Engineering challenges of urban wingsuit

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the engineering challenges associated with designing an urban wingsuit capable of allowing a user to safely glide down from mid to large-sized buildings in urban environments. Participants explore the feasibility, safety, and technical specifications required for such a device.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the feasibility of the proposed wingsuit design, suggesting that landing in a wingsuit is not possible without a parachute.
  • Another participant argues that the purpose of the discussion is to explore engineering challenges, not to dismiss the idea outright.
  • A participant introduces the concept of "wing loading," explaining that smaller wings require higher speeds to generate sufficient lift, which could lead to dangerous landing speeds.
  • Concerns are raised about the lack of detailed project information, which hinders meaningful discussion about the engineering challenges involved.
  • Some participants reference recent advancements in wingsuit technology and express curiosity about what innovations could surpass current designs.
  • There are mentions of successful landings in wingsuits under specific conditions, although these are described as dangerous and not typical.
  • One participant suggests that using an on-board airbag might be a better alternative to a parachute for landing, although this too is questioned in terms of practicality.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the feasibility of landing in a wingsuit, with some asserting it is impossible without a parachute, while others reference instances where it has been done. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the practicality and safety of the proposed wingsuit design.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of providing detailed project specifications to facilitate a more productive discussion. There is also uncertainty regarding the specific military standards referenced and the implications of those standards for the design.

whig4life
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What would be the engineering challenges of designing/constructing an urban wing-suit?

To clarify, I am talking about a wing-suit that can allow a user to jump off a house or of mid-large sized building in a city (or suburb) and glide down safely (lets use military standards as our bare minimum here -- it counts if they get to the ground rather quickly so long as they aren't getting severely injured).

For the attachments, imagine you are trying to turn one into the other...https://www.physicsforums.com/attachments/https://www.physicsforums.com/attachments/58704 becomes https://www.physicsforums.com/attachments/58705
 
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I loved Rocky the Flying Squirrel too, but I eventually grew up to realize that I couldn't be him.

By the bye, you do realize that you can't land in a wingsuit, right? You need a parachute.
 
Why is it not possible? The purpose is to mentally work out what the engineering challenges would be, not to build one on a message board.

Also, at low altitude you can land.
 
The issue is called "wing loading". The smaller the wings, the more lift per unit area they have to produce to keep you from crashing. The more lift needed per unit area, the faster you have to be moving to produce that lift. So that wingsuit might be able to level-off for a couple of seconds, but it will still be moving at probably 50 mph when it does. Too fast to land without killing the pilot in most landings.
 
Whig4life, Without the complete project details members are at a disadvantage and often begin to guess or speculate on the questioner's intentions. To obtain the maximum utility from a forum like Physics Forums it is useful to give as much information as possible.

Are you sure the proposed use of the "wing suit" project is possible? What analysis have you done? How can you know "at low altitude you can land"?

What specific "Military Standards" did you refer to?

Neither of the two links in your opening post functioned when I tried them. How can one "imagine turning one into another" with nothing?
 
Bobbywhy said:
Neither of the two links in your opening post functioned when I tried them. How can one "imagine turning one into another" with nothing?

Yeah, they both gave me blank grey pages as well.
 
whig4life said:
What would be the engineering challenges of designing/constructing an urban wing-suit?

To clarify, I am talking about a wing-suit that can allow a user to jump off a house or of mid-large sized building in a city (or suburb) and glide down safely (lets use military standards as our bare minimum here -- it counts if they get to the ground rather quickly so long as they aren't getting severely injured).

For the attachments, imagine you are trying to turn one into the other...https://www.physicsforums.com/attachments/https://www.physicsforums.com/attachments/58704 becomes https://www.physicsforums.com/attachments/58705

Wingsuits have come a long way in the last few years, but are pretty optimized now. And you land with an aerobatic parachute. Exactly what are you trying to do beyond the state of the art in wingsuits?
 
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  • #11
mheslep said:
Dangerous, but it has been done, last year for the first time.

Well, that's okay if you want to lug around a couple of thousand cubic metres of cardboard boxes, but it seems to me that such a thing somewhat detracts from the freedom factor of just gliding off of a building. It would make more sense to carry an on-board air bag, but even that wouldn't be any better than a 'chute.
 

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