Wingsuit CloudSurfing | Skydive Spaceland, Houston | Larry Hack

Videographer: Larry Hack vimeo.com/larr...
Jeremy Karnopp
Anthony Kimball
Musical Score:
Thor: Ragnarok Suite - Mark Mothersbaugh
Originally I uploaded this for a friend battling cancer at the beginning of the year. I had no idea it would get as many views. The videographer wearing orange is a legend named Larry Hack. For additional videos he has shot, visit his page here: vimeo.com/larr...

[@frazzledazzlem1921]

WOW!!! BRILLIANT!! I'LL SEE YOU UP THERE SOON!!

[@mentat1341]

I will be there in November Spaceland! You will teach me how to do this!

[@Филин-з3к]

Снова и снова смотрю это видео....словно ангелы спускаются к нам на помощь. Какие Вы смелые, без страшные и мужественные. Спасибо.

[@Филин-з3к]

Спасибо Вам ребята за это видео. Я смотрела и плакала от восхищения!!!

[@indorailfans2532]

Wow this is Funtastic 👏👏👍

[@chrisvesy7245]

My Dad had a Beechcraft Bonanza...on days like this he'd take us up & play in the clouds...swooping in & out of the cloud canyons...best times of my life!! 😃

[@carlosj.orttega4275]

Breath taking!

[@phutton88]

beautiful jump

[@matt_canon]

Keep your dreams alive.

[@dryfly2000]

I've watched this 10 times today and can't get enough. Retired skydiver here thinking I was born too soon.

[@matt_canon]

At what age does a skydiver retire though? I know a few in their 70s, possibly older. -- The only thing that make me uncertain about wingsuit skydiving at that age are any hard openings from not slowing it down enough. I'm 40 and my 170 Triatlon can be brutal with those.

[@dryfly2000]

@@matt_canon As a tandem instructor i got 50% off a Main chute can't remeber the company name . It opened extremely hard messing my neck up. MRI showed I needed a 4 level neck fusion. Got rid of it and got a Stiletto which was a dream come true. But the damage was done. I didn't want any fucking metal in my neck So i quit at 48 and started a family at 51 I'm 70 now and very lucky to have jumped Love the video Blue Sky.

[@skyrider4ever]

Great Camera work....

[@azizzallaham159]

Love the music

[@matt_canon]

Thor: Ragnarok is one of my favorite soundtracks :)

[@diegopendinorodriguez4829]

Un maravilloso planeta, lastima los pocos años que permanecemos. Estas personas nos hacen sentir inmortales...😮

[@mothratemporalradio517]

i personally would never chance this, but the fact that humans can somewhat fly like birds in this manner is just incredible to me. Space travel is hard to real-ise, to take in, this is just a glorious spectacle to behold. People do die doing this, so please take care all of you and consider whether each and every experience is worth the risk pf your loved ones losing you forever. But also thank you for sharing the fantastic visual spectacle of this risky but amazing pursuit. Vicarious thrills!

[@matt_canon]

Thanks for the comment, and I hear ya. Wingsuit flying, is something I wish all of my friends and family could experience. Flying over and around massive cumulous clouds...its not incredible visually, as in the view, but the larger cumulonimbus clouds give off a sort of energy that makes flying near them awesome and sometimes intimidating. It definitely keeps it from getting old. For what it's worth, you are correct with the safety concerns and the risks. If there was no formal training and license requirements, and no rules and regulations being strictly enforced and followed...skydiving would be next to suicidal. Someone without training would tumble and spin uncontrollably. Fortunately, today's rigs have an AAD which is a device that automatically deploys the reserve parachute at a pre-set hard deck altitude (saving that person's life if they can't deploy their main on time), a parachute still needs to be steered to an open hazard-free area and flared for a soft landing. -- Even baby birds have to learn how to fly, just as humans needed to learn how to crawl, walk and run. As of 2020, the odds of dying while skydiving is 1 in 254,545 skydives. This link covers where the number came from. uspa.org/p/Article/another-record-lowthe-2020-fatality-summary Skydiving isn't risk free, but everything that happens, happens for a reason. Most could have been prevented by following the rules, listening to instructors, and not taking unnecessary risks such as high-performance landings or jumping in higher than 15mph winds. -- Now, this is all with skydiving. -- Quick note on BASE parachute jumping and Wingsuit BASE... its not for me. I don't even know the statistics or facts, because it has nothing to do with the FAA or USPA. Some say 1 out of 10 die, some say 1 out of 3. All I know is that even if I didn't die, I'd have a high likelihood of being paralyzed for life or permanently disabled, to where I would then be waiting 40-55 years to die...because no more fun or sex ever, lol. -- I respect all that have what it takes, and I can only imagine the thrill of flying over and next to a mountain edge.... but I prefer a cloud edge. Clouds aren't solid, and thus don't hurt or kill if you crash into them. :)

