Uplifting physics

Gliding animals make it look simple, but the ability to soar in the air in these wingsuits has been manufactured using carefully applied physics. After observing the wings of flying animals, humans worked out the ideal shape for flight. This shape, called an aerofoil, has been applied to the wings of planes as well as wingsuits. The large, sheet-like design of the suit gives the wearer an increased surface area, which in turn increases the lift. With more material to trap the air rushing past, the fall is slowed down. Meanwhile it is the air travelling from the person’s head along their body that is used in the aerofoil. When air hits the suit, the stream splits, with some of it moving along the curved top and some below the flat bottom. Air travelling over the top moves much quicker, reaching the end of the material first. As the air above travels down the curve of the wing and off the edge, it continues travelling downwards, changing the flow of the air travelling below it. This effect slows air and deflects it downwards, pushing the person up and backwards and giving a skydiver the sensation of flight as they glide.