It all started with Clement Joseph Sohn from Fowler, Michigan. He designed and flew a wingsuit in the 1930s. Then in 1956, a Frenchman called Leo Valentin also had the dream of flying like a bird. Valentin however, took it one step further. He was not satisfied experimenting with fabric. He had a different approach. He designed wings that were rigid. Valentin thought that the rigid wing approach would provide a more efficient airfoil and thus better glide performance, he was right. Some witnesses say he could fly over three miles.
Inspiration
In recent history, the Austrian Felix Baumgartner inspired me when he became the first person to glide across the English Channel using an non-powered carbon fiber wing strapped to his back. He was successful, crossing the channel in 14 minutes covering a staggering 21 miles. Shortly after Felix’s success I became aware of Yves Rossy, the Jetman. I remember reading an article about him flying over the Swiss Alps on a rigid wing; design he had worked on for over 8 years at the time, a carbon fiber jet powered wing capable of sustained flight.
Every member of my team was with me in spirit on that helicopter skid
Dream
As a wingsuit pilot and airshow performer I knew instantly that is what I wanted to do. It seemed impossible, how do you go about designing a wing that will fly when you strap it to your back?
After approaching some very large aviation composite companies, I knew it was not feasible for me to pay the excessive sums of money for research and development, design and manufacture of a wing. So with an EAA spirit I started talking to my friends about the project. In my head I was asking, ‘could we build a wing ourselves?’
Jason the Aviator
When I mentioned it to my good friend Jason Johanson, a general building contractor and flight instructor from Turlock, CA, he loved the idea and told me he knew a farmer that dabbled in airfoil design. Twenty minutes later, we jumped on a couple of small dirt bikes and rode 2 miles through the long rows of almond orchards to arrive at Bob’s house. I will never forget the first time I met Bob, a humble farmer. His workshop was a little messy, dusty and dark. An old CNC machine was in the middle of the room and a series of drill presses, lathes and other interesting machinery used for farming were scattered around. In the middle of the shop was a dusty PC computer. Little did I know at the time but that PC, the old CNC (that Bob built himself) and this humble farmer would shape the future of our project.
Bob the Farmer / Airfoil Designer
Bob took an interest in what we were doing and agreed to design the delta wing, reflex airfoil we needed for safe tailless flight. Two hundred hours later Bob finally said he was ready to turn on the CNC machine and cut an airfoil profile. As the CNC spooled up and started cutting the shape, it sent shivers down my spine. The perfect airfoil curve emerged from a blank piece of wood. For me it was the first time the project felt very real. We were doing it!
As they cinched down my harness straps for the first flight, it took my breath away and I was secretly holding back a flood of tears. A dream was coming true.
Sean the Paint Artist
During the time Bob was designing the airfoil, Jason was researching fiberglass and composite construction. Using some of Burt Rutan’s methods we hot-wired foam core and our wing came to life. Both working hard at full time jobs, for the next 15 months Jason and I had many late nights, fueled by Red Bull and passion. We slowly built the wing, working things out as we progressed. Adding the harness hard-points, winglets and control surfaces, carbon fiber panels and glassing everything over. Everyone we spoke with about the project offered help and time. It’s amazing what sharing a passion with people can do! Jason’s next-door neighbor Sean, came around to check out what we were doing up so late. Sean works as a window tinter during the week and custom car engineer during the weekend. Sean looked at the wing and quickly offered to give it sex appeal! For hours he body worked our messy composite work and painted it a beautiful blue.
Parachutes
Next came the parachute systems, and off to Oregon Jason and I flew. We were meeting up with Kelly Farrington from Velocity Sports Equipment. Kelly designs and manufactures the some of best skydiving equipment in the world. He designed a custom parachute container and harness system for the wing. Pete Swan, a master rigger based in Lodi, CA then designed and built the wing’s reserve parachute system and helped modify the harness system. Eighteen moths later, our wing was complete and ready to test fly.
The wing picked up airspeed, did a quick roll and started to fly! I will never forget that moment; it was exceptional!
First Flight
On Saturday morning, 28 December, a unique group of people came together in a farm field in Pas Robles CA. We had the entire team at the test site. Jason, Bob, Sean, Melissa (my wife) and wingsuit world record holder Jhonathan Florez. As they cinched down my harness straps for the first flight, it took my breath away and I was secretly holding back a flood of tears. A dream was coming true.
Trust
TJ, our helicopter pilot, spooled up the yellow Jet Ranger and we took to the sky for our first flight. With no wind tunnel testing, no one really knew how the wing would fly. I did not really have any idea how to fly it! You can’t do a course for a wing like this! It was a leap of faith. I trusted my friends with my life. I knew the design was sound, I knew the construction was great, I knew my parachute systems would function the right way and with that confidence and trust, I felt ready. Every member of my team was with me in spirit on that helicopter skid.
At 12,000 ft above the farm, I fell backwards from the skid in a calm focused state. The wing picked up airspeed, did a quick roll and started to fly! I will never forget that moment; it was exceptional!
Test Jumps
We completed 3 successful jump tests and each jump I learned more and more. The wing does not fly like a fabric wingsuit and it doesn’t feel like you’re skydiving. It is a completely new learning curve for me. With 3 safe jumps in my log book and a total of 9 minutes of flight time, the journey is well under way! As a team our first jump tests were a massive success! There is still plenty to learn and we will follow a very strict piloting test program to learn the wing.
This is an epic journey of passion, love and respect for flight. You’re welcome to come along on the ride! We are looking for sponsorship for our wing. If you’re interested please contact rex[at]rexpemberton.com
The future?
Flying in true formation with my wife Melissa at air shows all over the world! Please stay watching this project as we learn and progress.
See The-X-Wing Project for more information
