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Franz Reichelt (1878–1912) -

The word's first wingsuiter was the hapless Franz Reichelt. An Austro-Hungarian-born parachuting pioneer, Reichelt decided one day to go one better and design a suit for aviators that would convert to a parachute should the need ever arise to bail out of an aircraft.

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The "flying tailor" falls -

To test his parachute suit, the "flying tailor" opted to jump off the Eiffel Tower strapped to his invention. He did so on February 4, 1912, and fell to his death, plummeting 57 m (187 ft) to the ground after his "suit" failed to deploy. His demise made the front page of Le Petit Parisien (pictured) and other European newspapers.

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Clem Sohn (1910–1937) -

Reichelt may have fallen flat on his face, but his idea caught the imagination of others. American air show daredevil Clem Sohn was known as "The Batman" for his gliding stunts using a homemade wingsuit, but performed wearing a parachute. Unfortunately during a show in Vincennes, France, his chute also malfunctioned, and he plunged to his death.

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Léon Valentin (1919–1956) -

French adventurer Léon Valentin is considered the most famous "birdman" of all time. He certainly lived longer than most of his contemporaries. He, too, attempted to fly, first using a set of canvas wings, then, later, a pair supported by rigid slats. On May 21, 1956, during an air show in Liverpool, Valentin's wings gave up on him, as did his parachute. He died instantly upon hitting the ground.

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Patrick de Gayardon (1960–1998) -

Few took to the air wearing batwings after Valentin's abortive attempt, an exception being Italian-American airman and parachutist John Carta. But in the mid-1990s, French skydiver Patrick de Gayardon (pictured), inspired by Carta's batwing experiments, developed the first modern wingsuit. While testing his in Hawaii in 1998, de Gayardon fell to his death. The following year, Jari Kuosma of Finland and Robert Pečnik of Croatia teamed up to create a wingsuit that was safe and accessible to all skydivers. The commercial era of the wingsuit was finally airborne.

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What is a wingsuit? -

A wingsuit is made from a sturdy ripstop nylon fabric with additional fabric sewn under the arms and between the legs to create a larger surface area.

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Wingsuit flying -

The exact specifications of a wingsuit launch depend on whether it is a skydive from an aircraft, or a BASE jump from a fixed object. When exiting a plane, the user will immediately begin to fly as their velocity is maintained.

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A vertical descent -

From other ground-based locations, however, a vertical descent is required to gain speed before the glide.

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Wingsuit range -

According to FlightNotch, with a glide ratio of 2.5: to 3.0:1 and an altitude decrease of 3,048 m (10,000 ft) during a dive, a wingsuit can fly around 7,620 to 9,144 m (25,000 to 30,000 ft) horizontally, or roughly 8.5 km (5 mi).

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In-flight times -

At normal wingsuit diving speeds, this will lead to an in-flight time of roughly two to three minutes before pulling the parachute.

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How fast do wingsuits fly? -

How fast do wingsuits fly? In some cases, as fast as you can blink. Wingsuit flyers have been known to attain speeds in excess of 321 km/h (200 mph).

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Determining velocity -

But the speed a pilot can reach is not only affected by the wingsuit itself. Other factors such as wind conditions, body position, and experience level will also determine velocity.

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Fastest wingsuit flight -

In 2017, British wingsuit pilot Fraser Corsan set a world record for the fastest speed reached in a wingsuit, an unbelievable 396 km/h (246 mph).

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Furthest wingsuit flight -

According to Guinness World Records, as of 2022 the greatest absolute distance flown in a wingsuit is 32 km (19 mi), set by American Kyle Lobpries in Davis, California, on May 30, 2016.

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Highest altitude wingsuit jump -

The highest altitude wingsuit jump so far recorded is that achieved by James Petrolia above Davis, California, on November 11, 2015. He jumped from an aircraft at 11,407 m (37,425 ft).

