XRW – eXtreme-cross Relative Work

Note: This article is an adaptation of a presentation Mario gave at the European Skydiving Symposium, in Warsaw, March 2024. It is not a manual, does not replace an xrw briefing and contains nothing mandatory. As Mario said, “It’s just the juice of my experience, knowledge and passion in this discipline”. 

XRW is an acronym for eXtreme-cross Relative Work – flying relative to other pilots who are using a different mode of flight. It began with canopies flying with wingsuits, has now advanced to include the occasional airplane, and who know what will be possible in the future?!

XRW is a very fun thing to do! Here’s what this article will cover, I hope you find it interesting, enjoyable, and useful.

• XRW History
• Gear Required
• The Golden Rules of Safety (what NOT to do!)
• Video demos

There are many, many events that have marked XRW in the history of skydiving, but I want to show you the most important historical events of this discipline and the most significant chapters that were important in its setting. Maybe you already know them, maybe you don’t remember them, or maybe you didn’t even know about their existence… so, ENJOY!

The first attempts began in 2002, and this started a long line of wingsuit versus canopy experiments. They were initially with Jari Kuosma as the wingsuit pilot and Vladi Pesa the canopy pilot, soon joined by the PD Factory Team. Jay Moledzki, PDFT founder member recounts his experiences with early xrw at that time (above video).

2004 to 2005 saw various experiments flying in formation using a Velocity front riser trimmer, with the first small JVX 39 canopy. The canopy pilot was JT (Jonathan Tagle), wingsuit pilot Taya Weiss. The available wingsuits at the time were nowhere like as advanced as today so a tiny canopy was needed to match the WS descent rate. It was pioneering stuff, throwing great canopy and wingsuit pilots in the air together and figuring it out.

Project 2010 created the first double dock. Then JT, Taya Weiss and Jeff Nebelkopf made the first 3-way dock, with a WS either side of the canopy.

PDFT began formation XRW, adding wingsuit pilots to their normal flocks. This project led to more and more ‘firsts’, as the guys found out what was possible. This included multiple docks, formation  jumps, and flying in turns with WS and canopy pilot still linked. 

PDFT developed the concept in 2012, to a 10-way vertical flock, with five wingsuit pilots and 5 canopy pilots. This created beautiful images flying over the Palm, in Dubai.

In 2017, the concept was taken a step further, at Empuriabrava, when a wingsuit, canopy and a Pilatus Porter all flew in close promixity to each other.

For me my XRW journey started in 2015 when I made my first xrw jump at Orbetello, Tuscany. It was amazing! We built a 3-way formation. It blew my mind!

The following must be in the same rage for the wingsuit pilot and the canopy pilot to be able to fly together:

• Vertical descent
• Horizontal speed

The faster the canopy can fly, the more range the WS pilots will have. ✅

• Some wingsuits and parachutes have a common operating range (vertical descent and horizontal speed) that allows both systems to fly together.
• There are a number of wingsuits that can achieve 30-40mph (50-65 Kmh) speed-descents, which can match with a high-performance canopy flying at full drive. 
• Under my PD Peregrine 61 steep trim, I have approximately a vertical descent of over 35mph (20m/s) and a forward speed of about 70-75mph (120kmh).

The factors that determine the canopy’s descent rate and forward speed are.

• Wing type and size 
• Trim (lineset or front risers) 
• Wing loading

The following tips may help you find a compatible canopy to fly with a wingsuiter:

• The best canopy for XRW is a high-performance (HP) canopy, in a size rage between 60 and 69 sqft. This will be easy and fun. For example, the Peregrine, Petra, HK. In terms of appropriate flight, stepping it up a level, the Valkyrie, Leia, JVX, Competition Velocity.      
• If the canopy is too small, it tends to fly with less forward speed and a faster vertical speed. If it is too big and it has more lift, it feels “floaty” for the wingsuiter to have to stay with.
• You can adjust the canopy’s ratio and change its pitch using body position:
  Long body = increase the pitch
  Small body = decrease the pitch 

• Performance Designs offers a new, steeper line trim OV200/300, which is excellent for Peregrine pilots engaging in XRW or using the Mutant harness (which I love on my Peregrine 61). 
• A good target and range of wing loading for a comfortable WS flight, is about 3.2 to 3.5. 