[@mothratemporalradio517]

@@matt_canon i really appreciate this for two main reasons.. Firstly i have permanent ankle injury. Secondly, this creates limits that makes the idea of the human body in free momentum so much more attractive, almost transcendental.. But at the same time, it means I'm able to recognise the results of preventable injury on the rest of one's whole life (although my ankles were never good to begin with).. and to feel that it can't be worth it, in terms of my own experience, for temporal thrill. But the desire! i can see how participating in a sport like this gives you something amazing to look forward to and a way to forge bonds with likeminded people, which could actually have a very positive impact on the rest of one's everyday life, and provide a way to experience an unbelievable buzz without resorting to more destructive means like substance abuse. i just find it incredible that it's even possible. i wouldn't be able to do it now, but when i was muchbyounger i was lucky enough to be able to go caving a number of times, and i loved that. A majority of sports would now be off limits to me, and one reason wingsuits are so alluring is that the state of my ankle would be no barrier to participating, and so i could transcend my bodily limits as well as the earth, which i have to admit i think is one of the most cathartic experiences i could have at this stage of my life! So thanks so much for the detailed response. I'm very tired after a night of not being able to sleep properly, and am going to have a second coffee and slowly absorb it all :) 🕊️🧡✌️

[@mothratemporalradio517]

@@matt_canon Thanks for those distinctions ☁️ i am absorbing them now. Could i please ask, although i can of course try and Google it, what is the distinction with base jumping? I've literally only encountered wingsuits through KZbin footage. i still can't believe they exist and for some reason have heard nothing about them outside of YT. Offhand, your distinction makes sense. Where i heard of death associated with wingsuits, it's almost certainly base jumping. But what is that? Does it mean jumping off a stationary platform rather than a plane? And if so, why is that (statistically proven) so much more dangerous? Is it because one is lower to the earth with less opportunity to deploy parachute? Why would people opt for that - do they skim lower to the earth and thus derive a greater perceived thrill, or is ot because the jump off points are free to access and available 24/7? And is this last factor likely pivotal because there's less likely to be a team of people assessing the safety conditions? Thanks in advance for any heads up! For me, finances would be a barrier. If i didn't already say so, although it sounds a bit grim, my quarrel in taking risk wouldn't be instant death per se, if it was unlikely, but any further compromise of limb mobility. i also appreciate you providing statistical evidence for consideration! :)

[@matt_canon]

@@mothratemporalradio517 Yes. BASE stands for Buildings, Antennae, Spans (bridges), and Earth (cliffs). Whereas skydiving involves aircraft in flight, to include helicopters and hot air balloons (above 3,000').... BASE has to do with fixed-objects, between 400' to 2000'. They use different parachute rigs with reserve-like parachutes, and pack them in a way that they will deploy much more quickly, at much slower freefall speeds. Skydiving parachutes are designed to open (safely) at a fall rate of 120mph, which is the average freefall speed (terminal velocity) a skydiver reaches after 12 seconds of exiting an aircraft. So, with BASE jumping, depending on the height of a structural ledge or natural mountain cliff, a jumper might deploy within 3-6 seconds, or immediately. In terms of parachuting safety, the *more altitude* one has, the *more time* one has to problem solve (if there is a problem). In skydiving, if the parachute is fully function, a problem might be needing to find an alternate landing area, or flying a tricky landing pattern with 20 other parachutes, because the surface winds changed direction since takeoff. (and thus the landing direction into the winds changing) This is rare though. From 6,000', it takes an open ram-air parachute around 4-5 minutes to descend to the ground. For me this is more than enough time. BASE jumping....in terms of potential problems, I honestly don't even know where to begin. If the structure isn't a bridge, a building, antenna, or cliff is itself a hazard and obstacle to be avoided in the event of an off-heading opening. Because I'm not a BASE jumper, I can't go into as much factual detail, but I know that there is zero time for hesitation and indecision; and that impulsivity or panic being equally fatal if its the wrong decision. -- Its like those in the military that have what it take mentally to be tier one special forces operators. Having the natural ability to completely control anxiety for absolute clarity and focus; rather than anxiety controlling that person. I have more to respond to, but sending this for now

