In the Wings: The Latest Xtreme Sport

If you though Jet-man (see my previous post) was incredible, you'll love Wing-men - people who jump from planes or other high locations wearing a wing suit akin to a flying squirrel's natural implement.



They have potential military and Xtreme sports applications. One guy wants to be the first to jump from a plane and land without a parachute (and live). Here's a YouTube video of another of these fliers skimming six feet above skiers in the Swiss Alps. As you can see, his suit design features tightly woven nylon sewn between the legs and between the arms and torso, creating wings that fill with air and create lift, allowing for forward motion and aerial maneuvers while slowing descent.

As the suits, which cost mere $1,000 or so, become more sophisticated, so do the "pilots." The best fliers, and there are not many, can even trace the horizontal contours of cliffs, ridges and mountainsides. Wow, wow, and more wow!

Cybercast credit: YouTube