Super Jump 2006
The current record for a freefall drop is by Joseph Kittinger, who jumped from 102,800 feet - a drop that exceeded the speed of sound and lasted only 4.5 minutes.
Now there is going to be an attempt at the record - later this year - by Michel Fournier in the Super Jump of 2006.
In August 2006 an extraordinary project will bind France, Canada and a single man for an historic supersonic free fall. Michel Fournier will drop out of the stratosphere from an altitude from about 130,000 feet (40 kilometers, nearly 25 miles) above the plains of Saskatchewan, Canada, and will contribute to the development of future technologies and the safety of stratospheric flight.So now I want to know - who can build a Wingsuit that can fly at the speed of sound?
Better still - what are the current technological limits governing drop height and wingsuits? The current estimates for Military Skyflying is about 120 miles - but what would be the drop height for this?
In my estimatation a drop from 130,000 feet will give roughly 80 miles (based on the Baumgartner drop) - yet the Military are claiming up to 120 miles - do military wingsuits have a higher lift ratio than commercially available wingsuits or will the military drop from a greater height?
But I like to look forward and ask crazy questions:
With the development of Wingsuits, rocket powered propulsions systems that increase the h/v ratio, and higher and higher drop sites - who will be the first SkyFlyer to cross the Atlantic using a Wingsuit?
Crazy?
Maybe - but then it was once deemed crazy to even attempt to fly across the Atlantic - and now large jets do it daily.
Tags: skyflying, free fall, wingsuits, kittinger, fournier, baumgartner, super drop