Skinflicka

I disagree Keely. If there's one regret that I have it's that I told anyone I BASE jumped. That applies to family and professional life. Not everyone is as broadminded as the people on this forum. Even those who accept skydiving often have problems with BASE. Ask the USPA or BPA. My parents worried themselves sick until I told them I quit. I'm less concerned about lying to them than I am about their well being. It takes all sorts I guess. The real question is not whether you should or shouldn't tell them but have you considered the implications either way in sufficient detail to be confident in your chosen approach. First and foremost my parents want me to be safe. I've already disregarded that. As things are, we all sleep just fine at night. That's as good as I hope for until something bad happens. This is a good thread to keep current. The subject is required reading for folks considering BASE. Skin. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

I thought I was the only person ever to have jumped Digiorno. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

How about setting it up at the bottom of the bridge? Repack then get fired back up to the top. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Great pics Johnny. Thanks for taking that in the right spirit. Not just a great jumper, a splendid fella too. Good on ya. I can't promise anything on the whole butt pics / bed / bathroom situation though. Sorry. You still rule. Best wishes, Skin $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Johnny, Thanks for the reply. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree over whether the events in gases at a molecular level are actually random or merely appear random through limited observation. "If you understand physics, then why do you not understand this? " C'mon man there's no need for that kind of condescension. My physics is just fine and the penomenon you're talking about (Brownian Motion) isn't really relevent. The microscopic effects of gas are not required in all cases to describe the macroscopic effect when the model has been reduced so extensively and over simplified. That was kind of the whole point of my post. Your assertion that air remains uncontrollable seems kinda odd given that you are a BASE jumper. What does a parachute do? House the magic levitation pixies? There's a lot of ego in this game and a ton of bad things to happen. In fact, it can be a pretty miserable activity to be involved in. It would help if people kept their sense of humor and cooled their boots a little (and that comment is not directed at you, Johnny). This is entertainment afterall. It's just a game. It's no more important than that. We're not ambassadors for the human race. We're just a little nuts. Pretty trivial. I'm sorry if the terseness of your response was initiated by the butt gag but I looked at the picture again and I definitely see the helicopter but it still looks like your ass. I fully expect a response to that last rather offensive remark but hey, write something that puts a smile on everyones face, make me look like the asshole I am and enjoy the feeling as people sit at their computers, nodding their heads in agreement and murming "get him, Johnny". We all need something to smile about. Spread the love, Johnny. Skin (Now and forever a Johnny Utah fan). $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

"IMPORTANT NOTE: You cannot completely control the opening due to random chance. (There is a way to steer the opening on a slider up jump, but that should be saved for another discussion.) RANDOM CHANCE Ð Say you fold and pack your parachute absolutely perfect, and during opening your pack tray is absolutely flat and still, and the wind conditions are totally calm; you can still have an off heading opening (or tension knots) due to random chance. This is why. The way the air hits the fabric and lines of your parachute, and the way the fabric and lines react to that air is completely random. We pack the way we due in this sport to encourage the fabric and lines to respond to the air a certain way, but the air is random and the response is random, and we cannot control it. " I have to respectfully disagree with you there, Johnny. The voodoo involved in "random" off headings initiated by the packjob is due to variation from the ideal configuration within our pack jobs. We vary slightly each time we pack. The way that the physical system (jumper, packjob, conditions, timing etc.) reacts is not random. It is very precisely defined by the laws of physics but the system is so large and complex that we haven't fully figured out the levers and triggers yet. I believe that the factors are indeed controllable. We just haven't found out how (yet). As the sport progresses and we reduce the variation we will inevitably move to a time where the configuration of a packjob is so consistant that it is no longer a contributor to an off-heading opening. I'd hate to call off the dogs in the search to discover the perfect packjob. We're not there yet by any means. We're just a hell of a lot better than the old boys used to be. Skin On a side note...Why is it that every time I see a photo of you the pic is of your ass? Stay safe. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Yup! Back to the good old times... $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

That's an admirable stance indeed. Now cut to the quick and tell us if you're hot. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Dear BASE community, I have decided that now is an appropriate time for you to accept me and train me. Who will step forward and do their sworn duty? Yours expectantly, Hugh Jasshole. Dude, seriously, you have to be hungrier than that. Study the info on the boards for a few months and decide if this is really for you. If you think Utah is too far away (either the state or Johnny) then you probably don't need to be thinking about this kind of venture. A FJC may help you decide but IMHO you need to have decided beyond question before you ever look over the edge wearing a rig. You're in a tough part of the world to get any help to BASE jump. 70 million+ people on that teeny island and jealously guarded (and quite rightly so) objects. Tread carefully grasshopper. Happy Hallowe'en Skin $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Hey Freak, Glad to hear you're ok if a little beaten up. Send me a phone number if you can. This has been a terrible weekend. Bad Juju in the air... Glad you're safe bro', Skin $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Pantera? Cowboys from Hell? What the fuck? Hard openings must affect both hearing and judgement. Please let me die a messy death before I'm afflicted by such a horrible condition. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

