eli5 if a wingsuit allows you fly, why do you still need a parachute? couldn’t you glide to a landing?

Question

Why can’t you just slowly bleed off speed and just land like a flying squirrel or other animals that glide? Why do you need a parachute?

In: 6

Answer 1

It doesn’t let you fly, it lets you fall slightly slower and at a different angle. As Buzz Light-year put it “Falling, with style”. If you hit the ground at the speed you’re going in a wing suit, you’re still a smear on the ground.