The angle sets the speed
Split the falling bike’s speed into a part that runs along the ground and a part that drives straight into it. After touching down, it is mostly the along-the-ground part that survives; the straight-in part is lost to the impact. A bigger angle gap means a bigger straight-in part and a bigger loss.
It is the same reason ski jump landing hills are steep: the hill is shaped to run roughly parallel to the jumper’s flight path, which softens the landing.
Speed kept by angle
These come straight from WingBike’s landing formula (Landing gear level 0), with speed just before landing set to 100.
| Gap between path and slope | Rating | Speed kept (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 8° | Perfect (+8% bonus) | 80 |
| 20° | Good | 71 |
| 40° | Good | 63 |
| 50° | Rough (screen shake) | 57 |
| 80° (nearly straight down) | Rough | 34 |
Numbers are from WingBike 1.0. Balance may change in later updates.
Where to land
- Downslopes: a falling path points down, so it lines up easily with a downhill.
- Avoid upslopes: a falling path and a rising slope meet at a large angle.
- Low and long: dropping from very high makes your path steep, and nothing lines up with it. Decide first whether you are chasing height or distance.
In WingBike
Three ratings
If your path is within about 8° of the ground, “Perfect landing!” pops up and your speed gets an 8% bonus. Wider than that but within about 44° counts as good; anything more is rough and shakes the screen. Perfect landings are counted on the Records screen, with badges at 10 and 100.
Landing gear upgrade
In the Garage, the Landing gear part raises the share of speed kept on landing from 74% by 2.2% per level, up to 96% at level 10. The better your angles get, the more it pays.
Landings refuel you too
Each landing also tops up the booster a little, so short hops chained with perfect landings help your fuel as well. See booster fuel timing.
FAQ
Can I fix my angle by boosting right before landing?
The booster pushes along your path, so it can’t turn you much. It does add forward speed, which flattens the path slightly.
Do repeated rough landings end the run?
Not by themselves. But they cost a lot of speed, and if you can’t clear the next hill, the run ends when you stall.
WingBike: Fly and Jump Racer
No account, fully offline, played with one finger. Free on Android.