Human glider flies through hole in the side of mountain

[bearcat241]

Now if i could just fit something equal to this into a nice vacation trip...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...ies-through-hole-in-the-side-of-mountain.html

 

[kludger]

Thanks amazing.

That Jeb Corliss guy is either brave or crazy or both.

The video that really amazed me and made me cringe was his earlier one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWfph3iNC-k

If that was a flight simulator I would be worried about pulling up or adding power, of course these guys can't add power or pull up.

Another amazing/cringe at what they do, very skilled/brave/crazy human gliders:
http://youtu.be/oaMTSOI1Zk4

 

[demorier]

We saw the first one about a week ago, thanks for posting second clip, what a blast...but WHOE...watch out for those ski lift cables !!!

 

[luckydog]

Don't need to add power...........pulling up is no sweat. The fabric between his feet is the "elevator/horizontal stabilizer". All you need to do is bend your knees up ever so slightly and up you go. A 1 to 2" depression of your hands controls your direction. The danger is in "over-steering".

"If that was a flight simulator I would be worried about pulling up or adding power, of course these guys can't add power or pull up."

 

[kludger]

Don't need to add power...........pulling up is no sweat. The fabric between his feet is the "elevator/horizontal stabilizer". All you need to do is bend your knees up ever so slightly and up you go. A 1 to 2" depression of your hands controls your direction. The danger is in "over-steering".

Don't they lose most of their forward speed if they pull up though? Is it actual lift or just reduction in loss of altitude?

From the side views in that second video it seemed like it is a controlled fall more than a glide... there's a couple of shots in that second video where I thought the guy was going to run out of speed/lift to clear the upcoming terrain, but maybe that was a camera angle or me not understanding how much lift they actually have.

 

[aeromed202]

Wonder if he had to change his drawers after that one? Maybe pulling up is no sweat but air speed must drop dramatically because of the low inertial mass. Like a friend years ago who flew GA to and from wilderness camps and decided to take up an offer to try an ultralight, a real light one. So he has a blast putting around a few hundred feet up then comes down to land. Only he thinks airplane and flares which was which was kind of like the dog chasing Foghorn Leghorn until the leash runs out. All of a sudden the wind on his face disappears and he plops down hard banging up his friends delicate machine. Great vids, thanks.

 

[TARPSBird]

I admire this guy for having the cojones to go zooming around in his flying squirrel suit. I just hope he doesn't end up as a clean-up job for a pressure-washer crew, or being dug out of an impact crater.