Further developments

Wingpack
Another variation on which studies are being focused is the so-called wingpack, which consists of a strap-on rigid wing in carbon fibre. It is a mix between a hang-glider and a wingsuit. The wingpack can reach a glide ratio of 6 and permits transportation of oxygen bottles and other material.
On 31 July 2003, the Austrian Felix Baumgartner, jumping from 29,360 ft (9 km), successfully crossed the English Channel in 14 minutes using a wingpack, having covered over 35 km (21.8 mi).
In 2006, the German enterprise ESG introduced Gryphon, a wingpack specifically destined for the secret incursions of the special forces.

Wingsuit BASE
Since 2003 many BASE jumpers have started using wingsuits, giving birth to WiSBASE.
Some popular places where WiSBASE is practiced are Kjerag and Trollstigen in Norway, Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland, Chamonix in France, and Monte Brento in Italy, with the landing field near Dro.
One technique is proximity flying, which is flying close to the faces and ridges of mountains. Ten people died WiSBASE jumping in 2011. On 1 July 2011 near Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, Jeb Corliss became the first man to fly through a waterfall wearing a wingsuit Apache. In 1999, Corliss had a near-fatal BASE jump into a waterfall where the chute opening went asymmetric and he could not avoid flying into Howick Falls, South Africa. On 16 January 2012, he was severely injured when he hit a ledge with his legs on Table Mountain, Cape Town.
In November 2012, Alexander Polli became the first WiSBASE jumper to successfully strike a wingsuit target. This target was made of foam and around 10 ft tall.

Jet-powered wingsuits


As of 2010, there have been experimental powered wingsuits, often using small jet engines strapped to the feet^. or a wingpack setup to allow for even greater horizontal speeds and even vertical ascent
On 25 October 2005 in Lahti in Finland, Visa Parviainen jumped from a hot air balloon in a wingsuit with two small turbojet engines attached to his feet. The engines provided approximately 16 kgf (160 N, 35 lbf) of thrust each and ran on (JET A-1) fuel. Parviainen achieved approximately 30 seconds of horizontal flight with no noticeable loss of altitude.On August 2011 Parviainen performed a flight in Finland, jumping from a hot air balloon.
Christian Stadler (Birdman Chief Instructor) from Germany organized the first international wingsuit competition to feature a monetary prize in 2005, called "SkyJester's Wings over Marl". His "VegaV3 wingsuit system" uses an electronic adjustable hydrogen peroxide rocket. The rocket provides 100 kgf of thrust, and produces no flames or poisonous fumes. His first successful powered wingsuit jump was in 2007, when he reached horizontal speeds of over 160 mph.
Using a powered wingpack, Yves Rossy became the first person to attain the maneuverability of an aircraft, moving only his body for steering; his experimental wingpack, however, is not commercially viable because the materials required in construction are cost-prohibitive. He took an eight-minute flight over the Swiss Alps.