Raise the Sky conceived and organized Project XRW. The launch of Project XRW, or “Extreme Relative Work”, marks the first time that a parachutist has surfed on the back of a wingsuit skydiver who is still in freefall. Advances in technology and skill allowed the wingsuit skydiver in freefall to match the slower vertical speed of the parachutist for more than 20 seconds. The wingsuit skydiver opened his own parachute before landing.
The stunt was organized by Raise the Sky (www.raisethesky.org) to mark the 10th anniversary of Operation Freefall ® (www.operationfreefall.com), a national sexual assault prevention campaign. Skydive Moab (www.skydivemoab.com) was chosen as a location for its stunning scenery of red rock canyons.
Miss Nevada, Christina Keegan, joined world champion canopy pilot Jonathan Tagle and wingsuit flyer Jeff Nebelkopf. Keegan is a survivor of sexual assault, and has used her platform to publicly speak out. She did her very first tandem skydive – wearing her Miss Nevada crown – and enjoyed it so much she went a second time.
Here is what happens when combining an 88 sq ft canopy with a large wingsuit. This is one of those videos that will provide an invaluable learning lesson for a long time.
Check out Alex' footage of an entire canopy being sucked into the burble at pull time.
Jump with very large wingsuit and small high performance canopy (non crossbraced) with short line trim. Pilot chute pulls canopy out of the bag, pilot chute collapses. Canopy then gets sucked into the burble of the wingsuit and does not catch air, bounces around on the back of the pilot. Pilot makes body movements, canopy catches air and inflates properly. Landing without any issues. Pilot is a very experienced skydiver, wingsuit flier and base jumper.
Many questions come to mind when watching this.
How well does a main canopy open after dancing around inside a burble for a while?
How much does line length influence the opening?
Could cutting away leave you with a canopy lingering inside the burble?
How well will the reserve open, if of similar small size?
And how much altitude will be lost in the process?
Just a few things worth pondering. Enjoy the video, and keep it in mind when you consider your canopy choice for wingsuit jumps.
For additional discussion on the topic, also check out the related dropzone.com thread.
Wingsuit in Alps - August 2010