Sad but you could see it coming. Wing suit close to rocks is a recipe for disaster. RIP

Mark Sutton, a stuntman who made his mark in the opening ceremony of last summer's the London 2012 Olympics -- parachuting into the stadium dressed as Daniel Craig's James Bond -- was killed in an accident Aug. 14 flying near Martigny, Switzerland. BBC reports that the 42-year-old British pro was wing suit flying for an Epic TV extreme sports event when he crashed into the ridge of rock.

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This crazy bastard also did the first ever landing of a wingsuit without a parachute, instead relying on a stack of cardboard boxes to cushion the impact., he did not even wear one as an out in the attempt.
His just as crazy US counterpart Jeb Corliss also hit a ridge or actually clipped it, busting up his legs. His chute opens microseconds before he hits the ground. He's definitely on a short list for the after life.

I think one of Corless' associates hit the Golden Gate bridge a few years ago. Hamburger. I blame global warming.

Someone hit the Royal Gorge Bridge near Canon City, CO, a few years ago.
Hit the big cable that holds up the suspension bridge the way it was described to me....
It was a fly by/near miss fail.

Ugly.
Mighty ugly.
lc

Not the golden gate. It was the Royal Gorge bridge here in Colorado. Dwain Weston was his name.

Emory Bored wrote:I think one of Corless' associates hit the Golden Gate bridge a few years ago. Hamburger. I blame global warming.

Same video as above. Deleted.

Same fatality from Corliss's perspective.

Flying is risky. Backcountry flying is riskier. Wingsuit flying and jetpack flying are just plain dumb. IMHO.

Cary

I ran in the same circles as some of these guys for many years - climbers and base jumpers always seem to dirtbag together. My big problem is not the risky pursuits - but the sponsorship of these stunts which basically drives people who are borderline crazy already to go further and further. The cliche that they died doing what they love just doesn't as much water as a can of shit. These guys had families and people who loved them - they don't need to do this crap. Screw red bull. Sorry for the rant.

Cary wrote:Flying is risky. Backcountry flying is riskier. Wingsuit flying and jetpack flying are just plain dumb. IMHO.

Cary

I disagree whole hearty with this statement. It is all relative how we get our kicks. People who don't fly or pilots who solely fly off of pavement think guys flying Supercubs ,Maules and 180's with big tires landing on creek beds and mountain tops got a fuck'in screw loose. That's for sure cause Ive seen their comments in the videos. In the early days when pioneers flew into inclement weather or crossed the oceans in rickety old bi planes with marginally reliable engines, Im sure many thought they were insane and crazy and by Jesus they were!! and some of those pilots died, but many lived. Look at the early explorers heading out into a vast ocean not knowing if they were going to sail off the edge of the earth. but went ahead and did it anyways. Those type of personalities and souls exist today and they need an outlet to explore boundaries.
Im sure the likes of Mr Corliss know in their hearts that in all likely hood their lives will be cut short, but shit they're gonna live the life they want no matter how short it may be. There are some times I look down at the rugged terrain below and there are intervals of few or no options for a safe landing. This is were the reliability of the engine and the beating of the heart are on exactly the same level. either one quits and it's gonna be bad news. Are we crazy for risking so much. perhaps so, but we have no choice cause we love what we do and we wouldn't have it other way!! The same for wingsuiters, crazy vertical down hill skiers, shark and alligator wrestlers, motorcycle jumpers. Life is about living your life and trying to be a little wise in knowing your limitations..Ya ya one from Clint! and knowing that perhaps today is not the day to push it. Without the risk takers we would still be living in caves! Now here's a bunch of fuck'in misfits that I think are absolutely nuts. But God love em there doing what they love to do!!

Everybody is right on this one IMHO.

On one hand, yes they're doing what they love and managing their own risks. Constitutional right to be up for the Darwin Award if that's what they want, American Freedoms, to each his own, etc. etc. ad nauseam.

On the other hand... we live in a different world today, and the mistakes or poor judgement of any one person can negatively affect everyone else.

What if I take off drunk, or on prescription painkillers, or ego-strokin' on some Jackass type TV show, and manage to accidentally fly into a crowd? Yeah I'm doing what I love and taking risks that are mine to take, and wrapping myself in the US flag of freedom... and each and every one of my fellow pilots might lose their ability to fly a private airplane forever.

It's not cut and dried either way, is my point.

On the technical nuts and bolts side... those guys are friggin' idiots and need to be smacked upside their bone-headed selves. Nobody needs to die doing that kind of stunt, a relatively simple technology boost would solve most of the problem. If you are going to skim over rocks like that, you need more lift and maneuverability on demand. They need to figure out how to have more aspect ratio, or a better airfoil, which would allow them to "pull" away from the terrain. Flying in a deep stall with no aspect ratio and no airfoil is like "cage-free" shark diving with a bleeding leg. You'll get away with it a few times... but ~

The "jetman" Yves Rossi has the right idea. He has a small wing, which allows him to have some measure of control that alters the flight path. Mr. Rossi also is not relying on his arms for wing spars either, which is the key to having some aspect ratio and lifting ability. Wingsuits are supposed to be less complex than an all-carbon jet powered wing of course... BUT... a simple "swing wing" pivot mounted to the wingsuit, with two 3 foot carbon tubes that swing out forming the spar and leading edge (like an early single surface hang glider) would make a huge improvement in lift on demand, and still be foot-launchable.

