NickDG

You drink and think about BASE jumping? I'm shocked, shocked I say . . . It's cool, Brother, and more than normal . . . NickD

>>Um...Ok... are you kidding or is this a real post? i find it had tp believe that this would b posted as a real Quesion that a baSE jumper would have...

I was just on the phone with Anne H, and she said Kate had made one of the BR trips to Norway, so this wasn't exactly her first BASE jumps, but after this weekend, she is positively giddy about BASE . . . Good show, Tom . . . NickD

Kate Cooper !!!!!!! Well, it's about time! Kate said to me back in '89 she enjoyed reading The Fixed Object Journal and it "almost" made her want to do something "insane" like visit downtown. Are we going to see BASE rigs for sale in Square One . . . ? NickD

Way to go, Teresa . . . ! NickD

Yes, here's some advice, don't do it like we did. A friend of mine decided to go into the aerial burial business and we built a container from a steel ammo box and added a spring loaded release. The box attached to the gear leg of the airplane and the release lever is in the cockpit. Our first customer is the newly departed Uncle Frank and with a beautiful sunset as background and with Uncle Frank's family lining the runway the aircraft accelerated down the runway. I was on the handheld radio and in contact with the pilot as they rolled passed funeral center and lifted off. There isn't a dry eye to be seen, and a more fitting and respectful scene was not achievable. Then as the aircraft's wings gained lift and the gear leg unloaded the box prematurely sprang open. Uncle Frank hit the prop blast and is blasted all over the runway . . . "One six Papa, this is ground." "Go ahead ground." "(Sound of laughter), Hey man, (sound of more laughter) you forgot something." Of course, it wasn't all that funny to the family and the woman and kids are crying their eyes out. I swear, I've done a lot of things in aviation but the topper was brooming up Uncle Frank and returning what was left to the family. And trying to do it with a straight face. The next day we got a visit from the state funeral board, (we didn't even know there was a state funeral board) and got a good reaming from a guy in a suit who called us knuckleheads, but he didn’t cite us after we promised to vacate the aerial burial business forever. To this day I always keep an eye out for this guy whenever I'm involved in an ash dive at the drop zone . . . NickD

I'm more optimistic . . . History shows, at least on a societal level, every generation thought it was destined to be the last. In the twenties when college students wore raccoon coats, danced the Charleston, and Rudy Valley was the hot pop star, it was decadence on the highest order and the ruination of the world, to the previous generation. On a technological level, it's the question the late astronomer Carl Sagan often asked and said would be our biggest test, "Will we survive our technological innocence?" Again history, which due to human nature is just the future in reverse, seems to suggest our latest generation's reliance on religion, its acceptance and hero worship for warfare, and its idea that enlightenment is a meaningless word, is indeed harkening the beginnings of another dark age. It happened to the Romans and it happened to the Egyptians. We, however, have the advantage of hindsight, if we'd just use it. I know what the answer is . . . today's generation need to sit under a tree and smoke a big fat joint. Try looking inward a bit and solve the problems that reside there and everything external will have a much better chance of taking care of itself . . . NickD

Cool, and good on you . . . We used to say, "Grab a square in the air, if you have the hair . . ." There's nothing like the first time you reach for the leading edge of another's canopy. During CRW in the early days, and like RW, we docked from above (the person on the bottom was the base) but we finally figured out it was better to dock from below, the opposite of RW, and that unlocked the door . . . NickD

Lol . . of course that was meant to be Oops, not Opps . . . NickD BASE 194

Check out the jpegs on this page, especially "WomanLiveLonger" on the lower right . . . http://www.micom.net/oops/ NickD

I know everyone says this, but don't sweat it too much. I think I was right around where you are now when I soloed. But then I got worse then better again, and then worse . . . I was a horrible student. During my first landing attempt in my very first hour of dual when my CFI said, "Now, start your flare," I reverted to skydiving and pulled the yoke all the way back to my gut like I was burying a pair of toggles. (This was in the 80s when you did that with squares). When he grabbed the controls we're way nose up and out of everything one needs to fly . . . When you solo depends probably more on the CFI than you. In most cases when solo time comes they'll take you around and around the patch until, yes, you can do it, but in reality you don't know why. It's a monkey see, monkey do kind of thing. I was well into 50 hours TT and my landings were still sometimes good and sometimes bad. And I never knew why. My CFI finally took to having my fly the approach down to about five feet above the RWY and level out. I'd then add a bit of power, and just stay there the length of the RWY. This worked for me because I could see exactly what the yoke and rudder inputs were doing to us in relation to the centerline. That helped me a lot. I suppose just like skydiving students, flight students are all different, and not all will respond to the same thing. So the trick is having a CFI that's experienced and caring enough to have a deep bag of tricks. In any case if you are comfortable with your CFI, stick with him or her, and you'll solo eventually. Keep us posted . . . NickD

