Re: [niallandrewh] Flying after 3 seconds
The rate of gaining horizontal speed in the first 2-3 seconds is determined solely by wingloading (weight divided by wingsuit planform area), not by shape of the wingsuit or wing profile (provided the pilot is at optimum ~45 degree angle of attack for starting to fly quickest). This is because at 45 degree AoA the lift coefficient is about maximum and depends very little on the shape of a flying craft (search for NASA paper on wings at high AoA).
In the last few years, the planform area of biggest wingsuits increased by what... maybe 30%? So, for the same pilot, the wingloading decreased by the same 30% and the horizontal acceleration (which is determined solely by lift in the first 2-3 seconds) increased by the same 30%. Not that much.
What actually adds to the
perception of starting to fly quick is pressurization. Modern wingsuits have significantly higher internal pressure at the same airspeed, and also significantly larger profile area (the arm wing root profiles are longer and thicker, leg wings are also thicker than years ago). Essentially, you are inside an inflatable mattress that is now bigger, thicker and inflates to higher pressure than before. So the suit presses on your body significantly stronger (multiply these two factors and you'll get much bigger increase than 30%!) and this gives you the
perception that you're already flying.
Do an experiment. Set a big floor fan blowing on your body. Tie a thin inflatable sleeping pad, like Thermarest, to your arms and ask a friend to inflate it to certain pressure. Imagine that the force coming from the mattress is the support from the blowing air itself. Now do the same with a thick king size inflatable mattress. You will now feel much much stronger force that you imagine is coming from the blowing air. You'll feel much stronger support from the air while in fact it's only a perception, the support comes from the inside, from a bigger thicker mattress.
So, in the first 2-3 seconds it's mostly this faux perception due to pressurization. But the recovery arc is not a linear thing and in the subsequent seconds the modern suits do cover significantly larger horizontal distances due to lower wingloading, thicker profiles (higher Cl - lift coefficient), and lower Cd - drag coefficient - because the drag contribution from the body is relatively less significant due to bigger wing area.