As time goes on, we find many different ways to turn our lives into the direction and orientation we desire. For most wingsuiters, this desire entails a solid back fly and the incredible ability to return to the belly. Many goals are accomplished by getting back to the belly.

We wanna fly with all the lift, all the speed, in all orientations. But, big but, all journeys begin with the first step. Our first step was accomplished long ago. When we first got that itch to fly as birds, we knew we would have to train a bit to get there. Some learn faster than others, but we all can learn. With enough time and dedication (and the right attitude) we cannot fail to progress. Lots of big words here, and nothing useful that answers the question, “what the hell do I do to get from the back to the belly?!”

Let’s go with some instruction at this point. First, a small video to prime the mind:

Now that you’ve seen it, we can talk about what you’ve seen. We can talk about what you’re seeing, not knowing what you’re seeing, the hidden truth behind those clean transitions.

In order, from top to bottom, these are the body movements:

• Head – fixed upon a point to the side. In the video, the head is fixed on the other flyer. In back fly orientation, the other guy is on the right side of the transitioning flyer. After the transition, the other guy is on the left side of the transitioning flyer. The head remains fixed in an absolute sense, not a relative sense. This can be good for all flying, look at the people you’re flying with. In-face transitions allow us to keep the head locked on target; out-face transitions do not allow for this, and we won’t be discussing those differences in this article.
• Arms – The arms are the driving force behind a transition. The arms, the wings, the lift away from center mass, asymmetric lift, we could call it many things, describing the same factor, but it’s the arms that we control in this. You cannot move the wing, you cannot generate lift, the only thing we can do is move our arms, which in turn moves the wing and generates lift, asymmetric lift, from the altered airfoil configuration.
  • First step – fly up. We do this by pulling tension into the wings and moving the arms into a less dihedral orientation. With straight arms, slightly in front of the body, move the arms to the side of the body at the same time pull tension into the wings by moving the arms up toward the head. I like to say, elbows to ears. This is how we generate symmetric lift.
  • Second step – asymmetric lift. We do this by removing one wing and keeping the lift with the other. Easier said than done. We already know how to generate the lift, but what do we do with our body that properly removes the one wing? With a straight arm, engaging the tricep to keep the arm straight, bring the elbow in contact with the ribs, with the thought of reaching across the body, while putting the elbow in contact with the body. The removal of the wing removes the lift from that side of the body, allowing the rotation to happen. For in-face, remove the wing that is pointing toward the direction we are looking. In the video, the flyer is looking to the right and removes the right wing.
  • Third step – wait. Yes, wait. Be patient my bird friends. Allow the rotation to happen, give it enough time, trust the physics, trust yourself, trust that you will be back to the belly in a moment. We must not rush the transition. Rushed flying is sloppy flying. Deliberate haste is different from rushed sloppiness; we can move quickly and with purpose, but we must not get ahead of flying. Save the quickness for next time. Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. Go slow, get smooth, speed will come with practice; do not let speed be the target.
  • Fourth Step – stick the landing. Like a graceful gymnast, we must stick the landing. If we don’t stick the landing, are we even doing it right?? Of course you ask, what do I do with my body to stick this landing? That’s always the base question for effecting change in the physical world. After the rotation has happened, we will be flying on the belly, but, at first instance, we have one wing pressed against the body. Open the closed wing along the same path we used to close that wing. Move the elbow away from the body, sliding the arm along the body, opening the wing to match the dihedral angle of the wing that has been open. Stopping the rotation comes from the lift-generating wing. Remember, elbow to ear, pulling tension into the wing; except, this is only keeping tension that existed from our original lift generating move. Give a little bit of symmetrical lift to prevent the loss of altitude (elbow to ear, both arms, tension the wings). How much to give here? That’s why we practice. We call this “Goldilocks lift”, just enough lift (Lagom, shoutout to the Swedes lol).
• Legs – Keep them straight. No Kicking!! Just keep the legwing flying. Nothing special here. If you close the legwing slightly, cool, no prob. If the legwing stays fully open, cool, no prob. It makes a tiny difference, but that’s not our focus today. While learning this skill, just keep the legs straight, don’t kick; trust the wings to rotate the body. The suit rotates the body, the body does not rotate the suit. Asymmetric lift is causing the rotation. Try to imagine an airplane, and model that airplane. An airplane does not rotate its fuselage; we don’t rotate our bodies.

Recap of Key Points:

– Head: Fixed on a point to maintain orientation.

– Arms: Control lift—symmetrical to rise, asymmetrical to rotate.

– Legs: Keep them straight and avoid kicking.

– Patience: Allow time for the rotation to occur naturally.

– Landing: Open the closed wing and stabilize with symmetrical lift.

Practice Makes Perfect

Practice these steps repeatedly to master the transition. Each attempt gets you closer to silky, buttery smoothness with more confidence in your movements. With time, you’ll be transitioning like butter, just like in the video!

If you have any questions, notice something I missed, or just want to share your experience, leave a comment. Let’s keep learning and flying together.

That’s all for today, my bird friends!

Blue skies!

-WSL