tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post5733784268323635849..comments2024-03-28T15:17:40.434-05:00Comments on Althouse: Wingsuits.Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-23035927707806550482009-01-10T13:32:00.000-06:002009-01-10T13:32:00.000-06:00It looks magnificent until they show a couple of s...It looks magnificent until they show a couple of seconds in real time, then it looks terrifying.Ken Pidcockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15236539087094493564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-2925305144496064432009-01-10T10:30:00.000-06:002009-01-10T10:30:00.000-06:00I thought Wingsuits are what Ann Coulter wears whe...I thought Wingsuits are what Ann Coulter wears when she wants to dress up for the Today Show.Trooper Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978703998566102194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-5704145749561721372009-01-10T09:39:00.000-06:002009-01-10T09:39:00.000-06:00I've spent hours of my life now watching wingsuit ...I've spent hours of my life now watching wingsuit videos on Youtubes with no regrets. My faves are the Norwegian fjords and the Eiger mountain one.AlphaLiberalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08711124490821422066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-88243283619102271742009-01-10T09:38:00.000-06:002009-01-10T09:38:00.000-06:00Devotees of the sport are called paraplegics.Devotees of the sport are called paraplegics.Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07837540030934495651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-55077337647878880152009-01-10T06:24:00.000-06:002009-01-10T06:24:00.000-06:00Franz Reichelt original flight suit inventor. Died...<I>Franz Reichelt original flight suit inventor. Died in a failed demonstration of his invention when he stepped off the first platform of the Eiffel tower. Awesome video of his long-to-be-remembered (by other people) leap on that fateful February day in 1912. Category: snuff</I><BR/><BR/>Amazing piece of old film.<BR/><BR/><I>I dunno... everything I need to know in life I learned from cartoons, and from Wile E Coyote's example, I think those things are dangerous. We all remember where that got him.</I><BR/><BR/>Ditto Wile E. Coyote's.<BR/><BR/>If terminal with a short time left, this would be the way to go.bearbeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04770545814913465196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-92092102624246506962009-01-10T06:18:00.000-06:002009-01-10T06:18:00.000-06:00You do fine in a lower-powered light airplane. Af...You do fine in a lower-powered light airplane. After about 500 hours you get the hang of actually noticing and using the dynamic interaction with the air, and the experience lines up with what you thought it would be back when you decided to learn to fly.<BR/><BR/>Until that point, it's just an unrelated activity that you continued with regardless of its differences.<BR/><BR/>The advantage of the light airplane route (piper cub, aeronca champ) is that you survive it.rhhardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06901742898653890646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-17857941200895380722009-01-10T06:13:00.000-06:002009-01-10T06:13:00.000-06:00my friend rose the moth says that sfine and everyt...<I>my friend rose the moth says that s<BR/>fine and everything but those guys<BR/>should watch out for lightbulbs</I><BR/><BR/>Moths aren't actually attracted to lightbulbs, but hold them at constant bearing, thinking them to be the moon, in order to fly straight.<BR/><BR/>If the bearing they hold the light source at is ahead of abeam, then they spiral into the bulb. If it's aft of abeam, they spiral out, and you don't notice them.rhhardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06901742898653890646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-39168497787784442052009-01-10T05:29:00.000-06:002009-01-10T05:29:00.000-06:00I'm game. Where do I sign up?Wait. That's how I ...I'm game. Where do I sign up?<BR/><BR/>Wait. That's how I got into my first marriage. And a demolition derby. And motocross. And motorcycle racing. And car racing. And children.<BR/><BR/>Some things never change.<BR/><BR/>What graphics could I get on one of those suits? Could I get one that looks like Rocket J. Squirrel? Hmmmmm....<BR/><BR/>*scratches head*<BR/><BR/>*wonders where the highest jump-off point in the midwest is*<BR/><BR/>*wonders how many vacation days he'll have in 2009*<BR/><BR/>*tells wife he's 'just reading the newspaper online'*Michael Hazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139261384414481528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-39210570871733509992009-01-10T00:52:00.000-06:002009-01-10T00:52:00.000-06:00Looks like you'd be too busy keeping your limbs sp...Looks like you'd be too busy keeping your limbs spread to enjoy the ride, and you're toast if you get tired.<BR/><BR/>I get sweaty palms and feet just thinking about falling.Ralph Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07915708905660273961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-61212415097761101062009-01-10T00:09:00.000-06:002009-01-10T00:09:00.000-06:00Wow! I, too, am filled with longing. And how fab...Wow! I, too, am filled with longing. And how fabulous to take off from a ski slope.<BR/><BR/>It is also exactly like my dreams of flying.Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12623422545436294378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-26318146053783438812009-01-10T00:01:00.000-06:002009-01-10T00:01:00.000-06:00Boris, you fool, Squirrel escape!You can easily se...Boris, you fool, Squirrel escape!<BR/><BR/>You can easily see how insurance companies just don't understand.<BR/><BR/>Franz Reichelt original flight suit inventor. Died in a failed demonstration of his invention when he stepped off the first platform of the Eiffel tower. <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BepyTSzueno" REL="nofollow">Awesome video</A> of his long-to-be-remembered (by other people) leap on that fateful February day in 1912. Category: snuff<BR/><BR/>It's rumored he told authorities he would be using a mannequin for the demonstration. He lied. (I almost said dummy.) Da Vinci at least had the good sense to use an assistant to test his idea.