[@matt_canon]

@@mothratemporalradio517 -- In terms of WHY people would choose to take such extreme (though calculated) risks...for me this part of the discussion gets into conjecture territory, as I cannot speak for anyone other than myself, and I would need to be in that person's shoes to see how they see the themselves and the world. -- I'll try to come at this with my own experiences with skydiving. The bottom line has to do with *the law of diminishing utility*. My first tandem jump and first few AFF jumps, the so-called thrill was so intense that I got 'mental/sensational overload' to where I could barely think straight after the jump. I was a bit more high-strung in my 20s, so I tended to get this more than the average person. After a my 3rd and 4th jumps, the intensity of the thrill lessened to the point where it was less of a blur and more easy to focus, perform the learning objectives, and remember what happened afterwards. I had trouble relaxing, which is the key to looking graceful in freefall, at first it made no sense how one could possibly 'relax' knowing they are plummeting to the Earth at 120mph. -- Well, so the law of diminishing utility.... the more jumps I did, the more familiar the environment of freefall became, and so what was once a completely new and thrilling environment was still enjoyable, but not as thrilling. -- After getting licensed, regular exits and freefall became routine, so I still doing backflips and cannonballs out of the airplane. Then that started to get old, and so I tried to learn freeflying, which one can look like they are sitting, or 'head down' where one is freefalling upside down....tons of videos on this. By 30-40 jumps, skydiving is less about thrill than it is getting good at formation flying/ freeflying with others, or getting better at a specific sub-discipline like tracking, in order to get into wingsuiting. The thing about parachuting is the repetition. Gearing up, getting on the airplane, flying a safe landing pattern, packing the parachute....all of these happen the exact same way to where it's like going to a job where they do the same activity over and over the same way. It can get this way with freefall and canopy control (flying the parachute) also...to where things get boring and some jumpers seek new and different ways of having fun. -- With me currently, its even like this with wingsuiting if there are zero clouds in the sky and no other wingsuiters to jump with. Because it would be the same view, the same flight path, the same thing. -- Fortunately...when there are puffy clouds, no two clouds are ever the exact same, so each jump where I get to fly my wingsuit or parachute around the clouds is its own unique experience. And this satisfies it for me to where I don't feel I need to take any additional risks. Others seem to feel a need to continually push the envelope, and because skydiving has its strict rules and regulations, some see these rules as impediments that are restricting the amount of fun they can have. I don't want to say BASE jumping has no rules, I know they do, but they don't answer to the FAA or USPA (or the equivalent of these entities outside of the U.S.), and they don't seem to care about any trespassing laws if a structure or cliff is on private or government property. The only rule I'm aware of is that the locations they jump at illegally are never to be discussed with outsiders, and no unwanted attention attracted to those locations. If one were to ask where they jump, except for a legal 600' bridge in Idaho and one in West Virginia, the answer will always be vague. While I cannot speak for any BASE jumpers and wingsuit proximity flyers...none of them have a deathwish. If that was the case, they wouldn't wear a parachute rig that worked. So all of the risks they take, however extreme they may be, are all calculated and taken into account before every jump. There's a quote (too lazy to look up who said it) that goes: 'If the moth's goal is the flame...they will burn.' What that means for skydivers that swoop parachutes and wingsuit BASE jumpers, is that they know there is an ultimate limit to what risks they can take and survive uninjured. And that if there's a variable or condition outside of their control that raises the risk past this limit, they won't jump. If during a proximity flying w/s jump they sense a danger of a collision, they'll increase the distance between them and the mountain, or just abort and fly away from any terrain. -- My 0.02....the only problem with calculated risks is the potential for miscalculations, and its these miscalculations are what kills the best of them. -- I can't say anymore as an actual BASE jumper reading this would correct me on all conjecture, so...the why comes down to personal preference and what gives one durable fulfillment: happiness, achievement, freedom.

