Vampire 3 First Flight!!

After a frustrating few weeks of waiting for my work schedule and the weather to cooperate, I was finally able to make it up to Skydive Ogden to take the new "Face Level" suit for its first flight. Since my focus for the past few years had been on wingsuit BASE jumping, I had to jump through a few logistical hoops before I was able to get in the air. Earlier that day I had to renew my membership with the United States Parachuting Association, make sure my reserve parachute was re-packed recently, and update my log book.

I made the 50 minute drive with a few friends who each have wingsuit of their own. It was nice to have some company because skydiving with a wingsuit can be quite boring when you have 2+ minutes of free fall with no one to fly with. We arrived at the airport, signed up for the next load, and 20 minutes later found ourselves climbing up to altitude alongside the beautiful, snow covered mountains of Ogden, UT.

Before I new it, we were at 13,000ft and the pilot had turned on the green light signaling we were over the airport and it was time to exit the plane. I did a quick double check of all my zippers, straps, and handles, then moved toward the door. It felt great to finally be putting the suit in the environment it was made to be in. I had been going a little crazy, knowing I had this amazing piece of gear that was just sitting in my room, un-able to live up to its potential. We double checked the spot to make sure we were still near the airport, and then excited the plane.

The first thing I noticed about the suit was how quickly the wings pressurized. The Vampire 3 has a re-designed arm scoop that makes it nearly impossible to have any sort of wing flap. Same with the leg wing, very solid. The suit also has a very natural flying position and the speed range is huge. I was able to fly slow and flock with the other wingsuit pilots, as well as turn on the after burners and scream back to the drop zone when needed.

After deploying our parachutes and safely landing back at the drop zone, we packed up and made 3 more jumps that day. While hanging out for the plane to land, the suit got lots of attention and stood out from the rest of the wingsuits. It by far had the largest wings anyone had ever seen before and the logo's really draw peoples attention. It was a great icebreaker to introduce fellow jumpers to the Face Level name as well as talk about some of the other sponsors.

It was a great feeling to land after that first jump and know I was one step closer to taking the suit to our local terminal wall where it will make its first real flight. Skydiving is a great way to familiarize yourself with new gear and get out the cob-webs after a winter of skiing, but the true test is in the base jumping environment. When jumping off a cliff you can get a much more accurate feel for the forward speed and true aerodynamic capabilities.

I'm very excited for the up-coming season and feel that Face Level wingsuit is going to help me take my flights up to the next level. The plan is to make a few more jumps out of a plane and then head out to the desert. Hopefully sometime over the next few weeks. I'll continue posting photos and video as I get them of the suit and can't wait to get back in the air again.