I advise for a better range to be compatible with a wingsuit, using a  full RDS (Removable Deployment System, this reduces drag by removing the bag and pilot chute). Wearing tight clothing also helps maintain a faster forward speed. 😉

XRW is extremely fun but, in the same scale, it is extremely dangerous. It’s a 3-dimensional high-speed flight, much harder than and very different to other disciplines. 

The element of risk is high.

Don’t improvise if you’ve never done it before.   

• Initial jumps should only consist of one canopy pilot and one wingsuiter. It is better if one of the two has some experience.
• Respect the fly zones to avoid burbling each other: The Fly Zone has clean air. The No Fly Zone has burble. If entering the no fly zone looks likely, perform an evasion manoeuvre, canopy pilot up and wingsuiter down      
• The WS pilot’s approaches should be made from the canopy pilot’s shoulder-level or lower. NOT FROM THE HEAD, FRONT OR MORE THAN 45° (BELOW THE LINE SET).

My suggested functional pattern is as follows:

• Exit after all other groups.
• With a light headwind, after 2.5 to 3 miles away from DZ, the plane turns 90° towards the door side.
• The canopy pilot deploys after a 5-7 second delay, turning approximately 45°, stowing RDS, then u-stow brakes and turn the other 45° (back towards DZ) as quickly as can be done safely.  
• The wingsuit pilot has eyes on the CP and its opening 😄, exit approximately 20-25 seconds afterwards, fly towards a predetermined side of the canopy formation. Set up far back, only approach when the canopy pilot has stowed the RDS and the canopy is in full flight (learn the look of a canopy in brakes).

Take your time and keep calm, no sudden movements, work your way gradually towards each other.

• Highly loaded HP canopies are extremely sensitive to harness input, they can accidentally roll quickly, even if the pilot turns its head left or right.
• Both canopy and wingsuit pilots, take a deep breath and don’t rush; in the harness, in the approaches, in the fly, in the docks and in the breakoff.
• The goal is NOT to get together as quickly as possible; it is to get together safely and consistently. SPEED WILL COME WITH PRACTICE.

Below are some ‘golden rules’ that will go a long way to avoid pitfalls and risk. 

• Wingsuit Pilot – NEVER FLY IN FRONT  OR ON TOP OF THE CANOPY  
• Canopy Pilot, DON’T TAKE OFF YOUR CHEST STRAP,  sometimes the WS will burble the canopy and stop it flying.
• DON’T RELEASE THE TOGGLES QUICKLY; like a slingshot, they might create knots between the ring.
• If you use a steep line set trim, be careful when landing and be strong with rear risers.
• AVOID, AVOID, AVOID COLLISION!⚠️ Do everything you can to avoid a collision. 

“If anything happens out of the plan, it is high speed”

Pablo Hernandez

Repack with love 💙 and enjoy the flight!😉

Here is the result of everything I said before. With the video below I want to show you how it is possible to do xrw in full control and safety:

We jumped in the middle of the ocean into a small island, with a landing area of  150 x 30 meters. There was no possible Plan B (only landing in the water!). The flight took 20 minutes from the departure airport. Once on board, I sat next to the pilot and planned our pattern with him, based on the wind conditions during the climb. I was under a lot of pressure due to the responsibility of not making a mistake. I could not take myself and all my WS teammates into the ocean, it would not have been pleasant or even possible for them to swim with the suits, the air pockets fill with water and pull the WS pilot underwater. Happily, it went off perfectly and we had an amazing flight and landing. 

ENJOY THE SHOW!

Photo and Video Credits 

Many thanks to the following for the use of video and photographic material:

• PDFT for video chapters 
• Alessio Spina 
• Luca Sala
• Rise in The Sky
• Max Haim
• 90Percent Magazine
• Guru Khalsa
• Géraldine
• FlyLikeBrick
• Jarno Cordia 

Note: This article is an overview of this history and best current practice of XRW, provided for interest and background information. If you are interested in taking up this discipline, read this advice on beginning xrw, and find suitably qualified persons to give you a brief and supervise your first jumps. Always communicate your intentions/ask permission from the dropzone. Take it slowly, no rush!