Wingsuit Landing Without Parachute
May 23, 2012 10:00 AM   Subscribe

First (successful) Wingsuit Landing without a parachute. Stuntman Gary Connery lands his Wingsuit into a pile of cardboard boxes without deploying a parachute -- and walks away unharmed! (All of the boxes didn't fare quite as well). Him! Him! .........
posted by Dean358 (59 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Opps. Please forgive the typo in the subject line. (Mods?)
posted by Dean358 at 10:02 AM on May 23, 2012


That is one odd video.
posted by R. Mutt at 10:05 AM on May 23, 2012


That is a lot of boxes.
posted by hellojed at 10:08 AM on May 23, 2012


We're running out of survivable stunts.
posted by Carmody'sPrize at 10:10 AM on May 23, 2012 [3 favorites]


Naw, keep the 'fist'. It's waaaay funnier.
posted by ZaneJ. at 10:10 AM on May 23, 2012


But isn't that wingsuit basically a small parachute?
posted by crunchland at 10:11 AM on May 23, 2012


He should strap the boxes to his suit so that he could land anywhere.
posted by bondcliff at 10:11 AM on May 23, 2012 [22 favorites]


Who is this mysterious dangerman Fist Wingsuit? Will he return?
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:12 AM on May 23, 2012 [6 favorites]


You call that a landing?
posted by McSly at 10:14 AM on May 23, 2012 [2 favorites]


Ok, lots of questions about whether he was lucky or clever. How likely is it that you can hit cardboard at that speed without serious paper-cuts (like losing your head)? Did he tuck and roll like a cannonball at the last minute? Were the boxes full of packing peanuts?
posted by TreeRooster at 10:15 AM on May 23, 2012


I was expecting some kind of cartoon physics.
posted by 2bucksplus at 10:16 AM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


Maybe he could make a hybrid with this roller suit and land anywhere.
posted by backseatpilot at 10:16 AM on May 23, 2012 [4 favorites]


And thus we add to the pantheon of names:

Big McLargehuge
Crunch Buttsteak
Fist Wingsuit
Blast Hardcheese

Fits right in, doesn't it?
posted by mosk at 10:16 AM on May 23, 2012 [7 favorites]


Naw, keep the 'fist'. It's waaaay funnier.

...Rule 34...
posted by LordSludge at 10:17 AM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


Mod note: Now with less fisting.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:18 AM on May 23, 2012 [10 favorites]


Little known fact: this man has bollocks so big they needed their own wingsuit.
posted by MuffinMan at 10:24 AM on May 23, 2012 [2 favorites]


But isn't that wingsuit basically a small parachute?

Nope. A Wingsuit gives you about a 2 to1 glide ratio, but you still have a vertical decent rate of about 70 - 80 MPH. The decent rate of a typical ram air parachute is around 1,000 feet per minute in still air.
posted by Dean358 at 10:24 AM on May 23, 2012


[Now with less fisting.]

tnx sir.
posted by Dean358 at 10:25 AM on May 23, 2012


I understand *how*, but I do not understand *why*.

Aren't daredevil stunts supposed to pose a risk of grave bodily injury or death if something goes wrong -- if the stuntman's skill or nerve fails him? This seems closer to Russian roulette than one of Evil Knievel's jumps.
posted by eugenen at 10:29 AM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


I am wondering whether any lift could be designed into one of these . . .then, one could theoretically brake to the extent of lifting, and (probably after a couple of others' deaths trying it) land on one's feet.
posted by Danf at 10:33 AM on May 23, 2012


I am wondering whether any lift could be designed into one of these

Seems like there would be a point where it stops being a wingsuit and becomes a hang glider, at which point it stops being impressive.
posted by bondcliff at 10:34 AM on May 23, 2012


I would say this is less of a way to successfully land a wingsuit as it is a way to crash a wingsuit in a non-lethal manner.
posted by Mitrovarr at 10:35 AM on May 23, 2012 [6 favorites]


Pfft. Michael Palin did this with neither wingsuit nor pile of boxes. Nothing but gravity and a bale of hay outside Basingstoke.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:37 AM on May 23, 2012 [3 favorites]


I'll be damned. I really thought Corliss would do it first, been waiting years to see it, but he's on the mend right now from a nasty accident (previously).
He's being classy about it on FB:
I am amazed to say the least :) He did it. Gary Connery landed the wing-suit http://bit.ly/wingsuitlanding and he did it in the most amazing way possible and without a scratch :) I still can't believe what I saw.
I bet he finds a way to top it as soon as he's jumping again. He'll use a kiddie pool full of Jell-O or something.
Not to detract from Mr. Connery - He's the first, and that's amazing, and bravo bravo.
I do think it'll be like the 4-minute mile though; now that it's done it's going to change everything.
posted by hypersloth at 10:42 AM on May 23, 2012


I gotta say, I expected the pile of boxes to be smaller.
posted by zombieApoc at 10:44 AM on May 23, 2012 [6 favorites]


this man has bollocks so big they needed their own wingsuit.