<BR/><BR/>I hold a special place in my heart for Gertrude and Francis Rogallo, NASA engineers and co-inventors of the Rogallo Wing also known as Parawing, and flexible wing as an alternative recovery system for Gemini space capsule. The idea parlayed into a foot-launched version by Barry Palmer in the early 1960's which led eventually to the sport of hang gliding. So he also occupies a special place in my heart for my personal pantheon of fly-as-birds-do gods. <BR/><BR/>As to the skis in the early trials -- scant chance of that. Doesn't everybody have a pair of throw-away Rossignols?Chip Ahoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12597726289890879627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-19827605774156097712009-01-09T23:21:00.000-06:002009-01-09T23:21:00.000-06:00I agree it is an amazing thing to watch, but I als...I agree it is an amazing thing to watch, but I also saw a video of two men jumping from a plane in wingsuits. One was supposed to fly under a bridge, and the other above. One of them hit the bridge. The other one landed, and said the first thing he saw was "part of a leg." Not an activity for the masses.DBrooks17https://www.blogger.com/profile/06407978322410063242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-85129959337965645072009-01-09T23:14:00.000-06:002009-01-09T23:14:00.000-06:00I see waaaaaay too many people thinking this is a ...I see <I>waaaaaay</I> too many people thinking this is a good idea. He-llo-ooo! <A HREF="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bc/Geewhizz-batman.jpg/180px-Geewhizz-batman.jpg" REL="nofollow">Wile E</A>?? <A HREF="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=O9XZUzVMAzk" REL="nofollow"><I>Cliff</I></A>??? <I><B>IMPACT??!!</B></I>Tiborehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07360541843865827271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-8553416735672178562009-01-09T23:10:00.000-06:002009-01-09T23:10:00.000-06:00I like the bit about how they jumped as far from t...I like the bit about how they jumped as far from the cliff as possible until that got boring.<BR/><BR/>Zack wins! Too funny. <I>Sure there is. But how do you persuade the other side to put them on?</I>Synovahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01311191981918160095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-50183526240481877062009-01-09T23:04:00.000-06:002009-01-09T23:04:00.000-06:00yawn.yawn.Ronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12327563444009264980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-41851318280008823822009-01-09T22:39:00.000-06:002009-01-09T22:39:00.000-06:00The suggestion that you should have 500 regular pa...<I>The suggestion that you should have 500 regular parachute jumps first should be a tip off.</I><BR/><BR/>Usefully, that means all the unlucky would-be wingsuiters get weeded out as parachuting fatalities.Stevenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05138730966226244399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-81507728226216954592009-01-09T22:38:00.001-06:002009-01-09T22:38:00.001-06:00Call me stand-offish. But I, for one, would not b...Call me stand-offish. But I, for one, would not buy a wingsuit that was deeply discounted!Wincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15002449963597087316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16605764783056137352009-01-09T22:38:00.000-06:002009-01-09T22:38:00.000-06:00my friend rose the moth says that sfine and everyt...my friend rose the moth says that s<BR/>fine and everything but those guys<BR/>should watch out for lightbulbsblogging cockroachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00899638590257384302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-24340129075365291422009-01-09T22:34:00.000-06:002009-01-09T22:34:00.000-06:00flying squirrels!!!Ha. That's the first thing I th...<I>flying squirrels!!!</I><BR/><BR/>Ha. That's the first thing I thought too.Bushman of the Kohlrabihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02195084346440543676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16076584488055626642009-01-09T22:32:00.000-06:002009-01-09T22:32:00.000-06:00I wonder if they even find the skis.I wonder how m...<I>I wonder if they even find the skis.</I><BR/><BR/>I wonder how much is left to find after bouncing off the rock cliffs a few times.Bushman of the Kohlrabihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02195084346440543676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-51543944901256641712009-01-09T22:30:00.000-06:002009-01-09T22:30:00.000-06:00They're . . . flying squirrels!!!They're . . . <I>flying squirrels!!!</I>ambahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12042450225428891273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-69052933205150682612009-01-09T22:29:00.000-06:002009-01-09T22:29:00.000-06:00Hmmm. I wonder if there's some military utility to...<I>Hmmm. I wonder if there's some military utility to those suits.</I><BR/><BR/>Sure there is. But how do you persuade the other side to put them on?Zachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02284350648793830503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-693296587059198832009-01-09T22:27:00.000-06:002009-01-09T22:27:00.000-06:00Hmmm. I wonder if there's some military utility t...Hmmm. I wonder if there's some military utility to those suits.JohnAnnArborhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11440105287714668965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-62413215608793519122009-01-09T22:25:00.000-06:002009-01-09T22:25:00.000-06:00"Squirrel suits" is a much better name."Squirrel suits" is a much better name.Zachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02284350648793830503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-15994125993841529782009-01-09T22:22:00.000-06:002009-01-09T22:22:00.000-06:00I want to sky-dive. As soon as I can scrape some ...I want to sky-dive. As soon as I can scrape some pennies together.<BR/><BR/>Did you watch Planet Earth? I love the opening of the caves episode when people parachute into giant caves.chuck b.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00882763861745236443noreply@blogger.com