I just checked and NASA has used DC-9s for this purpose. As for the company in Florida, check the prices under the "book a seat" link . . . http://www.nogravity.com/ NickD

But . . . NickD

This is just a guess as I don't know what the ultimate plans for the DC-9 are, but couldn't it be used to offer zero-g rides? There's a company in Florida doing it and these flights are now considered the bottom tier of the "space tourism" industry. The others are the Russian Mig ride you can take for about $25,000 to the edge of space, the sub-orbital flights that soon will be available, and the 20 million dollar orbital flights that while limited, are available now. I don't know if there's something about the DC-9 that would prevent it from flying parabolic arcs, but if not, there's no doubt jumpers, and non-jumpers too, would be lined up around the block. NickD

BASE was always somethng I wanted but I once said: "I'll never BASE jump from below 500-feet." I was wrong. "I'll never BASE jump from a building in the night." I was wrong. "I'll never BASE jump with my pilot chute stowed." I was wrong. And it goes on and on . . . NickD

A Javelin J-5 might work, but I don't know for sure if today's larger BASE canopies still fit in them. I've been hoping (and begging) the BASE gear manufactures to TSO a BASE pin rig with a front mounted reserve to finally solve this problem. Yes, I know it's expensive but I think almost everyone who BASE jumps would be a candidate to purchase one. Another approach, in the USA anyway, might be to pursue the FAA waiver process. BASE rigs have long proven themselves in the field and the burden of the TSO process seems rather silly at this point. But, I don’t know, I can see all the cans of worms that would open . . . NickD

These two articles are from the Aussie press . . . in the second piece, it sounds like he's injured badly. NickD BASE 194 BASE jumper seriously injured after 150m fall September 3, 2005 - 6:02PM A seriously injured BASE jumper was winched to safety after spending six hours perched on a ledge 150 metres down a cliff face in the NSW Blue Mountains today. Police are investigating the incident but say the man's health will take priority over any possible charges. The 26-year-old was BASE jumping with friends near Pierces Pass, Bilpin, west of Sydney, about 7.30am (AEST) when he fell 150 metres from the top of a cliff, authorities said. A Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter spokesman said the man suffered multiple injuries including two broken legs, a fractured pelvis and suspected spinal injury. "We successfully rescued a 26-year-old male BASE jumper after he fell 150 metres off a cliff at Pierces Pass," the westpac spokesman said. The spokesman said if the man had not landed on the ledge, he'd have fallen another 80 metres to the bottom. "A Westpac Lifesaver rescue medical team, including specialist paramedics and doctor, abseiled down the cliff face in a dangerous operation which took almost six hours. "It looks like a BASE jump gone wrong." The man was flown to the Nepean Hospital in a serious condition, the spokesman said. Police said they were investigating the matter. BASE jumping is illegal in Australia. BASE is an acronym for the buildings, antennae, spans (bridges) and earth (cliffs) from which enthusiasts parachute. "There will be an investigation and any charges are at the discretion of the investigators," a police spokesman said today. "Obviously, the man's health is a priority at this stage and we'll take it from there." The dangerous sport recently claimed the life of Australian thrill-seeker Darcy Zoitsas. Mr Zoitsas, 39, was killed in July after a jump went wrong off the spectacular 1000 metre-high Kjerag cliff, in western Norway. AAP BASE-jumper breaks legs, faces charges By Hannah Edwards September 4, 2005 The Sun-Herald A BASE-jumper who was critically injured after jumping off a cliff in the Blue Mountains yesterday faces criminal charges. The 26-year-old man suffered two broken legs, a fractured pelvis and suspected spinal injuries after his jump from Pearce's Pass, a popular BASE-jumping site near Bilpin, went wrong. BASE-jumping, where thrill-seekers leap off high cliffs and free-fall before releasing a parachute, has resulted in many injuries and deaths and is illegal in Australia. About 150 metres into the fall into the Grose Valley the man's parachute is believed to have hit a rock, knocking him off kilter and onto a ledge. Rescuers say that if he had not landed there he would have fallen another 80 metres. The man spent more than six hours wedged on the ledge as specialist emergency teams carried out a rescue. A police media spokesperson said the man may face criminal charges. Several Australians attempting dare-devil BASE-jumps around the world have been injured. In April, a man was seriously injured after BASE-jumping off the Sydney Harbour Bridge and a BASE-jumper died in Norway in July after leaping off the 1000-metre-high Kjerag Peak. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/base-jumper-seriously-injured-after-150m-fall/2005/09/03/1125302777734.html

