. Obviously these speeds can change with the glider's body position, but if the person in the wingsuit is gliding at the standard angle it will be about those speeds.
When I previously stated that you cannot gain altitude I was wrong in a technical sense. You can gain altitude, but it would be for a very short time and your distance traveled would be shortened incredibly and your forward airspeed would decrease dramatically, ldo. If you are BASE jumping this would be a death sentence. If you want to gain altitude while jumping from a plane or helicopter go right on ahead. You could fly level and if you swoop and fly straight and level instead of trying to gain altitude it would be for a longer time, but again I would not suggest it if you are BASE jumping.
When you fly you can fly for distance traveled or for time in free fall. If you want to fly for a long time you would angle your body in an almost flare like motion. If you want to fly fast and a long distance then you would angle your body at a 30-45 degree angle towards the ground.
Stalling is a reduction of lift. This happens when a wing/blade/airfoil exceeds a critical angle of attack (The angle of the chord line to the relative wind) or you reach a certain speed. When you are gliding in a wingsuit there is no lift. If you decide to "swoop" then I would not know the exact speed where you stop ascending. Go on google and research it or go on a skydiving forum.