The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
FLY LIKE AN EAGLE
Torrington native takes flight, literally, at World Cup event
Torrington’s Jason Bresson is the 15th best wingsuit flyer in the world.
While the rest of us spent the summer earthbound, Bresson’s avocation – soaring in and around the clouds in a high-tech winged suit – took him to world class competitive levels in the fastgrowing sport.
Sky-diving has been around for a long time. Wingsuiting is the next step. Competitive wingsuiting is a step beyond that.
Anyone with the guts to do it can jump out of an airplane. Former president Bush did it in celebration of his 80th birthday a few years ago.
Wingsuiting is a bit more exacting – think soaring without the plane, with all the strength and finesse that conjures.
Bresson, a 6-5, 44-year-old athlete and professional tree climber (co-owner of Applewood Tree Care in Sharon), started wingsuiting five years ago after far exceding the 200 jumps required for a wingsuit license.
“My interest was flying with other people,” he says. “When I was in Florida last winter, I stumbled into a performance guy and got picked for his team.”
The team was preparing for the first FAI World Cup of Wingsuit Performance Flying in May, where Bresson established his credentials as 15th best in the world in the three competitive wingsuit disciplines: speed, distance and time.
The FAI (Federation Aeronautique Internationale), established in 1905 in Lausanne, Switzerland, is the world governing body for “air sports, aeronautics and astronautics world records,” from bal-
loons to spacecraft and now wingsuits.
Under its authority, the Army Parachute Association hosted the World Cup at Netheravon Airfield in Wiltshire, England, attracting teams from 19 countries with 56 individual competitors.
Since it was the first competition under FAI supervision, every winning mark became a world record.
England’s 12 competitors formed the biggest team; the U.S. was second with 10, including Bresson.
“There are different suits for different tasks (with a price range of $1,200 to $1,800),” said Bresson. “Competitive suits are twitchy; they’re built to go straight and fast and have high pressure. But we’re still fighting gravity.”
For competitive events, think of the “racetrack” as a horizontal band of altitude, from a high of 3,000 meters to a low of 2,000 meters.
“There’s a ‘ding’ inside your helmet when you enter the course (altitude) and another when you’re out of it,” Bresson said.
Moving forward while dropping through a thousand meters, wingsuiters compete in one discipline in each jump, with three separate rounds for each discipline.
First, how long can you stay in the altitude band? Next, how far can you travel while in it? And finally, what speed can you achieve?
Bresson stayed in the band for 71.6 seconds compared to an overall-best 88 seconds for time.
His best distance was 3.934 kilometers compared to an overall-record 4.501.
And his best speed was 300.3 kilometers per hour (roughly 185 mph) compared to a world record 312.8.
Bresson was one of just three competitors to hit 300 kilometers per hour or faster. His mark is a North American record.
He’ll have a chance to defend his title soon. The United States Parachute Association presents the first National Wingsuit Flying Championship September 29 – October 4 in Chicago as a qualifier for the next world championships.
Meantime, Bresson maintained his interest in flying with other people. But once again, the level is world class.
We’ve all seen skydivers hooking up midair for spectacular photos.
What about formation flying in wingsuits?
In June, Bresson joined 15 other wingsuiters in Orange, Massachusetts for a national record, flying in a virtual grid through a prescribed course.
Technically, the record was 12 wingsuiters because only U.S. citizens count for the national title.
Twelve or 16, the feat is remarkable. Think of the Blue Angels flying in tight formation. Now take away the jets.
“Statistically, wingsuiting is safe,” said Bresson. “Proximity flying is not.”
Only highly experienced skydivers are allowed to fly in wingsuits. The best of those sometimes fly in formation.