motherhucker

Tom, you must be high...These buildings sucked! Petronas has waaay too much stainless steel on it, and it always flashes you in the eyes about 4 or 5 secs into the delay...plus the fact that that slow-ass elevator took AT LEAST a whole minute to get us to the top...what a drag! And KL Tower? What a piss-poor object. That thing is way too overhung to be cool. I mean, c'mon...who wants to jump an object where you can take a seven with a full floater, open facing the object, twiddle your thumbs for awhile, and then turn away and land in front of the entrance--just so you can grab another rig and be back at the exit point in another 3.5 minutes! What a lamer this KL thing was! I hope you find some REAL BASE objects in Thailand...something scary underhung and low like real hardmen jump! [In other words...y'all missed OUT!] huck.

my favorite object is XXX in XXX near the big XXX. Man you guys gotta jump that!

The Samurai gets my vote, Hands down. Meets all the criteria you asked for, plus super easy to pack, very predictable, and the openings are super neck friendly. .02

Final Cut Pro (Mac) is the only way to go. Based on the AVID system, super high quality. If you're hopelessly bound to Bill GAtes, The latest version of Premiere is your best bet. Premiere won't give you as polished a final, IMHO.

Hey all; Any one have any experience with these? Positive or negative? Obviously not a freefall tool, but for ground stuff, or otherwise, can anyone recommend a good one--are there any that can toggle between both directional AND non-directional? Is there a marked improvement in the audio quality on the finished product? Thanks--have a great holiday.

Thank you!

This almost *NEVER* happens in BASE jumping. no-one died in Continuum--or even *actually* hit an object--close, but ass-hairs don't count.

"4Q"

Guys (and everyone, for that matter): Sometimes the best response is to give none at all. Some people will troll for anything they can get.

Get to the strut. Work your way out to the leading edge of the wing. Hand over hand out toward the wingtip a bit, peace to the pilot and let go. then you're in a sit. It's that easy. You *might* want to ask the pilot before doing this though...

Then I'd say, "THAT'S A SKYDIVE, NOT A BASE JUMP." learn the difference. Read my post above...I think I've already advocated appropriate prior training before attempting BASE aerials. As for my anonymity, I feel I have as much a "reputation" to uphold based on a screen name as I would if it were my birth name, however, "motherhucker" won't come back from the NPS dispatcher when they run my lic. plate, or the district attorney won't ever be able to use words I've written against me in court. I tell people I trust who I am. I'll never trust you. I guess I'm just a whiny little coward, but that's OK with me, as long as you and I are in different area codes forevermore.

Pull your head out out of the bong Thomas. I suppose you think a different type of object would be safer to throw aerials off of than a bridge--uh, yes, [sarcasm ON] I absolutely agree that a tower is safer for aerials than a bridge over deep water[/sarcasm] (remember how soft that water is Thomas?) I suppose if you spun in from a building as opposed to at the water under the legal span in the West US, then you'd still be loudmouthing off about this. Stick to what you know...BASE IS NOT A LEARNING FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT. You seem to think that the people that play this game are straight out of YOUR school. My post was not intended for the Romper Room jumpers that value your opinion...It was meant to potentially help someone with their head squarely upon their shoulders try their first aerials. go bury your head in a bag of weed and twist up one of your [in]famous shitty packjobs.

My understanding is that there is no actual regulations on colored light markings for antennas. A GENERAL guideline is a white light every 100' on bigger towers, and a red light every 300'. The only REGULATIONS I know of would be the ones mandated by the FAA. Typically any tower with a light will be on a sectional. To be sure, get out your handy rangefinder and from a single spot relatively close to the antenna, shoot the base of the antenna, then the top of the antenna, and use basic trig to find the height. I'd recommend doing this method from at least three different spots to ensure accuracy. The other surefire way of course is to climb it and count rungs...

Some important things to consider BEFORE launching a BASE aerial: 1. Think about your delay. How long is it going to take you to rotate to a safe place to pitch? If that time is going to be LESS than 3 secs, Is a slider off opening appropriate for the particular object? Where would an off-heading opening put you relative to any "jumper-unfriendly" features of the object? If it takes you LONGER to get stable from a shitty aerial, will you have eaten up your 3 sec window for slider off/down? Conversely, if you are slider up, and you rotate FASTER than anticipated, are you going to be able to STOP your rotation until it's safe to deploy a slider up packjob? If you are going to have to track after your aerial(s)? This will require a different type of 'finish' to the manouver than if you are slider off, usually. THE PILOT CHUTE IS NOT THERE TO STOP YOUR ROTATION OR OTHERWISE BAIL YOU OUT. 2. You must be comfortable with your trick before you get in the car to go to the object. This is done by practicing, and then practicing some more. Gymnastic training is key. Diving is great. BEING A SOLID BASE JUMPER WITH GOOD JUDGEMENT IS PARAMOUNT. There are plenty of people doing aerials without this good judgement. They will probably die sooner than most. Don't be that person. 3. Don't close your fucking eyes! I've seen it happen. If this happens to you and you survive, promptly gather your gear, walk to the nearest trash can, insert your gear, and get yourself to the nearest bowling alley asap. 4. Find the right object. Bridges are certainly the most forgiving. 5. Jump with the right people. Anyone you have to impress or that puts undue pressure on you is not that person. BASE aerials should also ultimately be taught by a mentor. Find a good one and learn. Don't be too proud to be a student--EVER. 6. Chicken out. This tells you that you are doing it right. If you feel like chickening out, you are not ready to try your aerial(s). This applies whether you have 500 inverted triple lundy mc twists with a full between each one or if you have never launched a single gainer. No shame in flat and stable. 7. Did I mention PRACTICING? It's a good idea. 8. MOST IMPORTANT: don't fuck up if there's a camera around.

