skydived19006

They do specifically state "BASE jumping is not safe,..." But then preceded to sugar coat it. I have this in my FAQs "WHAT HAPPENS IF THE PARACHUTE DOESN’T OPEN?" And, yes I know that "...malfunctions..." would be more correct. They don't address this little issue on the web site. Safety BASE jumping is not safe, but history shows that is can be performed safely. TandemBASE takes all precautions to provide the safest environment possible within the realm of BASE jumping. Student harnesses include an inflatable PFD (Personal Flotation Device), with single pull activation, in the event of a water landing. All students are provided helmets and must arrive with proper footwear (athletic shoes or hiking boots). With a minimum of 500 jumps, TandemBASE instructors begin as the sport’s highest caliber jumpers. Instructors are then required to complete written and practical instruction and testing on TandemBASE Standard Operating Procedures before being certified as TandemBASE Instructors. Is it safe, can I get hurt? BASE Jumping is not safe, but it can be done safely. BASE jumping is like any other extreme sport: there are inherent risks that require careful training and execution. Failure to follow that training can lead to serious injury or death. The equipment has improved considerably over the old-style round parachute and is so reliable that, when used properly, BASE jumping can be as safe or safer than any other extreme sport. . That being said, there is no perfect parachute, no perfect instructor, no perfect weather condition, and for that matter no perfect student. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

That's cool! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I also really doubt that an old U206 with a ran out engine would run anywhere near $200,000. The PT6-20 as I understand is a bit obsolete coming off of old King Airs in favor of larger/newer engines. So again maybe depending on perspective reasonable cost. My guess would be that Van is just a bit more informed on the subject than I. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Most likely sometimes 8, or 7k when ceiling restricted. In that case, I'd spend a few seconds on the step too taking shots. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

It looks like you went and picked up that engine in one of your U206s. I really think that these airplanes will be a big hit around the skydiving community! And I look forward to seeing one fly at my DZ someday in the not so far future! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

One of my TIs installed the new firmware then pointed the camera at a clock with a second hand. It wasn't shooting a picture every second so he emailed GoPro. Their response was that "it's actually more like a picture every 1.3 seconds." Just as an FYI in case someone figures out that in 45 seconds of freefall you're not getting 45 pictures but more like 35. Or 30 seconds will get you 23 pictures, etc. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

N/A

So yeah, they'll have 300 pictures as opposed to 150, not exactly a selling point with me. Though 30 freefall pictures as opposed to 15, and maybe 4 or 6 on the step as opposed to 2 or three, that's very cool! I think I'll get that shit going this afternoon! If I were jumping from 14,000' out of a turbine airplane, I'd stick with P2, but we're sometimes jumping from 7,500' with clouds, and 10,000' normal and 30 seconds of freefall. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Well, spun right it sounds like a good idea. In fact I now want to report all one of my malfunctions to someone! Sounds like there needs to be a malfunction form so we report all the necessary data, such as line type and who'd canopies we're test jumping in which manufacturers containers. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I agree. From our end it seems to be something that would be very easy to do. My guess is that there is more than a little politics involved as well. UPT has a fairly tight relationship with PD, and well then there's Ted. Another thought on Strong systems. Since Strong doesn't collapse the drogue until the canopy is extracting form the bag, don't the Strong canopies have more reinforcement through the drogue attachment point? No doubt George Galloway, and others could add structure to his canopies if necessary for the Strong system. Again, being cool with multiple main manufacturers would be a selling point. I will never purchase a new Para-Phernalia rig with the 20 year and out bull shit, they just cut off their nose to spite their own damn face on that one IMO. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

If any one manufacturer did what you suggest in regard to sport rigs, they would sell zero rigs. Apparently, they consider that they can make this policy with tandem gear and "get away with it." Conversely, I would think that if say for instance UPT came out with a list of approved main canopies, it would prove to be one more selling point for them, and another reason to avoid Strong gear. Maybe somebody should put Eclipse gear back in production and allow multiple mains? Might make it viable again? My Eclipse rigs continue to serve well, and for the most part no manufacturer giving me shit about anything! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I don't have an exact count but would guess that I have around 500 hand cam tandem jumps. I've never had anyone grab my arm in free fall. I do remember someone hooking their arm over mine, I simply moved my arm out around theirs. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

"Here's your sign." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Je8jTXlkdU&feature=related Edit to add: My doctors office has on the out going phone message ...If this is an emergency call 9-1-1!... It's really kind of funny until you listen to it for the 100th time. You hear it on the first message, then if you want to leave a question for a nurse you get to hear it again. Apparently, in their experience and for some patients it is a necessary message. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I'm giving up pickin' my belly button for lent. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

There is no external switch available for the gopro. I do the same thing, and manually pause pictures on my gopro when I pause my video camera. You can leave the gopro running the whole canopy ride if you want. Drawback is that you have over 200 pictures and 150 of them look essentially the same. it would be time consuming to pick out a bunch of pictures, so just dump them all to a CD and explain or not to your customer that they have 250 pictures of which a bunch look the same, but a bunch of really cool shots regardless. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