I was at the VideoFest? NickD

The early Racers, like the SST models, had loops that were not adjustable or free floating. The pre-sized loop was actually sewn to the top of the pilot chute (under the hat, of course). This was later changed to a floating, but still not adjustable, design. This assured that even if one of the ripcord pins didn’t fully clear its loop the pilot chute would still launch. The knock on adjustable loops is probably the fear that either the rigger, or worse, the non-rigger owner hogs down on the loops to make the pack job look better. This can make the ripcord pull force much higher than normal and bend the pins. I would guess this is why John Sherman doesn't like them. Riggers love them especially the older ones who remember the early SSTs when during a first time assembly you had to estimate the loop size, and if you guessed wrong, it meant starting over again. Racers, if must be said, calls for a rigger comfortable with them in order to make the pack job look good and function within specifications. I find full time riggers who refuse to deal with pop tops often say they don't like the design for one reason or another, but to be frank, I think they'd just rather do Vector type rigs as it's just easier. I'm not a working rigger at the moment and even I get someone else to pack my Pop Top. Even though I've packed a fair amount of them over the years, I still have to get out the book, LOL. Mick's Reflex also has the adjustable loop but it’s easier to make a Reflex look good, so the chance of someone over tightening the loops is not so much of an issue. As far as whom to listen to, well, in terms of rig design John Sherman has it all over Helmut Cloth. And unless there's something else bugging John about Cypres loops I'm not aware of, I'd say it's a wash . . . NickD

I've been actively researching fixed object jumping since 1978 and I'd love to find evidence of prior "modern" BASE jumping occurring somewhere in the world. When I do hear from someone about earlier jumps, especially from Europe, it's always, I believe, I think, or I heard, with no evidence. This is further compounded when these people, like my good brother Faber, admit to being two years old at the time in question . . . The first word that reached us in the USA from Norway is in the summer of 1979. I don’t have the names in hand right now, but I believe it was Jorma Oster and some others. After that an expedition of 13, including Carl and Jean Boenish, went to the Troll Wall. Jumping in Norway took off after that. However, it took until 1992 before it caught fire and sites 1-7 are opened up. The closest thing to modern BASE that occurred anywhere on the continent prior to that is the 1950's jump done by the Dentist Felbmayr when he jumped a cliff in the German Dolomites. As for the French, the first French BASE jumper I met is in the early 1980s. He came to the USA to jump El Cap during the short lived legal period but he broke the rules by jumping at night and without a permit. When I saw him at Perris after his jump, and right before he was run off the DZ by angry jumpers who held permits they'd never get to use, I asked him if anyone is jumping in France and he told me no. I believed him for two reasons. First, he was an intolerable braggart evidenced (okay, we all were in those days) by the tee shirt he was wearing that proudly proclaimed himself, " El Cap Nite Frog #1." The second reason I believed him is in 1981 the very concept of keeping BASE jumping a secret is still a few years away. Anything that happened before the 1978 El Cap jumps would have never been kept a secret. They would have made worldwide headlines just as both the El Cap jumps in 1966 and 1978 did. Before, and like always, someone will now cite a one off stunt parachute jump made from an object somewhere in Europe and claim it as the first BASE jump. Sure, these types of jumps occurred all of the world. What I'm talking about here is the birth of the "sport" of BASE jumping. These earlier jumps, and they go back to ancient times, are like what the abacus is to the computer of today. As I said earlier this isn't about American BASE jumping, it's about BASE history, the history of all of us. If there is someone jumping in modern terms prior to 1978 I want to know, and I will certainly give them the credit. To just say >> I get the impression that the French were doing a lot of jumps a while ago and keeping a low international profile at the same time. Also, the first 1000 jump jumpers I met were French. Then came the Aussie/Yankie contingent.

Okay, you're entitled to an opinion . . . Thanks, NickD

Yes, I know you do. It's a fact of history that after any great progress in culture and science, then comes the dark ages . . . NickD

>> Jimmy and his buds have helped progess the sport 3 fold.

Okay Brother, you convinced me, you know more than I do . . . NickD

I mean jumpmaster skills for the bundles, but I think you knew that . . . NickD