That's a canard.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:49 AM on May 23, 2012 [13 favorites]


I was hoping that he would burst from the side of the boxes and yell "Oh Yeah!" like the Kool-Aid Man.
posted by JDC8 at 10:50 AM on May 23, 2012 [10 favorites]


Maybe he could make a hybrid with this roller suit and land anywhere.

Except on a conveyor belt ...
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:52 AM on May 23, 2012 [3 favorites]


Nope. A Wingsuit gives you about a 2 to1 glide ratio, but you still have a vertical decent rate of about 70 - 80 MPH. The decent rate of a typical ram air parachute is around 1,000 feet per minute in still air.

Yes, but versus 120 mph expected in true free-fall. Wikipedia claims that there have been other surviving tangled-parachute and wingsuit crashes (as well as true free-fall), though not without injury.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 10:54 AM on May 23, 2012


In related news, RyanAir has announced that effective immediately, they will be eliminating landings for their jet fleet and providing customers with wingsuits for what they are calling "rapid priority deplaning", and reducing ticket prices to only £2.75 round-trip anywhere in the UK and Ireland. £1.50 if you fly on one of their planes that has no seats.
posted by briank at 10:58 AM on May 23, 2012 [4 favorites]


LESSON: AIM FOR THE CARDBOARD BOXES, PEOPLE.
posted by jimmythefish at 11:00 AM on May 23, 2012


That was nowhere near a 70 mph vertical descent rate. The glide ratio is more like 2.5 to 1, and the slight flare at the end slowed his descent even more. I'd guess his vertical fall rate was significantly less than 30 mph.
posted by aturoff at 11:03 AM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


Why not land on a giant airbag? You can't recycle cardboard if it's smeared with excrement. Believe me, I've tried.
posted by orme at 11:04 AM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


This guy achieves level flight for 30 seconds using jet packs.
posted by LordSludge at 11:05 AM on May 23, 2012


OMFG YES! My 13 year long beer infused bet that somebody could glide to a landing like Rocky is nigh at hand! Bossman better start saving up change for that beer.
posted by zengargoyle at 11:08 AM on May 23, 2012


I don't understand why the force of the air beneath the suit's hip-to-shoulder "wings" doesn't just immediately dislocate both your shoulders and plunge you into a fluttering death-dive. Are the suits somehow rigidly reinforced? They must be, right?

All that said, I still want to jump out of a plane wearing one of these someday.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 11:15 AM on May 23, 2012


On my monitor, there is a distinct halo around his figure when he is against the blue background of the sky. Is this a known phenomenon with either the monitor software or the rendering? My first thought was "I wonder if it's CGIed."
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:49 AM on May 23, 2012


and walks away unharmed!

Spoilers!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:02 PM on May 23, 2012


Mother, did it have to be so high?
posted by hal9k at 12:06 PM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


This has got Super Dave Osbourne written all over it.
posted by hal9k at 12:08 PM on May 23, 2012 [2 favorites]


and walks away unharmed!

Cool concept but this was only Phase 1. In Phase 2 he emerged (a week late) mistakenly delivered to an abandoned house in Encino.

Both Amazon and UPS deny comment.
posted by hal9k at 12:13 PM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


[.....] This small space is dedicated to the support crew who erected and neatly stacked 10,000 cardboard boxes in a rain-prone British field - and who are now packing them away again. They are also heroes in my book.
posted by rongorongo at 12:13 PM on May 23, 2012


Pfft... they should have done this on 26 December.
posted by crunchland at 12:45 PM on May 23, 2012 [2 favorites]


I watched it and came away with "why?" Now if they turn it into a race of sorts, multiple people racing to be the first down, with betting, then we will have something. So, if this lays the ground work for that then kudos. Otherwise, congrats on the stunt.
posted by a3matrix at 12:58 PM on May 23, 2012


Mental Wimp: that's likely a compression artifact, since the edge between the edge of the flying figure and the background sky has a lot of contrast.
posted by Mars Saxman at 1:09 PM on May 23, 2012


Land on a snowboard and ride out. Life imitates SSX.
posted by LordSludge at 1:10 PM on May 23, 2012


Here are some links for more info about Wingsuits: Birdman is one of the first manufacturers of Wingsuits. Their site has great info, pics and a video of testing flight characteristics in a wind tunnel. Tony Suits is a jumpsuit manufacturer that branched out into Wingsuits. They're quite popular in the USA. And the Wingsuit Forum on Dropzone.com (free registration required) is full of good info.
posted by Dean358 at 1:11 PM on May 23, 2012


Nice "stunt".

