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I have a couple issues with these statements. Firstly, from what I've seen, a good (ideally) horizontal launch with no attempted track will give you better separation than a medium launch and attempting to track, for delays While it is tempting to say that the solution to this >issue is to just pull the slider down and take 3.5, >there are other considerations. With a good exit >and some solid tracking skills, one can gain MUCH >more separation after 5 seconds slider up than >after 3.5 seconds slider down. A good exit and a >good track can put a jumper far enough away after >5 seconds to handle a full 180 no problem - given >proper brake settings, proper response procedures, >and not a massive line twist issue. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Hi Tom. OK. The factory side pack was basically the original pack job on ram air canopies. Check out any reserve guide from years ago. I've found they open faster, and this seems to be the concensus among many old timers (BASE #'s < 250). Much of their knowledge has been lost over the years, to the detriment of the jumpers of today. Its a basic stack pack, similar to what Dennis McGlynn advocates. However, to dial in this type of pack job, you must do some very specific things with the stabilizers and tail and are impossible to illustrate except in person. The pack job opens quicker than a propack simply because it has less folds. However, the disadvantage is that the pack job is prone to fall apart more during line stretch than a tighter-bound pro pack. Remember, the freepack is a completely different beast than a sleeved or bagged canopy and precautions must be taken to minimize torques on the canopy prior to inflation. The disclaimer is that there may always be exceptions to these general rules however. To see the difference in opening characteristics between the pro pack and the factory side pack, check out the Discovery Channel BASE program done by Tom Sanders circa 1992. Some of the same footage is in Tom's video "Over the Edge." Check out the building footage. Moe wears a red jump suit and a belly-mount camera and jumps his newly designed flat pro pack. And then Richie (BASE 74) jumps, wearing a yellow jump suit, (a JD Walker (BASE 37) BASE rig, which is a rig I still have), and his factory side pack. There is a noticable difference in the opening quality. Funny, Richie is jumping a Unit canopy, which has 2 bridle attachment points. Which takes me to another point, it seems like a lot of the gear improvements of today are variations on experiments done in skydiving years ago. For example, the Stratocloud that my friend BASE 175 jumps, designed circa 1980, has bottom skin inlets and multiple attachment points. He had not a single opening on it more than 45 degrees off-heading in over 100 jumps on that canopy. I'm rambling... Also interesting is that he packed his canopy pre-tailgate and did not have any line-overs even over a history of 150 slider down jumps. Old knowledge is still useful. The flat pro pack was first demonstrated I believe by Moe Villetto. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

First: I've had great success on pretty much all my mesh slider up jumps, with delays ranging from 2 seconds to 14 seconds, with maybe one serious off-heading every 50 jumps. The others are all on-heading within 45 degrees. Most are within 15 degrees of on-heading according to observers. This has been achieved on maybe 9 different canopies of various sizes, manufactures, BASE specific, non-BASE specific canopies. Issues: Freepack, pilot chute stowing. Freepack: stage the opening as much as possible. Fold stabilizers. Light roll on outer cells. Do not heavily expose the center cell. Be very careful on the tail flaking. Minimize the use of direct slider control. Consider factory side pack for shorter delays. Much success has been observed with this pack job on 3 to 5 second delays, first illuminated by BASE 74 (Richie S.). All of these factors have detailed reasons for the techniques. I prefer mesh slider up even on shorter delays even next to a solid object because of the extra response time and the minimal pendulum effect associated with a 180, with can be deadly on slider down next to a solid wall. Pilot chute staging: This can be critical to on heading performance. Experiment. The ideal is between the mushroom pack and the burrito pack. Too much to explain... Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Tom, I'm not sure I understand what your saying. In a stall, the canopy should just fall out of control. I don't know why it would dive forward despite the action of the tailwind on the fully inflated canopy. From watching other people, it looks more like the pilot chute goes so far in front of the jumper when pitched in high winds, so that the canopy is just deployed sideways and not vertically, leading to a downplane. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Ummm... This doesn't sound correct. Most of the big towers have white lights arranged at every 300'. However, there are exceptions such that you may see a light at 300', 700', and then 1000'. The towers with red lights frequently have lights placed at every 140' or 150'. Smaller towers follow different guidelines though. Do not rely on any general rules. I've seen several towers that defied most light placement rules. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

I've done these jumps many times, from 400' or less from antennas. There are a couple issues: use a tailgate, especially since 1) you canopy opens tailfirst 2) the tail will inflate quite uncontrolled way with such a strong tailwind, leading to a possible lineover. be careful about going stowed. handheld has always been reliable for me in these situations, despite the danger of working with a pilot chute in high winds. note your landing area: power lines, other hazards. I did one jump and the canopy opened in a downplane because of the severe tailwind. it also opened 90 to the right, toward the landing area covered in power lines. i lost a lot of altitude in the downplane and turn, but still made it fine. any uncertainty on my part though could have been a real problem. you can minimize the effect of the tailwind just by taking a slightly longer delay. at 1 second, your going 20mph. at 2 seconds, almost 40mph. (the charts posted by Vertigo, Basic Research, are incorrect for delay vs speed [I'm a physicist]). If your landing area is cake, no worries. if not, imagine all scenarios and memorize your actions thoroughly beforehand. Good luck. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Check out a World Almanac. They have a section called "Notable Tall Buildings" which gives heights of all major buildings in every city in the world. -BASE 460 Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

At my old DZ, which is out of business now, they let me go up in an unterthered hot air balloon and exit from 1000' with a single parachute base rig!!! We even had pictures of base jumping on the walls near the manifest! Ahh, the beer stories and body shots I could you tell you about. I wish they were still around. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Imagine coming in to land with, say, a 25mph headwind. 30 feet from the ground, the wind momentarily picks up to 40mph and then a moment later there is a lull. Your canopy will then surge forward dramatically and you will also pendulum forward. These landing can be tricky and you sometimes experience them near tree lines and on some hectic downtown building jumps. They can be done with a little luck. But for this sort of jump where injury is a possibility, at a minimum, leave a "float plan," something boaters do when going out so a friend, etc. knows your in trouble if you don't come home by such-and-such an hour. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Baffin Island, Canada. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Looking at it, the major reason used to be cliff strikes. Now it's impaact. Also, the Trollveggen jump fatalities are not easily interpretable. This is because the first jumps there were at locations that were far more difficult than almost any cliff in the world. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174