JaapSuter

Moderator; I'm not sure what the policy is on this forum, so if the nature of this post is too bonfire-y, just move it somewhere else. Anyway, I just wanted to let everybody know that if you happen to live in the Vancouver BC, Canada neighbourhood; do your rigging business with Rigger Rob! He is incredibly skilled, has been around for many many years, he is a walking encyclopedia but won't be afraid to grab the reference book and his workmanship and attention to detail are above and beyond. Today I needed something fixed in a hurry to prepare for a trip next weekend. Rob decided to sneak the extra work into his incredibly busy schedule. Thanks Rob. You set a benchmark! ...it's also his birthday today! Cheers to a happy mid life crisis! I'm looking forward to testing your plagiarisms.

I wish. Of my eleven objects, only two were E's. Admittedly, I'm drawn to objects that were there long before base jumping existed and will still be there long after base jumping has become too trendy and shark fucking is the new rage. I guess it's a nature thing. That's what ski's and snowboards are for, right? With 95 percent certainty, yes. But we're going off-topic. PM me the rest...

Did you order those bulldozers yet? How else are you going to scrape an E together that's big enough to entice me? Just kidding. I'm stuck with only ten holidays a year though, so I have to plan carefully.

Faber: I got my pink hat ready, you crazy f*cker! Let the Faber Hucks America Tour commence.... Also, everybody that plans on making a jump with Faber, let me know. That'll give me an idea of how many limited edition F.H.A.T shirts I need to print. Share an exit with Faber, and you qualify. Revolutionary design to be unveiled soon! Dexterbase: I'm flexible. I'm going to try and be in Twin when you guys are there, but I'd also love to come visit Washington and do something there. I'll be in touch (PM me your phone-nr, I broke another phone on a base-jump).

Woohoo! Congrats!

Why is everybody forgetting that the Reynolds Number only applies after nondimensionalizing the Navier-Stokes equations? Given an average Ro of < 30, we find an experimental Poiseuille (laminar) flow that isn't turbulent enough to exhibit viscosity.

Saw this movie late at night, then went home and packed my parachute. When putting on my body-armour, it suddenly occured to me how similar the chest protection looked to Batman's. It only missed the little bat shaped embossing. So I went downtown for a little Batman-style BASE jumping. Morgan Freeman would have been proud of me. Too bad my parachute doesn't work like Batman's. I fell straight down and I think it was air that inflated my canopy, not some sort of inter-molecular static electricity. Kinda neat how they tried to explain all of his supernatural powers in terms of science, and especially funny they used BASE to explain his flying capabilities.

An alternative strategy that I've seen people use succesfully is to: jump, land, then take off all your clothes, dance around naked, screaming like a madman: "I'm from another planet, I'm from another planet!" They never got charged for their base jump.

More useful information. Thanks everybody! Very interesting! In my infinite lack of skydiving experience I was unaware of such pilotchutes. I assume the the nylon is at least slightly permeable? Actually, there is one about two hours from here, in your country. Before the end of the summer though, there will be a new local terminal wall, or my name is not Jaap Suter. And I'm not talking about the local pet-rock. That thing will unfortunately never be terminal despite its height. Stay tuned, come visit Canada! Unfortunately not. I'll be visiting North America's legal big wall, about twelve hours driving from here. Word. Thanks everybody for the information.

I'm pretty sure it matters, although not by how much. Assume for a moment that Treejumps is right about this, which I'm not entirely convinced of, the pilotchute would still have to get to its wing-like shape before the effect fully kicks in. For this to happen, air needs to enter the volume in between the mesh and the ZP. Now reason ad absurdum; instead of the mesh part, use a solid fabric with only a tiny hole at the bottom. Is this PC going to inflate fast? I doubt it. A small-mesh hole will let less air through than a large-hole mesh, given the same amount of pressure and time. Hence, a large-hole mesh inflates faster. This reasoning won't hold up scientific scrutiny, but 460, 736, 974 and all other intelligent people on this board can just look away for second. I'll trust my instincts and what manufacturers tell me.

Yeah, because I just stall out my tracking suit and fall straight down. Kidding. You're right, that's something I hadn't thought of. Duh... It's one of those things. It'll probably work, but for my first slider up base jump, I'll feel better at the exit point with a bigger PC. I've taken 42 from 300ft, but I feel better with my 46. Same in this case. Thanks!

Thanks for the replies everyone. Somebody brought up an interesting point. I'm planning on jumping with my Phoenix pants and jacket. I'm also fairly tall, but very light. All that results in a terminal falling speed that is far below average. Now imagine that worst case scenario, I'm using a 32 inch PC, and I chicken out or I count too fast, and I pitch at 6 seconds.... Am I going to die? Mmm, perhaps I should just borrow a 36/38 from somebody. Should be no problem. My own 38 is on order already. Thanks everyone!