[@franknovak4301]

The Birdmen of Houston.

[@DarthTwilight]

This is just fantastic. Wow.

[@jerrymallett4867]

Wow

[@Violentwindslens]

What a great place to skydive out of. I grew up right down the road in Rosharon. We occasionally had to drive skydivers back to the landing strip.

[@KazzyCreates]

I just watched this again. THIS IS AMAZING 💯🔥‼️

[@tuttt99]

That's incredible. Going all the way over to the far side of 288, and back.

[@andrewwhite8833]

I need to get down to Houston for the WS mentor program with Chris poteet. I'm at about 45 jumps on my Swift and have been loving it.

[@matt_canon]

You might know Jeremy Karnopp at Spaceland, but he's been my mentor. He has a busy schedule, so catching him at the right time. I need to start saving for a Swift. My Phantom 2 is beginning to show its age.

[@joshmulholland3074]

Awesome video brother

[@thatnormalguy9]

I wish I wasn't afraid of heights so i could do something cool like this. this is epic

[@matt_canon]

I'm still afraid heights. But the good thing is that its irrelevant to skydiving. The only fear that does apply is the fear of flying which is far less common. And to a smaller degree, the fear of the unknown during the first 2-3 jumps. In other words, if sitting in the window seat of a plane with the window shade open doesn't make you feel anxiety. Neither will the view in freefall and under canopy. :)

[@matt_canon]

What I recommend to everyone, Find the nearest dropzone where you live (with good reviews), go there when you have nothing else going on, and meet/chat with the instructors. You wouldn't be under any kind of obligation to jump, and the good instructors enjoy answering any questions, and won't bullshit you on the answer. -- This is what made me confident enough to do a tandem. If after this you feel skydiving still might not be for you, that is perfectly okay. You would still have more courage than anyone who would never go to a dropzone. Anyway, hope this helps, and thanks for watching.

[@thatnormalguy9]

@@matt_canon thnx 4 the advice. Hopefully, I can muster up some courage to face that fear. (my older bro sky dived once and it looked like a thrill. But just being up there lol oh my) btw, I found your channel from another channel. you had recommended her to react to the movie, ready player one. I ended up subscribing to both channels

[@f22tupa]

Absolutely incredible!!!! amazing!!!!! i'm just a newbie skydiver from Brazil! My goal is do the same thing that you can do! congratulations man" i realy love the track sound!

[@matt_canon]

I started jumping 2007 and was flying winsguit by late 2008. People a lot more richer than I am to make more skydives can do it the same year they got their A license. Either way lol, its totally possible. If you already haven't, start making friends with any wingsuit fun jumpers, ask them any questions, and by the time you have your C license, you'll have the mentors in place to get you flying and flocking :) Btw, I would absolutely love to jump in Brasil if I had the chance or knew any friends from there. I was able to jump in Colombia in Santa Marta (Belo Horizonte beach) in 2014 for a week and absolutely loved it. Very beautiful scenery in South America...and women especially.

[@KazzyCreates]

WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!

[@thesuperiorbench6307]

Vibey video indeed Matt, only managed to do an AFF groundschool so far. Need to get jumping as soon as I can make it out to a dropzone

[@matt_canon]

Best time for AFF (where I live) is summer time. Problem with winter is the 15mph wind limit for students, and days of overcast. I didn't have a lot of money when I did AFF so it took me 7 or so months, but very worth it. The best part of the sport for me wasn't so much the skydiving as it was the skydiving family that came with it.

[@isaaccollazo2874]

I live near there and i see y’all had a very busy Saturday i just heard the plane flying and landing repeatedly

[@supermario1245]

AMAZING!!