The time has come, the Walrus said, to give this man his BASE number. Nice work fella. The Brotherhood embraces another of their own. The feeling of elation you have at the moment never really fades. Congratulations. Skin. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Pulling the cutaway immediately after exiting avoids the intense schwacking of the canopy opening. Leaving your pilot chute in the BOC pocket has a similar effect. Trust this helps. S. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Same guy diff'rent hat. Also, I don't have a pot to piss in never mind $60 to jump a "free" bridge. I can do a promotional appearance for $100. How about that? Alternatively you could get Felix Catlitter for 50 cents. Your choice $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Hey Tree, I'll be at Bridge Day if you say I have to be. Sorry, {grovelling, snivelling, fawning, apologies etc.} I don't have a slot for BD. $60 is too much to give my SS# away to the man. I may turn up just for the hell of it to say hi to everyone. As ususal when I wrote that post I was horribly drunk

Ooops. I would like to retract my previous post based on the fact that it disagrees with the views of Tree and he's a huge fucker. Sorry Tree, Best regards, Love ya, Sorry, Skin, PS please don't hurt me. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

You go big boy... The Sorcerer may be outdated , the mindset may have changed but there's no getting away from the fact that this was a milestone in BASE and a revolutionary design. You want to go ahead and criticize Da Vinci for drawing pictures of machines which can't compete with a Dagger? It doesn't make much sense. The big disadvantage to a Sorcerer is that when you get busted you lose 2 canopies. That is not an issue which was being addressed when this equipment was conceived. The rig does what it does. The design focus is narrow but given the required parameters I would challenge anyone to either come up with a design which does it better or care enough to take the job on in the first place. "Horses for courses" is the mantra of the designer. Try going on vacation with the wife & kids in a Ferrari F40. Badass BASE jumpers you may be but you can count on the fingers of a one armed, club footed, scottish dwarf the number of badass BASE jumpers who can design and build parachutes and rigs let alone with the quality of Vertigo's gear. How bad do you have to be to strap on a piece of gear, a design of which nobody ever jumped before knowing that you blazed the trail and there are no guarantees that you didn't just created a new failure mode? Very bad indeed, Sir. I asked Marta about that once and she replied, nonchalantly, that she knew it would work and it was no big deal. It may have been no big deal to her but that's because she has huevos grandes. You have a constitutional right to air you opinion as do I. My response...be still Softcock. Love n hugs, Faceslappa. PS Do I get some free gear now?

Hmmm, Your profile says you're a student. What are you a student of? Your spelling looks like Faber & Feral got pissed up together & played scrabble in french. For info, male BASE jumpers start to pull at the very thought of a 4000 foot cliff and don't quit until 5 minutes after their hand goes numb. Now, get off the internet and go back to class...and take your dictionary this time. Love n hugs, Skin. PS you no I joeking, write? $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Only a Dane could wind up completing the word with an S... The masses applaud, the members stand erect, the groupies shed a tear and scream... The hallowed halls welcome their latest hero. Congratulations Faber. Not only have you completed the word but for once you got all the letters right (though not in the right order). Even Feral spells better than you do (although english isn't his second language). Nice one centurian, nice one. Stay safe, stay crazy, stay lisdexic. Skin

Hey Atle and CPoxon I'd like to include this "design" into a presentation on design and six sigma process variation. Are these pics public domain? Maybe you can drop me a line to discuss...I'd like to give credit where it's due (and it's most certainly due here) Awesome stuff. Skinflicka@hotmail.com $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Nick D meets Eric Lustbader. Great stuff. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

It seems to me that if you want insuring when BASE jumping then to some extent you're missing the point. A general travel insurance document will cover you when ze Germans steal your camera but hoping that you can decrease the risk involved in your life when you huck yourself off a cliff is holding too much hope IMHO. Be careful. It's dangerous out there and the bean counters know it. Best wishes, Skin. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Hey Viking boy, I believe the gear is for skydiving in order to get the jumping experience before he hucks himself off a bridge. Looks like a good deal too. Good luck to the boy. Your advice is on the money though...use BASE gear for BASE (and for picking up chicks). Skin. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Hey don't knock chicks from the UK. Without them I'd have never met my urologist. When I get round to editing my video clips I'm gonna include this music on the soundtrack. It'll be right after the theme music from the Benny Hill show. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

Jesus. We should have left them for ze Germans. Welcome back to 1992. Your boys have a lot to answer for, Faber. $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.