He died on impact. The man they interviewed after impact isn't the same guy that made the landing.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 1:32 PM on May 23, 2012 [3 favorites]


Now that I've watched the video I just want to know what the hell was going through his mind as he approached the boxes. He certainly must have been thinking "God, I hope I don't die" as well as "I bet even if I don't die this is gonna really hurt."

This reminds me of those free climbers who climb giant cliffs without any ropes. How can anyone be so confident that they're not going to make a mistake? I mean, I can write my name pretty well but every now and then the pen slips and I have to start over.
posted by bondcliff at 1:37 PM on May 23, 2012


How likely is it that you can hit cardboard at that speed without serious paper-cuts (like losing your head)?

I can answer this one from direct experience being an idiot with access to too many boxes and a large industrial building and a proclivity for jumping off of things.

Corrugated cardboard boxes aren't very sharp. You can't really get a paper cut from them, especially when they're folded into boxes since all the edges are pointed inwards.

Corrugated boxes are also basically designed to deform and absorb shock, which is why they're used for shipping and packaging.

As such they've been used as cheap crash pads for motor vehicle and free-falling stupid human tricks for a while. Jackie Chan uses them in a few movies, for example. People have done "high falls" that would probably be greater vertical velocities than this into piles of empty boxes.

The direct experience part is this:

My brother and I used to get bored at my dad's screen printing shop in a big concrete tilt-up style industrial building and we'd jump from the roofs of the built in offices or the mezzanine into piles of empty left over boxes, or into this really huge cardboard tub full of rejected t-shirts that we kept around to use as rags for cleanup.

As long as you don't directly land on a corner of a folded box it was usually thrilling but painless, so you learned to not do that. They'll absorb your impact just fine from 15-20 feet in the air, and you can basically keep re-doing it until the boxes are too thrashed and soft to absorb the shock.


For this landing, he's wearing a full face helmet and a full body suit made out of high denier nylon, effectively armoring him against paper cuts or friction burns. Even at 80+ MPH, with that many hollow boxes beneath him it's going to be less of a direct impact than jumping into water from a high bridge or cliff.

They probably didn't tape the boxes, or only taped them lightly so they'd burst apart, dissipating even more energy. They also used large boxes. Smaller boxes of the same wall thickness wouldn't deform as much.

They also intentionally left a lot of gaps in the pile so the pile wouldn't be so rigid. It would need to have room to distort. If you taped up every box as though you were going to ship it, and then you packed all the boxes tightly together and/or taped them together - the shock absorption would be much, much less.

I can't tell if he tucked and rolled, but that would make sense if he did. You probably don't want to belly flop into the boxes, but you could wear some sports armor like a padded shirt and shorts with a protective athletic cup and you're still talking about less impact than playing pro hockey.

You can see he did flare at the end to stall and kill vertical and horizontal speed, and he tucks his arms and legs tightly together to become a solid mass to protect his limbs and extremities.

The hardest part of this would be lining up the jump and making sure you hit the landing, but that's why the pile of boxes was so long and wide, to give him some room for tracking errors.

Well, that would be the hardest part beyond jumping from the helicopter in the first place. That and building all of the boxes.
posted by loquacious at 1:41 PM on May 23, 2012 [5 favorites]


Kirth, best pun I've seen this year.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:55 PM on May 23, 2012


Another problem that could be solved by braking thrusters.
posted by blue_beetle at 2:13 PM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]


other surviving tangled-parachute and wingsuit crashes (as well as true free-fall)

Wasn't there helmet cam footage of this happening on a blue a while back? Best part as I recall was his friend landing right after him (with a successfully opened chute of course) and saying:

Friend: "Gary, are you alright?"
Gary: (weakly) "noooooo....."
posted by Chekhovian at 2:38 PM on May 23, 2012


We're running out of survivable stunts.--Carmody'sPrize

Well, this summer Felix Baumgartner is finally going to attempt to break Joe Kittinger's high altitude jump record (set in 1960!). Joe's now 83 and helping out.

It was mentioned two years ago, previously, but the jump was delayed due to someone suing Red Bull saying, I believe, that the sponsored stunt was their idea.
posted by eye of newt at 11:11 PM on May 23, 2012


I was hoping that he would burst from the side of the boxes and yell "Oh Yeah!" like the Kool-Aid Man.

He was going to, but Kool-Aid refused to cough up the cash.
posted by Goofyy at 6:51 AM on May 24, 2012


Here is another video of his landing shot from above by another jumper who followed him out of the helicopter.
posted by Dean358 at 7:52 AM on May 24, 2012 [1 favorite]


The video Dean358 linked to should be mandatory viewing for anybody who feels like Connery's stunt might have been - in any way - easy. I suppose I had a vision that the helicopter would just hover above the boxes on a wind-free day and then chuck him out. It is not like that.
posted by rongorongo at 9:40 AM on May 24, 2012


what a waste of card-board boxes. I hope they reused those. Its just environmentally irresponsible.
posted by mary8nne at 8:35 AM on June 1, 2012




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