Joe Ridler at the 2022 USPA National Skydiving Championships
“I’ve found something I am passionate about, utilizes all the talents and skills I’ve developed over the years, keeps me super stoked on life, and I get to fly around the skies like a fighter jet.”
Jumping out of an airplane and falling straight down is easy. Perfecting the descent in a controlled dive to achieve a world-record speed of 239.4 MPH? Well now, that’s something different. Just ask wingsuit flyer Joe Ridler: “Wingsuit flying pushes your body and brain to the max. You need to be totally conditioned, razor-sharp upstairs, and maybe just a little bit crazy,” Joe explains.
Joe has come a long way from jumping and racing his BMX as a kid to jumping out of aircraft to set world speed records. Along the way, wingsuit racing has become his overriding passion, leading him be a part of launching WOWS (Wide Open Wingsuit Series), where he currently serves as the Managing Director.
According to Joe, “The sport of wingsuit flying is still in its relative infancy, and there’s a lot that can still be done. The wingsuits themselves have evolved in the overall design advancements and materials used, but there is a lot outside of that which can be exploited and improved upon. There are existing cutting-edge technologies being used in other industries and the military space which have a potential of being applied to this sport as well. The opportunities and benefits of these types of integrations will be exciting, to say the least.
Above all, I’ve found something I am passionate about, utilizes all the talents and skills I’ve developed over the years, keeps me super stoked on life, and I get to fly around the skies like a fighter jet. I mean, what more could I ask for?"