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Highest wingsuit BASE jump -

Russian Valery Rozov posthumously holds the record for the highest wingsuit BASE jump in the world. In 2016 he leapt off Cho Oyu in Tibet at an altitude of 7,700 m (25,300 ft). Sadly, Valery Rozov died in an accident the following year in Nepal.

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Largest wingsuit formation -

History was made on October 17, 2015, when 61 wingsuit pilots set the current Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) wingsuit formation world record over Perris Valley Airport near Perris, California.

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Craziest wingsuit stunt ever -

French wingsuit jumpers Frédéric Fugen and Vince Reffet were members of the professional wingsuit flying team the Soul Flyers.

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Entering a plane in full flight! -

The pair—triple world champions in freefly skydiving—were celebrated throughout the wingsuit community for their crazy and highly dangerous stunts, for example entering a plane in full flight.

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Climb aboard -

This awesome feat took place in October 2017 when after jumping off the Jungfrau in Lauterbach, Switzerland, both men caught up with the aircraft, a Pilatus PC-6 Porter, and climbed in. While Fugen is still working with the Soul Flyers team, Vince Reffet sadly died in a training accident in Dubai in 2020.

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Flying without a parachute? -

Ordinarily you cannot land a wingsuit jump without a parachute. You're traveling at speeds far too fast to survive the impact. Except, in 2012, one man did exactly that—Gary Connery, seen here testing his wingsuit in Florida before this death-defying accomplishment.

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Landing into the record books -

Connery, a professional Hollywood stuntman, became the first wingsuiter in the world to land without the aid of a parachute after performing a 914 m (3,000 ft) BASE jump and navigating his way onto 24,000 cardboard boxes arranged to cushion his fall, set in a field near his hometown of Henley-on-Thames in England. He was wearing a revolutionary wingsuit, which lessened the forces of gravity as he he descended, but requiring of him to land at an optimal angle to the boxes as he approached at speeds in excess of 144 km/h (90 mph). He's seen bottom left of the photograph during final approach.

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Wingsuit competitions -

The FAI organize several wingsuit competitions, events that include the European Wingsuit Flying Championship and the World Cup of Wingsuit Flying. These events bring together the finest and most experienced exponents of this truly awesome extreme sport. Pictured is a competitor demolishing a bullseye target mid-air during the 8th World Wingsuit Championship at Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, China, in 2019.

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Join the club -

Numerous private clubs based around the globe have been established on the back of the wingsuit phenomenon. Here, a pilot back-flies in a wingsuit over Dubai.

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Aerial view -

Members of Red Bull Air Force, a team assembled from the most accomplished and experienced aviation experts on the planet, fly above the Freedom Tower during a wingsuit flight over Manhattan.

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Favorite wingsuit locations -

Wingsuit flying takes devotees to some of the most dramatic locations in the world, places like Acro Trentino, located in the South Tyrol region of Italy, and Chamonix in France's Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

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Scenic destinations -

The Gorges de la Bourne in Vercors Regional Natural Park in France is one of Europe's most scenic wingsuit flying destinations.

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Jumping beyond Europe -

Beyond Europe, destinations like the Grand Canyon in the United States and Byron Bay in Australia have helped put wingsuit flying on the extreme sports map. But what next for this adrenaline-fueled pastime?

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The electrified wingsuit -

Well believe it or not, BMW have created the world's first electrified wingsuit that can reach speeds of up to 299 km/h (186 mph) in the air. The innovative concept is a joint effort between BMW, Designworks, and professional skydiver and BASE jumper Peter Salzmann, who recently tested the suit in Austria.

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The sky's the limit -

The project, officially called Electrified Wingsuit by BMW i, was triggered by Salzmann's aspiration to raise wingsuit sport to a new level and think of ways to improve performance in the air.

Sources: (Sportsmatik) (FlightNotch) (Guinness World Records) (FAI) (Soul Flyers)

See also: The most hazardous leisure pursuits in the world

© NL Beeld