tfelber

Safire2. I believe the Safire2 had considerably more jumps on it than anything else. The Pilot, Sabre2, and Axon were new enough that they were hard to get in the bag (I tried three times with the Pilot and then took it to Cathy). But it's hard to tell just how many jumps were on each canopy. The Nitro only had a couple of jumps on it, was the easiest to pack because they use a different material, had incredibly predictable, soft openings, and a ton of flare on the bottom end. Needless to say it is the one I bought and I still enjoy the hell out of it. BTW these were all 150's. The Nitro I bought was a 135. Predictable, yes, desirable no!

At WFFC last year I tested all the different canopies available in the mid range performance area, Sabre2, Safire, Pilot, Nitro... I also recently jumped the Axon. I like the people at PD and I think their canopies are well constructed, but the opening characteristics of the Sabre2 were by far the WORST! I posted a review of all these canopies here if you search around. The Sabre2 would smack you occasionally and always took an immediate left or right on opening. I packed the canopy myself and had PackinCathy pack it for me, but it was completely unpredictable.

Hey Clint, When I find a B I like I'll let you know... Maybe during the Holiday Boogie!

S: 6 jumps (1 object) Thanks Tom E: 2 jumps (1 object) Thanks Ralph, 2 walk downs Thanks Lou and Eddie. 1 500' baloon jump just to get some air. Just got my brand new DP last week, planning on adding to this list in the near future.

So if this thing is supposed to float what keeps it from turning the person upside down and floating on top? Specially in a mishap type of landing.

Congrats Steve!!! See you in Moab.

From that article it sounds like climbers have the same problem as us except they have larger numbers, and therefore more money, and they have insiders. But it sounds like the rangers really are a "Tool". Even the climbers or used to be climbers turned park rangers are blind regarding the quest. I think we should all, everyone who's access is limited or banned, join forces and put a plan in place to allow all of us to enjoy what it is we do in the National Parks we financially support!!! Good article and comments, as always, Nick!

This thread has brought up a lot of self-doubt for me in regards to tracking. I think I'm a pretty good tracker. When I was a student my instructor told me to do a 180 at 5k and track hard. When I got to the ground he brought the video over and said his intention was to track past me, but I turned 180 and took off. He couldn't keep up with me. Recently, I participated in the Gravity Games at Elsinore. One of the contest was to track from the plane, in jeans, and you were awarded points if you could get past the runway by 5k. I was one of five that made it past and it really seemed very easy to me. I made it all the way to the landing area where I just fell stable the rest of the way to pull altitude. However, Mr. Tagle had no problem catching and passing me while shooting video, I think this was partly due to my looking forward. When He flew under me and took my air away and I looked down I felt a change in body position and an accelleration. BTW, the jumper who had set the path of the plane said we would have to track our asses off to get back to the target. So comes my question, what does "track properly" mean? If I'm tracking as far and as fast as I think I am, even though I know I can always do better, what do I use as a measurement? I read up-thread about instability form more than one jumper that I would assume were proficient trackers before trying new tools and they had problems. I've tried the PF suit and I didn't have any issues with stability or control. Granted it definately felt a lot slipperier and I could feel an extra force trying to accellerate my lower body, kinda like your ass trying to pass you in flight. I am considering trying a wingsuit at Rantoul this year, but as I said at the start of this post, have some self-doubt issues to overcome to mitigate the perceived risk. Am I just being nuts or what? Any feedback or direction would be appreciated.

Utah State Parks are not necessarily legal, BLM on the other hand is. There was recently a meeting involving BASE in Utah's State Parks. What happened with that meeting? Is this the real root of the problem?

And some on the BOD don't get along. As a matter of fact there are law suits and such between BOD members. Some BOD members don't run USPA member dropzones. YET, the organization still exists and promotes skydiving quite well. If the ABP is really committed to increased access as they indicate then I'm still behind there goal. If this turns out to be a money or control issue then their stated goal is not the true goal. If it is a "separation of church and state" type issue, where it is spoken that they are separate but one influences the other, then I also do not agree with the direction they are going. I think the only way we will know for sure is through their future actions. It appears to me some of the most influential people in BASE have just been distanced from this organization...

I got in trouble a lot as a kid. I broke my arm in a fight in the 5th grade. I broke my ankle racing dirt bikes in the 10th grade. I got aressted several time my junior and senior year I went to jail when I turned 18 for a while. I got out of jail and went to college. I raced the superbike circuit for several years crashing more than a few times. I got my EE degree. I started an engineering company. and then I started skydiving. I conditioned my parents well, I think! However, they were a little concerned when I started BASE jumping, but they know I'm going to do what I'm going to do and they respect my judgement even when it's wrong.

I didin't see any smoking and I never found the free beer either! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

That's quite thought provoking... I don't necessarily keep what I'm doing a secret from my friends or acquaintences, but I have not done an illegal jump yet either. I do know of a few illegal jumps that have happened and the people on these loads were very secretive about them before thay happened and even afterwards, with good reason. Even people I know pretty well will say "Last night, we did this thing..." and that's about as clear as it gets. I have read stories, here and elsewhere, of illegal jumps that went well and some that went bad. So not everyone feels the need to be a secretive as others. For myself, it almost feels like bragging to talk about a jump I made. I get this exhilerated feeling after a jump and want to tell everyone about it, but I have a sensation bordering on guilt when I think about talking about something that I think is such an accomplishment to someone who basically considers it insane. Or others that might say "So what..." The time I walked down from a certain "E" I had no problems talking about. I think I felt embarassed about walking down so I didn't consider the thoughts of others as much. As for my close friends, I have no problems talking to them about antics; including jumping, but posting it on a public forum is another story. However, I really do enjoy hearing and reading about different jumps, how they went, what worked, and what didn't. A couple of months before my FJC I ran accros someone's BASE diary on line and it was very interesting to read. So in summary I don't have a desire to keep BASE underground. I don't feel the need to limit people's access to the sport or the "legal" objects. I understand BASE is inherently more dangerous than most other things, but I don't believe that I or anyone else needs to police the sport. If people participate in something without the ability to deal with the consequences then that's their problem. I think having BASE less underground generates more information so that people who have the desire to enter the sport informed have a better chance of making the decision that is right for them.