[@AlexanderA80]

Красивое небо с облачками. Удивлён что так мало просмотров.

[@michaelrigby5667]

This is one of the best videos of anything, I've ever seen!! 🤯 How on earth does it only have 400 likes? Also, to the 8 people who didn't like it, you have serious problems. Awesome

[@matt_canon]

Thanks for the comment Michael. TBH, I'm grateful that it has as many as it does. My channel isn't monetized, and so I use it to upload videos for friends and family.

[@debasissarkar2124]

Only devil's disliked.

[@MrSoundboystudios]

Nicely done mate ✅🙏🏼

[@quincyquarshie9764]

Love it

[@ettoreconti9533]

Beati voi che volate

[@lancewilliamson797]

Hi, cool video, I'm 20 jumps into an SL course, flying through the clouds like this would be the dream. I like watching the proximity stuff, but have no desire to try it lol.

[@matt_canon]

The only way I can be convinced to do any kind of BASE is if someone can convince me that there's a way I can learn to do so safely. I have a kind of ADHD (out of transparency) that can make me feel a bit scatterbrained if I'm learning a lot of new stuff all at once, that I would need to keep in mind to do something safely. Its why I never got into 4-16way formations that turn a number of complicated points, because I'm only able to arch when I'm actively thinking about it, lol...and I can't both do that and remember what points 3, 4, 5 etc were. -- In a way, its why wingsuiting came naturally for me, a jumper in a winsguit is instead suppose to de-arch, and that happens to be my default subconscious freefall position. Even after 400 jumps. (shrug). Anyhow, congrats on being 5 jumps away from being A licensed. It only gets cheaper (per jump) and a lot more fun.

[@lancewilliamson797]

@@matt_canon I watched a BASE jump training school near me in July, 400 foot crane on the beach. Don't think I'll ever want to try but who knows. Dont think I'll be qualified in 5 jumps either lol, did my first 15 sec freefall about 6 weeks ago, ok to 10 secs, checked alti and went into a violent spin, haven't been able to jump since due to weather and holidays, I'll get there eventually. A flight like yours through the clouds is my goal now, I think the lots of small clouds definitely added an amazing dimension. Blue Skies

[@matt_canon]

@@lancewilliamson797 I did AFF instead of SL, so I can't speak knowledgeably about the progression and its challenges. What I can say is that if you are anywhere near an iFly or SkyVenture or any wind tunnel, they are great for tightening up freefall skills. Everything from basic belly-to-earth up through headdown freeflying. There were a few levels I had to repeat due to being unable to relax during freefall, but sticking with it and persevering was the key. Each and every jump, regardless of what goes down, is a learning experience. There are times getting something locked down can be frustrating, but at the end of the day, if there are no injuries, there's no regression (having to go uncurrent to heal up). But yeah man, when I started in 2006 and got licensed in 2007, wingsuiting was a dream for me too. I thought it would take forever to get to 200 jumps as I don't have a trust fund or 6-7 figure income like a few jumpers do. But after getting A licensed I was able to do 125 jumps per year and got there by this time 2008. Just keep at it, stay safe, keep your dreams alive. No doubt you'll have your own video of this where you are telling a new jumper the same thing :) Best of luck.

[@gregoryconnor9333]

Until you fly through one with a solid centre.

[@VividDroid]

Flying Squirrels

[@jimdunaway5606]

I miss that dropzone.

[@riti9963]

😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

[@prakashgupta001]

I wanted them to be passing through the clouds !! that would be epic !!

[@matt_canon]

Except the flying inside clouds is like driving in zero visibility fog. Everything goes white until you can find your way out of the other end. -- It's also against FAA regs. So the idea of cloud surfing is flying over or around, but not inside. :)

[@gregoryconnor9333]

@@matt_canon good boyeee

[@pranav288]

@@matt_canon but you'd be inside for a couple seconds, how could that be dangerous ?

[@sirrahmen1612]

Hooked!!💯

[@aloneflex9923]

Dream😍😍😍

[@BlaccBoii]

damn where’s the rest of this beautiful bean footage?

[@thaeriraqi14]

😘😘😘😘😘

[@richardtibbitts3841]

Flying through the air without a care...