The added benefit of this type of "wing" would be that wingsuit flyers could go further, probably faster, and do more "death-defying stunts" with the Grim Reaper a little further away.

.......with the Grim Reaper a little further away.

EXTREME extreme sports is all about HIGH risk.....
And the production of videos which demonstrate just exactly how high the risk is/was.
If you remove some of the risk by giving more control (which they will),
Then they will compensate by finding a site where that element of more control is absolutely necessary.
There is (apparently) a need to feel the wind from the Grim Reaper's Scythe.

I do believe the sponsorships, the fame/notoriety appeal, and the chicks that dig this shit-all share in the blame....
lc

EZFlap wrote:The "jetman" Yves Rossi has the right idea. He has a small wing, which allows him to have some measure of control that alters the flight path. Mr. Rossi also is not relying on his arms for wing spars either, which is the key to having some aspect ratio and lifting ability.

He also does his work 2,000 ft above the nearest obstacle instead of 2 ft.

You know, we can all say what we want, and how we feel... the bottom line is that this sort of thing will continue, as long as there are participants pushing the limits, viewers willing to plunk down the Pay-Per-View fees to watch, and production companies/ corporate sponsors who are willing to bankroll the whole op.

It's the name of the game... from wing suiters like Corliss and Sutton to Jetman, Felix (the guy who parachuted from the troposphere), all the way down to those yahoos from Sandy who think they're Gold Miners...

Viewers, ratings and credibility in the community... it's like crack cocaine to these types.

rw2 wrote:
He also does his work 2,000 ft above the nearest obstacle instead of 2 ft.

Yes this is true of course. But whether or not Rossi gives himself more terrain clearance than the wingsuiters, Rossi's wing probably has much more controllability, and more ability to instantly get away from the terrain.

Myself, and many many others here, have flown a few feet above rocky terrain in airplanes. When I pull back on the yoke, the wing's lift pulls me away from the terrain almost instantly. Imagine if the wingspan of my Brand C airplane were one-third of what it is now, and I was flying along in a mostly stalled condition. If I pulled back on the yoke, the airplane would not lift away from the terrain nearly as fast, or perhaps not at all.

That is the same general situation as the wingsuits are in. They can maneuver and "pull up", but not fast enough to scoot over a rock outcropping or a bridge cable at the last .05 second.

LC, I agree that these guys have a right to do extreme sports, but there's no reason to be un-intelligent about it. Risk yes, careless no. The Media Vermin, the sponsors, and the boobs will all still be there whether the sport is 75% unsafe or Darwin-unsafe. The cameras and the boobs showed up for Wallenda's tightrope walk... and I guarantee you Wallenda used the best and most effective balance bar he could get.

Cary wrote:Flying is risky. Backcountry flying is riskier. Wingsuit flying and jetpack flying are just plain dumb. IMHO.

Cary

Yeah, that's my take on it. While everyone has a different tolerance for risk, there comes a point where you start toying with death in a manner that virtually guarantees that it will find you prematurely... like flying a wingsuit, minus a parachute, for example.

I've known a few base jumpers, and used to rock climb a lot in college. There are people who do these sports that will probably live to old age, because they're cautious and thoughtful in their actions. Obviously there's still the risk that things won't go right, just like in flying, but most will manage to survive.

Still, then there are those few crazy folks who EVERYONE knows are dancing with death... they often raise the bar for everyone else, but no one is really surprised when they end up dying in a catastrophic and spectacular manner. I was once at a climbing event back in college and saw a guy getting drunk and stoned around the campfire. He then decided it would be a great idea to go free-solo (climb without ropes) a 5.12d sport route (very hard). He did this at 2 am via the light of a headlamp, and did survive (that time). I never knew the guy, and didn't get his name that time. If he's still alive today, 13 years later, I'd be very surprised. You can only push your luck so many times.

When you go to a casino and gamble you bet what you are willing to loose, some are willing to loose it all. The odds are better in the casino, and there's less mess to clean up. RIP to the man that lost.

Another base jumping veteran passes away near Arco, Italy this past weekend...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/21/sports/mario-richard-base-jumper-and-sky-diver-dies-at-47.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

Actually, four others as well, just in the last week:

http://www.blincmagazine.com/forum/wiki ... ality_List

Holy cow. That is a sobering list of 214 names, and a whole pile just within the past few weeks.

Gravity can be a real bitch.