And that was exactly the way it happened, promise!

Q1. Yes, I have even had a Secret Level security clearance. And those were felony charges, six of them to be exact and I served two years in the state penal institution. I thought I already clarified I had plenty of experience in this area! Q2. I already am a US citizen, but point taken. Q3. Note Q1 response, I travel internationally quite often. However, I realize that is not the same as the US immigration statutes. Q4. Definitely, see Q1 response. Q5. Yes and I left it there!

I received a letter from the congressman I wrote regarding legalization of BASE jumping in NP's. He basically said it's illegal and this has been upheld in several court cases. He said he appreciated my passion and would consider my comments should this matter ever come before the House. I wrote this letter using the congressman's web page. It took less than 2 months to receive a response. Regarding the letters I wrote through the ABP, I have received no response. It's been almost 4 months.

I was reading a thread where the primary emphasis seemed to be on the paranoia of getting BUSTED. My question is what are people true concerns with getting busted for trespassing or even arial delivery? Tresspassing seems to me to be a rather minor offense, listed as a Class B Misdemeanor for the most part, punishable by UP TO 180 days in county jail and/or a fine up to $2,000. While this might seem like a lot it is comparable to a DUI/DWI. Most DUI/DWI 1st, and even 2nd, convictions result in penalties in the $500 range and an overnight or weekend stay in jail. To me that just doesn't seem to be that strong of a deterrent. I mean look how many repeat DUI offenders there are out there and how many have never been caught. Am I missing something here? I realize local governments differ, but is there any justification or history which puts BASE jumping into a aggravated or criminal category? Arial delivery in NP's is clearly another story. The law is being used to inflict punitive damages on the BASE community. Forfeiture of my gear is probably my primary concern. And due to history the penalties are generally harsher than the norm, but if you could get off a 3000' wall, what would it be worth? People travel to Norway and jump and I'm sure these trips are not considered cheap. So what's the big deal? Before anyone goes off on what I know about getting arrested and spending time in jail, I must tell you I have plenty of experience! So what are your concerns?

Call Apex. They have taken incredible care of myself and others while equipment is being built and repaired.

I don't think anyone says or believes unrestricted jumping in NP's is reasonable or possible. Regulation in that jumping environment will improve conditions for everyone involved. A permit application should be mandated, but application shouldn't be summarily dismissed. If I'm a tax paying citizen and I have the experience/training to make a jump in a NP then there is no reason I should be denied that opportunity other than possible scheduling conflicts; like holiday weekends or mating season, etc. The money spent on hiking or climbing related incidents are probably heavy weighted towards people who didn't have the experience to be doing what they were doing however there are no restrictions on these people's activities. I think most of us would be OK with the regulations, but a ban is another item entirely. I think that Americans, not knocking anybody that is not an American, have a certain indelible right to equal access to public commodities such as the NP's. We pay the bills that keep these things in existance. Imagine what would happen if because I ride a motorcycle I wasn't allowed to enter Washington DC or they would impound my bike and charge me with two-wheeled delivery.

If you want to be good at some thing you have to practice, practice, practice!!! WFFC is a great arena for practicing!

Peter, I have previously done just that. The first letter was summarily dismissed. The second and third have not been responded to and it's been more time since writing them than it was to get a response on the first attempt. The letters, at this point, are simple a nuisance for the elected officials. There is no requirement for them to respond and the maximum number of letters is probably trivial compared to other issues they face. I do think we should not forget the politically correct way of dealing with this issue, but ultimately I think a major upheaval is all that will be heard. I think that upheaval can only be heard by way of numbers, impact, or cash.

Very well written! I don't have much information regarding the intended discussion, but this proposal is only to "table" the discussion until further research can be done. What about approval of the desired use given the information at hand? It seems table'ing the discussion could result in a "ban until further notice" very easily without the need for the State Park to make a rule or pass a law prohibiting jumping.

Operation Free Will!

I don't believe there is an organizer for this event. I believe there was a "Wouldn't it be cool if..." conversation started and a bunch of people said "yeah it would" and "I'd like to participate in something like that" and the likes. That what's unique about this idea as opposed to the JanD jump. No one is organizing anything. It's just a FREE SPEAKING group of people talking about something that may or may not ever happen. While we could possibly be charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, I don't think that would support the NPS's stand at all. It might even be the best press coverage we could ask for. I think the best way to proceed is to have people show up. If people choose to jump, they choose to jump. If not it will still be a show of force regarding something that should not be deemed illegal which would be protected under "Freedom of Speech". What would probably happen is the exit points would be blocked and the only way to jump would be to break more serious laws. At which point, most people will back down. [SoapBox] I feel many of our (US Citizens) rights are being violated, including the recent imminent domain ruling by the Supreme Court, many items in the Patriot Act and the way it is being enforced, and the right to use, in a way that is not detrimental to the public or the land, publicly owned land which I am paying to support. [/SoapBox] It would be really cool if we could secretly get a large group of people together to do a stealth jump, but secret, stealth, and large group are words that don't fit together easily.

I'm willing to participate and if getting busted is part of the participation I'll fight for my rights using all resources available... Let's do it!!!