The Bill Is Back! When am I going to see you in this part of the world? We need to huck something together. If not, how about a Labour Day Potato or perhaps a Turkey later this year?

That would definitely not hurt you. Especially if you manage to get rid of your rig and seconds later pretend to just be a bystander. Nobody will suspect the guy in a suit. Just think of the James Bond factor when you do that!

It bears repeating that your general attitude, posture, language and dress style can greatly affect the outcome of a bust. If law enforcers realize that you are not only a jumping lunatic but also a productive member of society, they can treat you quite differently. I'll refrain from making comments about how certain attire and bodily accessories can harm you when talking to a police officer, lest I insult other members of our little community. Just don't put tour-of-duty style camouflage paint underneath your eyes. Politely explain to whoever questions you that you were invited on that balcony by somebody you know, that you landed on a public parking lot, that you researched the law in advance of the jump, and that you did it at night to avoid endangering other people or property. That last thing should only be mentioned if it fits in the context; you don't want to give them any ideas of potentially charging you for mischief or reckless endangerment. What you really need to worry about is the strata or ownership corporation of the building. They might have a policy against throwing objects off balconies. They could easily interpret this into a potential fine for the owner of your apartment. Make sure you discuss this possibility with whomever invites you, and offer to pay any fine he or she might incur.

And while we're at it, does anybody have any thoughts on large-hole mesh versus small-hole mesh for pilotchutes, in relationship to the different available sizes, inflation speed, as well as snag potential for bridle and centerline. Thanks, Jaap

Hey, does anybody using a 32 inch PC with a floating handle? Any reason why most people go floating for their 36 or 38 but go external for their 32 incher? Does anybody have an opinion on 36 versus 38? Or get both? In case the weight of the canopy matters; I'm jumping a vented 266 canopy. For an 8 second delay off a cliff, what's your first choice; 32, 36 or 38? Would you comfortably use a 32, even when it's not your first choice? Thanks, Jaap

So true. You start doing this, and after a while you begin to realize that you're less stressed, you sleep better, you're more efficient, you're kinder to the people around you, and they respect your opinion more because they know you'd also tell them if it wasn't nice. Rhonda for president! Meanwhile, I'll go back to the bonfire.

Seconded.

Beautiful.

Thanks Johnny. That was a good read. Definitely stuff to think about and practice on skydives and bridges. Thanks, Jaap

Come on people, let's be honest. That goes especially for all of you that just started.

Also, Slickrock, can you confirm whether or not you have tuned your DBS?

Doing a Flash based 2D base simulation is definitely possible as a hobby project. Put a smart programmer together with a good pixel pusher and you could create quite an addictive little game. Doing a 3D game as a hobby project is impossible. I've seen incredibly smart people take on less ambitious game projects and they invarariably failed. Creating a game to today's standards is just too much work. It's no surprise that budgets for average games start at five million dollar and easily run over twenty. So your only chance at making a 3D BASE game is to have it funded by a publisher. The problem here is that no publisher will listen to you. They won't even open letters if they contain game ideas. What if it contains an idea they already had themselves? The risk is just too large. So that means that new ideas only come from within the industry or from IP with large marketing potential. Unfortunately, BASE just isn't very marketable. That means the game has to rely on actually being fun to play, and that's another risk that publishers just can't take. If they can't market it, they won't make it. Marketability is much more important than how good the game is. Marketing is easy. It's just science solved by money. Creating a fun game is hard; it's an art form that takes hard work, massive amounts of creativity and a little bit of luck that you hit the right balance. I think it's possible to make a great BASE game. Create an unconstrained 3D world, throw in some physics and animation, and then go nuts. Do it Jet Set Radio or Jet Grind Radio style and go over the top. Include a career mode where you start on easy objects and from planes, and then build up a reputation. If you get seen, you trigger increasing levels of alert. From onlookers to security guards, from cops to the army, from dogs to helicopters to tanks. Allow for tag-based wingsuit flights through a downtown core. Stick the James Bond elements of Base in the game as well. The less people see you jump, the more points you get. Exaggerate everything. And of course, include at least one famous National Park object. I know of at least one large publisher that has been talking to the main guy from Le Parkour. If they can do it, then why can't we? Maybe it is marketable? On the other hand, is BASE really a sport that we want to romantise and glorify in a video game? For a skateboarding game, just display a warning and a recommendation to wear a helmet if you plan on trying this stuff in real life. What the hell do you throw in a mainstream BASE game? Don't try this at home, you might lose limbs and friends? And once again I used too many words. Sorry, but it's a topic I'm pretty opinionated on since I make a living in the business. If you're not bedridden, why don't you turn off that evil machine and go outside to play? Sometimes I feel like a drug-dealer. I'm only in manufacturing, I never actually consume. If you are bedridden, go play Super Mario Strikers. Somebody told me that one of the programmers on that team is a base jumper!

Phenomenal! I can't wait to see this. Thanks Nigel and Al!