FIFY Especially if you can't spot. I actually put a "spot" on the step on my 182 with "SPOT" in it. That way for those who simply go through the motions, at least they can say that they did check the "SPOT." Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Ok, I did a search for this one too and didn't find anything. Story goes that when there was more controversy regarding exit order for free flyers Mike asked a free flyer to exit last. So,... Mike: Free flyer up here with me, you exit last. Free Flyer: Fly the fucking airplane! Seven minutes later, Mike: 13,500' Exit, Exit, Exit, FFer exits and red light immediately comes on. Mike puts the rest of the load on hold until he can "correct the spot", seems he had a 10 plus mile spotting error. I don't really know Mike personally, but I have talked with him on a few occasions. Seems plausible to me. Either way, it's always good for a laugh over beer at the DZ, true or not. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Well there it is, I even did my due diligent search, maybe I don't know how to spell helicopter? Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I heard this story quite a long time back, long enough that I couldn't have looked it up on the internet since it didn't for the most part exist, the internet that is. Something came up the other day to bring it back to thought. I was really wondering if it was true. So, story is that the helicopter was making really low passes over a corn field before climbing. Some guy had positioned himself in the path to take pictures, was almost hit by the roters, then instructed to leave because he had almost been killed, etc. He returns to same place to take pictures and helicopter takes him out. So, true or not? Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I understand that it may be considered bad forum form to reply to my own pose, but I wanted to leave the OP without a bunch of comment. Some of the ideas I like, some I'm ambivalent, some I'll ignore, the last one I don't quite understand. The age issue was put in the BSRs. Until any of the other suggestions go into the BSRs, suggestions is all that they are unless your gear manufacturer makes you sign something. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I was not at PIA, the following are notes a friend took at the seminar. I'm surprised that I didn't see it already up here. All tandem manufacturers teaming up to agree on some standards they'd like to see. From PIA 2011 in Reno, February 15 presenters: Mark Procos UPT, Bill Morrisey of Strong Enterprises, Tom Noonan PD, Nancy LaRiviere Jumpshack, Frank Carreras German TIE Present in attendance of approximately 150 people including: Bill Booth UPT, Ted Strong, Jay Stokes USPA President, Jim Crouch USPA Director of S&T, Ed Scott USPA Ex Director, almost everyone a TI, 20 or so T I/E’s, represented from the U.S. and all continents internationally as well. 19 commandments of Tandem Parachute Operations 1. No jumpers under the age of legal majority 2. Waivers – A Must 3. Tandem Student harness should be in jumpable configuration before boarding a/c 4. Minimum Exit Altitude 7,500’ (normal tandem operation) 5. Drogue must be deployed within 3 to 5 seconds. 6. Handle Checks in the order you would use them. (before board, in a/c, before exit, after tossing drogue) 7. RW must cease by 6,500’. There will be a briefing, which includes the student. 8. Pull Drogue Release by 5,500’. 9. Under Canopy by 4,000’. 10. Maintain adequate [100’] separation under canopy. 11. No Hook Turns. (No turns over 90 degrees under 500’) 12. Stabilized on final by 100’. There is no reason not to. 13. Report any cutaway … or equipment failure that may or may not have resulted in a cutaway, whether or not there is an injury. Report any injury. 14. Videographer (outside) Minimum experience: a) 500 RW jumps with 100 camera jumps, a currency requirement of 100 jumps in the previous year, or b) 300 jumps, and has passed air skills of a USPA Coach Course. 15. 100 tandem jumps before using a Handcam. 16. Currency requirements - 3 tandems over the last 90 days a) under 500 tandem jumps – Strong used to say 1 jump every 30 days b) over 500 tandem jumps – Strong used to say 1 jump every 90 days --if multiple ratings, “a tandem jump is a tandem jump” according to Strong. Not sure hold the “old” currency will change; more on that later. 17. Adhere to Manufacturer’s maintenance and packing instructions 18. There must be a minimum passenger briefing (before boarding a/c) according to FAR 105.45 19. All TI’s will be required to participate in the Continuing Education Module. The test will be available online. The format will be 3-question multiple choice. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Sure, toggle whip a 720! Go big or go home, make sure that your student's family is out to watch, they'll love that shit! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Shouldn't matter. Don't go heavier than you would be happy with under the reserve and enjoy. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I voted for "boobies." Ordinarily I'd prefer my partner to have a slower fall rate, but if boobies are the "speed factor" well then.... Wow! That was pretty politically incorrect. Honestly, fall rate aside I think that my fav booby adjective would have to be "pert." We can make up the fall rate with a skin tight suit and lead. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

My eight year old couldn't find a clean bowl to eat ceral from the other day, so I taught him how to clean one. He then refused to use it since it wasn't dry. Said that his milk would get soggy. My just turned seven year old has always had a problem pronouncing the "S", though not so much any more. "Swimming" sounded like "women" and at four he was taking "women lessons." When he was three or so he used to make up examples of how much he loves me. Things like "I love you all day and all night." We still go through a list of his "I love you..." at bed time. I've recently added a couple, fav is "Love you long time." Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