I can hardly believe this video clip. It purports to show a wingsuit jumper 'flying' through a natural arch of rock - but the angle is so steep, the opening so small, and the clearances so very, very tight, that I have difficulty believing it. It's possible, I suppose, but everything would have had to go absolutely perfectly, with no errors, a complete absence of tricky wind conditions, etc. Also, the video doesn't show the flyer's perspective fully - it cuts back and forth between shots from different angles.
Watch it for yourself, and see what you think. I recommend full-screen mode.
What do you say, readers? Real, or fake?
Peter
6 comments:
I think it's real.
I've seen other videos where wingsuit jumpers have achieved amazing accuracy, and, yeah, they're that crazy.
The person is a known wingsuit expert.
Finally, the press believes him, (3news.co.nz and Huffpo).
I agree. I'd love to see an uncut headcam vid.
Us parachutists in the 70's used to be accused of having a 'death wish'.
Now THAT guy has a death wish...
Cap'n Jan
Real!
I'm willing to believe it. Certainly, it would require a high degree of skill (and a certain willingness to plow face first into a mountain...)
Real - the hole looks a lot bigger in the final shots than the initial impression would give, and the continuous helmet cam looks pretty authentic. These guys are good. One crazed flyer has already landed in a pile of cardboard boxes without injury. I expect one of these wingsuit pilots to strap on a skateboard and actually land on a runway before too long. The glide ratio and control looks better than some of the early hang-gliders - just a lot higher airspeed.
I'm willing to call it real. Back in the seventies and eighties we were doing things in freefall and under canopy that earlier jumpers thought were crazy or impossible. Wing suit flying has developed much further than I would have expected, but the things they are doing appear to be real.
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