We know the technological revolution that foils represent in the world of sailing. Popularized by Eric Tabarly, they have established themselves on multihull boats entered in major competitions such as the Vendée Globe or the America's Cup. In recent years, foil has also shaken up kite surfing with the emergence of two disciplines that are on the rise: kitefoil and wingfoil.
No one had yet had the idea of combining this lifting surface with a wingsuit for flying. This is now a reality thanks to Peter Salzmann. This trick of death, who has already distinguished himself by reaching 300 km/h with a wingsuit equipped with an electric propulsion system, has just achieved another great first.
photo credit: © Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool The creation of this wingsuit foil required three years of development with no less than six prototypes to arrive at the final version. © Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool
Three world records broken in a single flight
He flew with a wingsuit equipped with a foil attached to his torso. The feat took place on October 24 from the Jungfrau summit in the Swiss Alps, at 4,063 meters above sea level.
Using his unique equipment, Peter Salzmann covered 12.5 km in almost six minutes, reaching a maximum speed of 200 km/h. The foil increases lift and improves gliding, which extends the distance traveled and time spent in the air. This is what allowed Peter Salzmann to set three world records in the discipline of land base jumping: longest flight time, greatest flight distance and greatest jump.
Red Bull's expertise in Formula 1
The development of this 2.1 meter wide foil required three years of work. It was designed by Peter Salzmann in collaboration with Austrian wingsuit expert Andreas Podlipnik and Red Bull Advanced Technologies who brought their expertise in aerodynamics from Formula 1.
The very light part (5.45 kg) is made of vacuum-pressed foam, coupled with 3D printed elements. One of the challenges was to create a dismountable prop that Peter Salzmann could easily carry to reach the summits.
Birth of a new discipline?
“ With the foil we can almost double the efficiency (compared to a classic wingsuit, editor's note), by gliding flatter and even further, covering more distance from the same starting point », explains Andreas Podlipnik.
It remains to be seen whether this invention will give birth to a new discipline for extreme sports enthusiasts or whether it will remain attached to the feat of Peter Salzmann.
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