Wingsuits cover a wide range of discussion topics. Sorry, TGB is not intended to be a one-stop shop for everything wingsuit related. We’re going to focus on the closest alligator to the canoe.
Q: Where is everybody dying?
A: Wingsuit BASE
That’s it. Right there. That is our focus.
TGB is specifically not intended to be construed as a wingsuit skydiving manual or a first flight (skydiving) ground school. Nor is it meant to serve as a first wingsuit BASE course. It’s an academic resource provided free-of-charge to a grossly under-educated community.
Now, TGB expects target readers to bring a little something to the table… so everybody shows up to the same starting line, right?
- Are you a current and expert wingsuit skydiver?
- Are you a current and expert basejumper?
- Are you willing to learn?
If you bring these three components to the table, welcome to Topgunbase. It’s going to be a fun ride. The thing is, I totally understand your dilemna. You’ve worked your ass off to become a safe, competent and qualified wingsuit skydiver. You’ve taken a BASE FJC and have now racked up a huge amount of experience in the BASE community. You’re proud of how many basejumps you have. More importantly, you’re proud of how many different exit points you’ve jumped, scouted, opened, and walked down from. You’ve been immersed in both skydiving and BASE long enough to see carnage and fuck-ups unique to both. Now, in light of your well-rounded big picture mentality, you’re ready to commit to learning wingsuit BASE.
Alright, lemme do a quick google search for ‘wingsuit basejump instruction’… huh, no results? How about ‘wingsuit base jump instruction’. Dude, WTF… seriously? I follow USPA’s very conservative progression advice to become a competent wingsuit skydiver. And then I take years (and hundreds of basejumps) to become an expert basejumper. Now, when I want to connect the two together, what do I find? A vacuum of available instruction at the top of the pyramid where Wingsuit BASE is perched. I’m left to figure it out on my own? To teach myself? Oh wait, there are a few brave souls who offer Wingsuit BASE Coaching… but isn’t coaching a follow-up to both ground and flight instruction? I want instruction, dammit!
Sorry, it’s not there. Yet.
You want my strong opinion? Our community’s lack of available formal instruction directly explains the grossly disproportionate fatality rate between wingsuit BASE and all other parachute disciplines.
Okay, back to what we’d like you to bring to the table…
You say you’re not qualified right now? Well, are you actively working on the above prerequisites? Great! Thank you for your hard work and thoughtful progression. Welcome to our discussion. You can expect to find plenty of guidance and recommendations for helping you progress to competent Wingsuit BASE qualification.
Last but not least, if you’re one of those fast-track souls who mistakes enthusiasm for preparation, and who thinks buying a wingsuit makes you ‘qualified‘… well, we have a link for you here.
To be perfectly clear, TGB does not intend to teach First Wingsuit BASE Courses. Rather, TGB intends to deliver an academic educational resource tailored to the specifics of WB. Share, follow, copy, steal, discuss, debate, teach, lead, and learn.
Fly smarter, not harder. Welcome aboard.
TGB