gee thomas. you're pretty 'hardcore'. I would allow myself to be questioned, investigated, or otherwise "inconvenienced" for anyone I call a friend enough to jump with (and I won't jump with Thomas). Call me sentimental, but BASE is not about rebellion or proving to the world I am insane. BASE is about (among other things) good times with good friends, challenging myself and my fears, and learning to control my mind and body in the face of sometimes grave danger and ludicrous amounts of endorphins coursing through my body. I don't let what others say affect whether or not I jump, but if I ever go in on an illegal BASE jump, My friends know they are welcome to my gear if they want it, but I DO NOT want it looking like I jumped w/o a rig. Life insurance doesn't pay for suicides, but most DO pay for accidental death such as in a BASE incident. I at least want some insurance company to fork out a few hundred thousand dollars to my family and friends... Until then, I'll take solace in the fact that when I push my personal limits on a given BASE jump, I do it on my terms, and have at least a 'slight' idea what I am doing. Thomas, I wish you could say the same. Keep butting your head against the wall dude, I'm sure it will fall down on the next hit.

[bump] anyone?

NO. especially for you.

I would highly recommend taking a rigger's course and getting your rating, if only to increase your knowledge base of the hows, whys, ins & outs of parachute systems. When I started skydiving, I thought I knew a lot about canopies, Until I got into BASE. When I started BASE jumping, I thought I knew a lot about canopies, until I started rigger training. When I started rigger training, I thought I knew a lot about canopies, until I started building parachutes. Now I just accept that I can and will not ever know enough about canopies and the sports we use them in. Keep yourself a student, and your ego will never get in the way. huck.

It really bothers me to hear people say this. 2-300 skydives is a GUIDELINE--and a liberal one at that. You should tink about BASE when you are a competent canopy pilot, have your own gear, have served as ground crew for a few (or more) jumps, etc (there is more written on this topic around the boards). My point is, 300 skydives is NOTHING. I know people with twice that who couldn't hit a LZ the size of Manhattan. See Dick jump. See Dick hit the wall. See Dick die. don't be a Dick.

This is funny. Earl was the KING of "jumping junk" at one time (still with 8-900 BASE jumps under his belt). The part about the launch is pretty funny coming from Earl too. I remember the first time I jumped with him, I was all excited to see this dude w/ 900 BASE jumps and what his style was like. This is where I discovered the "doink." I couldn't even exit I was laughing so hard. I wish he was here to be doing it still. This is not to say that everything he wrote here is incorrect, just the opposite, actually. Soak up these words from someone who knew what the fuck he was talking about. They are real and so is the cliff, antenna, stack, or whatever other object you are about to hit. RIP Clint and Earl. We miss you both. bsbd

Yeah, I thought that about a certain tower in Nebraska too...

Jeez. How many times must it be said? SKYDIVING AND BASE ARE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SPORTS! live it. learn it. huck it.

Yes...and no. It totally depends on the object, as well as the two way. After an interactive multi way, there is typically not a lot of time to waste. Every time your canopy opens, you need to be ready for a line twisted, lined over 180 with your canopy on fire. You don't have a lot of time to react as you do in skydiving (usually). These reflexes are going to allow you to avoid a collision should that scenario play itself out. With that said, you also plan your jumps very carefully, and stagger your openings as much as possible. On terminal jumps, it is not as big of an issue, as you have the time and airspeed to gain adequate seperation. On lower sub-terminal jumps, however, sometimes seperation is achieved by one person jumping slider off, while the other slider is up--sometimes you just stagger your opening altitudes, sometimes you just have to face away from each other and fucking pray you know what you're doing. The best advice I can offer is plan your jump, and know who you're jumping with. Did I mention you need to KNOW WHO YOUR JUMPING WITH? You open close to people on multi ways. That's just BASE. Yet that seems to be just another one of those special differences that seperate this sport from other parachute sports like skydiving--It's just super fucking cool to hear your buddy's canopy open right in your ear, watch it inflate, hear them say ouch, that hurt my fucking neck, man! There is a really cool photo that was on the cover? of I think ParaMag (one of those super cool european skydiving magazines who aren't afraid of BASE like those USPA-holes) In the photo, there is a two way jump from what might be a crane, in maybe Brazil? Anyhow, the high guy looks like he's taking a bite out of the other's inflated pilot chute--not a pleasant thought--I heard he just bounced off the inflating canopy below, but Who knows?Can anyone confirm or deny this shit I'm spewing?

thanks Tom . My advice: You don't have to buy gear from Vertigo for them to give you a FJC. I agree with Tom that the Dagger might not be the right canopy for a beginner. But the Warlock is a fantastic container whether it's a 1 sec delay or a terminal jump. Their new pinned rig will be even better, (especially for wingsuit flying). The best advice I can give is LOOK AROUND. KNOW YOUR GEAR--whatever it is. A pinned rig will work fine for you if you know how and why it works. (Until you do, IMHO you have no business being at an exit point). I have taken velcro rigs to terminal a few times without a problem. I feel better in any situation with a pinned rig on my back. That's just me.

Get a pair of Hanwag's from Vertigo. They are most definately the shiznit.