Recon Instruments launches heads-up display for thrill-seeking wingsuit flyers
Wingsuit pilots are a little crazy. They jump off cliffs or out of airplanes and glide with precision, as if they were birds with (puffy) wings.
To cater to them, Recon Instruments is launching a heads-up display called the Flight HUD that shows vital information about their elevation and rate of descent. The cool display caters to the action sports fans who need it for “precision human flight.”
Jeb Corliss, a Wingsuit daredevil, said that his dream has always been to be able to fly with instrumentation, much like the kind that a fighter pilot has. Another user is supermodel-adventurer Robert Mancino.
“All of a sudden, we have a speedometer,” he said. “It will change and revolutionize wingsuit flying and sky diving in general.”
The Vancouver-based Recon Instruments designed the HUD so it doesn’t block your vision when you look straight. It’s in the goggles you wear, and you can see it just by looking down. You can see a speedometer, global positioning system (GPS) location, altitude, and your glide angle.
Tom Fowler, the chief marketing officer of Recon Instruments, said, “We are inundated with requests from athletes and participants from a wide variety of sports to create bespoke HUDs for their specific use. Flight HUD is Recon’s first special project whereby a certain number of preorders will unlock a special production. We are really excited to be able to offer human flight athletes the same information traditional pilots have been using for decades and know this breakthrough will redefine their flying experience.”
You can order an early-bird special for $299 or pay $349 plus shipping at regular price. If Recon can get 250 preorders or more, it will proceed with production. The announcement is timed to the World Wingsuit League event this week.
Check out the video here.
[Photo credits: Recon Instruments]
