With a focus on education, communication, and safe progression, Arcus Flight Wingsuit Team supports wingsuiters through every stage of their learning. In this interview, Dan and Ashlee talk about risk, decision-making, and why slowing down is often the smartest move in the sky.
What’s the story behind the name Arcus Flight and how this wingsuit team came together?
Prior to starting Arcus Flight, the wingsuit rental market was mostly made up of Wicked Wingsuits and Flyte Skool. Wicked Wingsuits only offered Tony Suits at the time, and Flyte Skool offered Squirrel suits to rent. We have always trusted Squirrel products, and when the owner of Flyte Skool (Scotty Burns) passed away suddenly in 2018, we saw a need in the community for Squirrel suit rentals to make safe progression more accessible around the U.S. Because safety and education are important to us, we created Arcus as both a rental company and a school to promote those values. Originally, Arcus Flight included us (Dan and Ashlee) and two other DeLand locals, Steve Hubbard and Alix Raymond. We’re all big fans of clouds, and we wanted to find a way to incorporate that into our brand. Arcus is a type of cloud that is typically a strong indicator of approaching weather, and their appearance is associated with the leading edge of a storm. It seemed fitting.
What makes you different from other wingsuit teams out there right now?
We’re not a team in the sense that we compete together, but we are a team that shares and promotes our values in the sky – safety, training, and education (or, as the Squirrel gospel puts it: “focused on the present, committed to a slow and long term progression”). We pursue this goal through our rental model and through our first flight course instruction, coaching, and camps. We’re the only wingsuit team that offers suit and canopy rentals in a variety of sizes and models for shipping around the U.S. We make suits available for progression from the first jump to beginner suits, to intermediate, and finally to more advanced suits (from Sprints to Freaks), always requiring renters to stick to the manufacturer recommended minimum jump numbers for each suit model. The wingsuit-friendly canopy demos are offered free (as available) to anyone renting a suit to try to keep the experience as safe and comfortable as possible. Lack of access to smaller suits for proper progression should never hold anyone back from learning safely. We strongly believe that the best progression is measured and well-thought out. In addition to first flight courses in DeLand, Dan offers coaching to all experience levels, and we host educational camps locally and by request at other DZs.
What’s the biggest thing new wingsuiters misunderstand about this level of flying?
It’s better to be here for a long time than just a good time. When people see high level flying (big ways, Dan’s proximity flights in the BASE environment, performance competition, target punching, etc.), most new wingsuiters assume the “send it” energy must accompany the cool videos. This really couldn’t be further from the truth. Thousands of jumps with high technical skill requirements, leading groups of mixed skill and experience levels, and making things look good requires data analysis, careful planning, and patience above all else. Sometimes, knowing when to say “no” is more important than sending it, and we think the desire to “shred” as quickly as possible can entice newer wingsuiters into forgetting that all of the high level flying we get to do at this point is available because of the time, work, and thoughtfulness that has gone into our progression.
How do you train to stay sharp, not just in the sky, but mentally and as a unit?
We talk a lot. Pre-briefs, de-briefs, incessant conversations at the grocery store, trying to fall asleep at night, on car rides…wherever, whenever. We are constantly thinking about progression, safety concerns, and flying together. It’s part of our love language, and it helps us stay in tune with each other and get different perspectives on our jumps.
What systems or habits do you use to build trust and cohesion as Arcus Flight, especially in higher risk moments?
We understand each other’s risk tolerances and priorities. If one of us is making decisions for the team, it’s easy to trust that we’ll be aligned because we respect each other. When we’re in the sky and one of us is leading, we can both count on navigation, spatial awareness, and commitment to the plan. On the rental and educational side of things, we always check in before any decisions that aren’t “business as usual” (i.e., suit orders and sales, renter questions, changes to “best practices” as the sport evolves, etc.).
With more disciplines like canopy flocking, angle flying, and wingsuits sharing the sky, how do you think we can better manage 3D airspace for safety?
We talk about this a lot, actually. There is definitely a mentality that carries into aspects of the sport of: “well, we’ve always done it this way, so why change?” This is the antithesis of progress. Managing 3D airspace requires all disciplines and DZ staff (S&TAs, pilots, etc.) to be aware of the current capabilities of gear and the disciplines. Wingsuits have come such a long way, and those who haven’t flown newer suits aren’t always aware of their available speed and glide when considering jump run, exit order, and canopy interactions. Canopy flocking and XRW are of course considerations with wingsuits sharing the sky, but tandems and students also need to be factored into wingsuit flight plans in order to avoid collisions. With dynamic wingsuit flying and things like rodeos and wireless ziplines gaining popularity, additional communication is necessary on the ground when planning exit order and jump run. Of course, none of this matters if people don’t stick to their plans, but making the plan is the vital first step. Plan the jump, jump the plan – it’s still the key to managing 3D airspace, but now we need to update the conversations to reflect current discipline trends.
What’s the bigger goal for Arcus Flight right now?
We want more of the wingsuit community to share our safety values to keep the discipline progressing and sustainable. In the past, we focused on teaching newer and intermediate wingsuiters how to flock and organize themselves safely when they don’t have an organizer available. Our bigger goal right now is to enable more growing leaders in the sport to pass it on, too. We are planning a workshop in early 2026 to bring together wingsuiters who prioritize leading with safety and progression. When the discipline was newer, there were only a handful of DZs with experienced wingsuiters or flocks to fly with. As the discipline has grown, there is a greater need for local leadership at smaller or mid-size dropzones to ensure greater dissemination of current best/safe practices. Empowering more thoughtful leaders at other DZs is our current focus.
What mental tools, physical tools or mindset shifts have helped you level up personally or as a team?
Listening is our greatest tool. For Dan, it’s all about the data. He listens to his flysight for training and better understanding the effects of his inputs. The nerdy data analysis on the ground doesn’t hurt either. For Ashlee, it’s all about music. Finding a way to tune out the negative, self-talk by listening to feel-good jams from the ride to altitude until landing made the biggest difference since putting a wingsuit on for the first time.
What keeps each of you coming back to flying in such a big way, and what’s the why behind your flying?
Dan loves the challenge. There is nothing natural about flying, and there’s a limitless potential to keep learning. The drive is his “why.” Ashlee loves how present and empowered flying can make her feel. It demands you to ignore everything that isn’t happening in the moment, and you’re fully in control of every choice you make – and the outcomes of those choices.
If you could give one piece of advice to the next generation of wingsuit flyers, what would it be?
Don’t rush the process. It’s a blast having a low bar and getting to be new at something. Enjoy that time, don’t take yourself too seriously, and don’t try to throw a big suit on too soon. We would rather jump with a newb in a small suit any day over a faster, scarier newb in a bigger suit. If a more experienced wingsuiter tells you they can’t fly with you in a small suit so you need to upsize asap, they’re not as skilled as they think they are (or they’re lazy), and their suggestion is at your risk. Find a new mentor.
Sponsors include: Squirrel, UPT, Cookie
