Archive for September, 2010

Today was the beginning of the next phase of the XRW Project, to be held this week at Skydive Elsinore. After some challenging warm up jumps yesterday, we managed to get all three Velocity 71′s flying at the same speed and same glide slope… essential for a solid base for the wingsuiters to fly with. Jessica Edgeington lead the 3-way staggered formation. Ian Bobo flew on her left wing and I flew the video slot off of Bobo.

Once we were set up, it didn’t take but a few seconds for the wingsuiters to converge on the formation. Taya came in to fly with Jessica and Jeff Nebelkopf was flying with Bobo. The goal for today was just to get everyone flying relatively close and begin taking docks. Bobo and Jeff wound up in the surf style configuration on the first jump this morning. It was impressive to see it from the outside perspective. Amazing flying by both pilots.

Jump after jump the setups got better and faster, allowing for more working time on the jumps. Each jump brought new information and learning. What a great group to work with. Each person brought new insight from a different perspective, allowing us to share our experiences in a positive environment.

One of the most interesting things I heard today came from Bobo. “It’s like as your flying together your only focus is the relativity… making small inputs and adjustments to close the gap. But once you’re docked, you really feel how surreal it is to be flying with someone who’s in freefall.”

It was a great start to what looks to be a fun week with lots of talented pilots coming together in one unified goal… To fly relative to each other regardless of the vehicles of choice. Looking forward to what tomorrow brings.