How To Get into Wingsuiting

It’s not hard to get psyched up about the idea of wingsuit flying, especially when those viral videos make it look so incredibly cool, fun, and exciting. 

Wingsuiting is an advanced discipline in skydiving that requires intense training and dedication, but it’s not impossible! All you need is some time, determination, and guts! 

How fast do wingsuit flyers go? What does it feel like to fly? How do you land in a wingsuit?? If you’re sizing up the idea of going from wingsuit zero to wingsuit hero, keep reading to answer these questions and more. 

What Is Wingsuit Flying?

A wing of fabric spreads taut from wrist to hip and from foot to foot … a body soars through the sky, carving between caverns of puffy white clouds … this is wingsuiting. Sometimes called squirrel suit flying by non-skydivers, it’s the closest a human can get to being a bird. From solo flights of fancy to forming “flocks” and formations with fellow wingsuiters, even careening off cliffs through hills and mountain valleys, this burgeoning discipline offers a lot. But exactly what is wingsuiting? 

Wingsuits use principles similar to those of every other human-made airfoil, from fighter planes to paragliders. A wingsuit is, at its heart, an airfoil, or wing, built around a person. After inflating upon exit from the airplane (or cliff), the wingsuit becomes rigid around the person wearing it and generates lift. This slows the fall rate of the jumper considerably, giving them more time and immense maneuverability. Basically, they become a human glider! 

And, just like planes and paragliders, the pilot needs to learn how to fly it. But it’s not as easy as it might look to control one of these babies. You’ll need loads of experience, solid gear, and great instruction to earn your wings.

Requirements to Start Wingsuit Training

How hard is it to get into wingsuiting? Becoming a wingsuit flyer is one of the most exciting aspects of skydiving, but, like all things, it takes patience and time in the sport. Flying in a wingsuit is what attracts many people to skydiving … but can anyone go wingsuiting? Not without some prerequisites. 

Step 1: Learn How to Skydive – It would be awfully hard to learn how to fly in an advanced discipline without ever having jumped out of an airplane. Take the time to perfect the basics before moving on to something more difficult. In fact, you MUST have a skydiving license to start wingsuiting.

Step 2: Make 200 jumps Within 18 Months – This is a minimum recommendation from the United States Parachute Association (USPA). More experience is always better!

Step 3: Enroll in a Wingsuit First Jump Course – Just like learning to skydive in the first place, there’s a ton of training that happens on the ground before getting in the air. Build confidence by knowing your stuff before you jump!

Step 4: Rent Wingsuiting Gear Before Purchasing – There’s an almost endless supply of choices when it comes to wingsuit shape, size, and style. Before investing in an expensive piece of gear, make sure you know what you like by renting options first.

Step 5: Hire a Wingsuit Coach – Learning never ends in skydiving! There’s always more to know, and always someone who can teach it to you. Lean on the experience of others to streamline your path to becoming a skilled wingsuit pilot.

This progression doesn’t exist just to make new wingsuiters “pay their dues” – it’s a matter of risk mitigation and cultivating a safety-conscious culture. Trust us when we say it’s worth it in the long run! 

How Long Does It Take to Become a Wingsuiter?

Becoming a wingsuiter isn’t something you want to rush. Between compiling enough jumps to qualify, completing the first jump course, selecting your gear, and working with a coach to perfect your skills, wingsuiting isn’t for the commitment-averse. 

Learning to skydive on its own can take two to four months (or longer!) depending on weather and budget, and logging 200 jumps takes a minimum of six to 18 months. For some people, it takes years. And all of this is just what’s required before you can strap on the wings. Patience and persistence are required to do this right. 

Signing up for a well-administered first wingsuit jump course (FWJC) at the proper time in your skydiving career isn’t just smart from the perspective of safety. It will also ensure that you aren’t overburdened with newbie concerns when you make that jump, which will significantly improve your relationship with the challenge presented by the wingsuit. Taking this process step by step is vital, and we can be with you from the very beginning of your journey.

Costs of Learning to Wingsuit

Now you know the time investment, the next logical question is: how much does it cost to start wingsuiting? This will, of course, vary depending on where you learn to skydive and log your jumps, whether you purchase or rent your gear along the way, and where you learn to wingsuit. All in, you’re looking at $17,500 to about $27,500, likely spread across over two or three years. The good news? Once you have the knowledge, skills, competence, and credentials, you can jump into far-flung and breathtakingly beautiful locations all over the world. Priceless!

Your First Wingsuit Flight: What to Expect

Wingsuit vs regular skydiving: what’s different? Well, glide for starters! A “regular” skydiver basically falls straight down a vertical column of air, with minor movement based on their body position. Wingsuiters, on the other hand, can glide for miles horizontally within the duration of their jump. 

Speed is another big difference between the two types of jumps. Normal skydivers fall at an average rate of 120 mph vertically. How fast can you go in a wingsuit? Vertical speed is cut dramatically by the lift generated by the suit, but horizontal speeds can reach up to 200 mph and higher! The one similarity between normal skydiving and wingsuiting – the parachute ride and landing are the same. 

Your first wingsuit jump is going to feel overwhelming, even if you’re a highly experienced skydiver already. A new suit, new sensations, new emergency procedures, and a completely new type of flight mean that your brain will be working overtime to process it all. But on the flip side, you’ll experience extreme liberation. Gliding through the sky farther and longer than you ever have will open a whole new world. 

Having said that, don’t get ahead of yourself! Some pro tips for beginners include:

• Rent before buying your first wingsuit
• Start with beginner (low-performance) suits
• Continue wingsuit coaching for faster skill development
• Stay humble — every wingsuiter was a beginner once!
• Be aware of the increased need for awareness and discipline

How WNY Skydiving Can Help You Achieve Your Wingsuit Dreams

At WNY Skydiving, we have our very own WNY Wingsuit Academy to help you learn to fly in a beginner-friendly environment with highly-experienced instructors and state-of-the-art rental gear. Ready to soar like an eagle? Reach out to WNY Skydiving today!