[@smokeypotter5876]

What most of you don't understand is how safe this is...after all..helmut technology has never been as safe as it is now days!.... 😁

[@dryfly2000]

❤

[@gavinheron1]

Truly amazing. At what point do you get bored and want to fly on your back. How high was this jump? Gavin

[@matt_canon]

Most of the wingsuit pilots that do back fly are usually flying under a flock (wingsuit formation) shooting video. While my wingsuit had air inlets installed for the option of back flying, its not something I do because.... (shrug) :) I can't see where I'm at, and where I'm going, unless I can also see the ground lol. Almost all jumps start at 13.5K' to 14,000' above ground level. Every once in a while, a dropzone might have a special event that has 'high altitude' jumps at 18,000', maybe higher. Although those are very rare because they require supplemental oxygen, as well as a C license (200 jump minimum) to participate.

[@raguls364]

பூமியில் இருப்பதும் வானத்தில் பறப்பதும் அவரவர் எண்ணங்களே நெஞ்சினில் துணிவிருந்தால் ()

[@suetaylor1127]

Why not fly through on?

[@matt_canon]

Fly through on? I don't understand.

[@matt_canon]

If you mean: Why not fly through (inside of) the cloud? If that's your question, It's because federal law (FAA) says not to fly inside clouds. There's literally nothing to see inside of a could except solid white, until you find a way out.

[@suetaylor1127]

@@matt_canon Well how do you know if you have never flown through one? Sarc. On commercial flights, all the time. But still it would be a whole different experience sky diving through one. The FAA needs stick to regulating commercial flights and commercial flights only. Sky diving, hang gliding, paragliding, recreational flight is all about freedom not regulating the crap out of it so you are stuck paying for your yearly hang glide license or parasail annual tax. I guess the more the deter it the more time we will spend working and paying income tax, seriously. You are slave Neo. They already get waaaaaaay to much of our hard money as it is. So as long as you are not hurting anyone else, go for it. Post the video anonymously. There you go problem solved adventure scored. But i doubt anyone will have the balls to. Good lick.

[@elbori81]

What kind of camera do they use that follows them at such fast speed

[@LarryHack]

It’s a GoPro 360 Max camera on an extended arm. It gives the impression of being further away than it really is.

[@wTVe.]

Looks like They finna destroy the world

[@nitin_boris]

bro i also have to learn wingsuit you will teach me please this is my big dream you will fulfill it please bro

[@matt_canon]

Okay.... one step at a time: Step 1) Go here, and enter your location to find the nearest skydiving facilities www.dropzone.com/dropzones/ Step 2) Go to the nearest one with the best reviews, do a tandem skydive, and talk to the instructor about AFF (25 jump course to get USPA License (or whatever your countries equivalent to the USPA is) Step 3) After you get your skydiving license, make 200 jumps, (it took me less than 2 years) Step 4) While you're doing that, get to know the skydivers that wingsuit. When you are ready, one of them will be your mentor, whoever's qualified to teach. -- Lastly, I am glad to hear that it is your big dream. I said the exact same thing in 2006. However YOU will ultimately be the one to fulfill it, by doing Step 1-4, staying committed, STAYING SAFE and never giving up. Go to the dropzones, get to know all of the instructors, the fun jumpers (licensed skydivers), and your fellow students. That's where that dream begins and that's the path to the dream becoming reality. I'm not an instructor, but I'll be happy to try to answer any questions you might have.

[@nitin_boris]

@@matt_canon thanks

[@nitin_boris]

@@matt_canon There is no skydiving training center in BRO India, it is showing out of country in the map

[@nitin_boris]

@@matt_canon BRO I do not even know English, I am taking advice from Ache again with the help of Google dissonry, I am able to write the rest of my official language is Hindi.

[@nitin_boris]

but i need your help can you help me

[@debasissarkar2124]

Supermen.

[@richardtibbitts3841]

The video is great, but why the stupid music? It's a skydive, not an epic.

[@matt_canon]

Because I like the music. :) You're free to mute the video if it bothers you.

[@dryfly2000]

@@matt_canon The music is perfect well done.