Ever Wanted to learn how to fly?
http://sports.yahoo.com/...ws?slug=ycn-11193364 Ever Wanted to Fly? Try Wingsuit School
By William Browning, Yahoo! Contributor Network
4 hours, 40 minutes ago
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Living dangerously can include many things. Walking into a pride of hungry, wild lions would be one of them. Taking drugs would be another. The sport of base jumping involving wingsuits could also be considered dangerous even if the sport is regulated and has trained professionals. Yet there is a need for humans to live on the edge and seek thrills. Trying to fly is probably one of the most extreme things someone can attempt.
There is even a school to attend if participants want to gain experience in a wingsuit. The lure of using a wingsuit is that the experience is perhaps as close to actual flying we humans can get. Flaps of fabric are spread out between arms and legs, similar to a flying squirrel. Then we jump off a tall mountain or plummet from an airplane to simulate what it would be like if humans could fly without the need of machines.
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There are schools in Europe and the United States that offer wingsuit classes for all levels of experience. In order to even be considered for going solo on a wingsuit, those who wish to go far need a minimum of a B license from the U.S. Parachute Association (USPA).
On top of that, someone needs to have 10 dives in 30 days or 200 skydives in in 18 months to qualify in the United States. Foghead Studios is one prominent school in the United States. Jeff Nebelkopf started Foghead Studios as the head designer of the Tonysuit company that produces professional wingsuits. If anyone knows how to teach wingsuit flying, it's Nebelkopf. His business depends upon the sport in many ways.
Phoenix Fly is also a prominent place to earn wingsuit experience. Make sure each outlet has appropriate USPA licensing before deciding to embark upon a wingsuit course. The first flight is often the most liberating when participants fly alone for the first time.
World Wide Wingsuit News has a list of upcoming events and competitions culminating in the USA Skydive competition in Chicago from late July to early August. One of the favorite events so far in 2012 was the World Base Race in order to determine the "world's fastest flying human being."
Ever since humans looked at a bird and wondered how they could emulate flying, there have been imitations that get close to actual flight. The legend of Daedalus and Icarus was borne out of a human myth about crafting giant bird wings from feathers and glue. A wingsuit, combined with the proper teacher, creates a sport in which humans can get as close as possible to their own version of flying.
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