Jari Kuosma (born 3 March 1969 in Helsinki) is the original developer of modern and commercial wingsuit (as a product), wingsuit flying (as a sport) and owner of BirdMan Inc. [1] [2] Kuosma has over 5000 jumps. He has worked as an Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) Instructor in USA, Sweden and Venezuela. [3] He introduced the first wingsuit training program for skydivers in 1999. A wingsuit instructor program followed the year after.
Kuosma began skydiving in 1990. He took part in the breaking of the Finnish record for free-falling formation in 1993, and introduced a Russian low-altitude jumping technique into Finland. [2] He was introduced to wingsuits in 1997, based on those used by Patrick de Gayardon. With Robert Pecnik, he began selling wingsuits in 1999, after making them in Slovenia. [2]
Kuosma was raised in Helsinki, Finland by his father, who owned an army surplus store, and his mother, who was a secretary. As a teenager he practised martial arts. [2]
Linus Benedict Torvalds is a Finnish-American software engineer who is the creator and, historically, the main developer of the Linux kernel, used by Linux distributions and other operating systems such as Android. He also created the distributed version control system Git and the scuba dive logging and planning software Subsurface.
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely recognized as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often credited with having helped Finland develop a national identity during its struggle for independence from Russia.
Finnair is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters in Vantaa on the grounds of Helsinki Airport, its hub. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both domestic and international air travel in Finland. Its major shareholder is the government of Finland, which owns 55.8% of the shares. Finnair is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance. In 2017, it transported about 11.9 million passengers to over 100 European, 20 Asian and 7 North American destinations. At the end of 2017, the airline employed 5,918 people.
Aleksis Kivi was a Finnish author who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, Seitsemän veljestä in 1870. He is also known for his 1864 play Heath Cobblers. Although Kivi was among the very earliest authors of prose and lyrics in Finnish, he is still considered one of the greatest.
"The Flying Finn" is a nickname given to several Finnish athletes who were noted for their speed. Originally, it was given to several Finnish middle and long-distance runners. The term was later extended to notable Finnish racing sportsmen.
Wingsuit flying is the sport of skydiving using a webbing-sleeved jumpsuit called a wingsuit to add wetted area to the diver's body and generate increased lift, which allows extended air time by gliding flight rather than just free falling. The modern wingsuit, first developed in the late 1990s, uses a pair of fabric membranes stretched flat between the arms and flanks/thighs to imitate an airfoil, and often also between the legs to function as a tail and allow some aerial steering.
Jari Olavi Litmanen is a Finnish former footballer. He was the first-choice captain of the Finland national team between 1996 and 2008 in an international career that ran from 1989 to 2010.
Mika Juhani Kaurismäki is a Finnish film director.
Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi, commonly known as HJK Helsinki, or simply as HJK, is a professional football club based in Helsinki, Finland. The club competes in the Finnish Veikkausliiga. Founded in 1907, the club has spent most of its history in the top tier of Finnish football. The club's home ground is the 10,770-seat Bolt Arena, where they have played since 2000.
Wintersun is a Finnish heavy metal band from Helsinki originally formed as the side project of Jari Mäenpää, then-vocalist and guitarist of folk metal band Ensiferum.
Jari Veikko Sillanpää is a Finnish-Swedish singer. With over 820,000 records sold, he is the fifth-best-selling music artist and second-best-selling solo artist in Finland.
The Wright Flying School, also known as the Wright School of Aviation, was operated by the Wright Company from 1910 to 1916 and trained 119 individuals to fly Wright airplanes.
Léon Alfred Nicolas Valentin was a French adventurer, who attempted to achieve human flight using bird-like wings. Léo Valentin is widely considered to be the most famous "birdman" of all time. He was billed as "Valentin, the Most Daring Man in the World".
Jeb Corliss is an American professional skydiver and BASE jumper. He has jumped from sites including Paris's Eiffel Tower, Seattle's Space Needle, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. He lives in Venice, California.
Dean Spaulding Potter was an American free climber, alpinist, BASE jumper, and highliner. He completed many hard first ascents, free solo ascents, speed ascents, and enchainments in Yosemite National Park and Patagonia. In 2015, he died in a wingsuit flying accident in Yosemite National Park.
Jari Sarasvuo is the founder, chief owner and CEO of Trainers' House, a Finnish company that arranges training and lectures particularly for marketing topics.
Henri Toivomäki is a Finnish footballer, who plays as a defender for KuPS. He previously played for Sarpsborg 08, FC Lahti, Atalanta, FC Hämeenlinna, AFC Ajax and Almere City FC.
Shin Ito is a Japanese wingsuit pilot and skydiver who in 2012 held the world records for "Greatest horizontal distance flown in a wingsuit" 26.9 km , "Greatest absolute distance flown in a wingsuit" 28.707 km above California, USA on 26 May 2012, and "Fastest speed reached in a wingsuit of 363 km/h (226 mph), achieved on 28 May 2011.
Emmi Peltonen is a Finnish figure skater. She is the 2017 FBMA Trophy champion, the 2020 Nordic silver medalist, and a three-time Finnish national champion. She has finished within the top ten at three European Championships.
The Party of Finnish Labor was a Finnish far-right party operating in the 1930s and 1940s, led by engineer Niilo Rauvala. The party's motto was: "Finland into a great and rich nation state". In 1940s, the organization was known as the New Finnish Party. The party was dissolved on 18 January 1945 as contrary to Article 21 of the Moscow Armistice, which forbade fascist parties.