TomAiello

I have some really funny video buried somewhere in my historical collection. There's a jumper standing out on a diving board of rock at a popular tourist overlook (which is illegal to jump), during the day, with no rig. Another jumper is filming him as he stands out there, and you clearly hear a kid in the crowd say "I hope he falls!" -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Tom Manship fooled around with using e-thread for closing loops for a while. I wonder if it increases the chance you can snag a very small nick in the pin and actually increase the momentary (until it breaks) hangup potential if you are using very thin thread. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've heard the expression as "dirt floor poor" as well, so I assume they are related. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

There is a minority in any profession (including medicine) who are primarily motivated by profit, and bend their ethics to a greater or lesser extent for that reason. I don't think they'd have as much of a profit incentive, because it's doubtful Scoliosis will require spinal surgery, and any spine surgeon isn't going to have a lot of financial incentive to have you back into their clinic for repeated non-surgical visits. Most of their income will probably come from the operating room, so if they really think you need non-surgical help, they're likely to refer you out to another doctor, physical therapist, or whatever. No. A Physiatrist is a licensed and board certified physician specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Not a physical therapist. More information about Physiatry can be found here. In general, Physiatrists are M.D.'s, although some are D.O.'s. For example, in Idaho (where I live), there are 18 practicing Physiatrists, of whom 17 are M.D.'s and 1 is a D.O. The minimum standards for licensing as a chiropractor are: (a) 90 units of undergraduate education (approximately 3 years) (b) 3 years of chiropractic school That's a total of 6 years of post high school education. College graduation is not required, and only 3 years of post-college education are required. Compare this with the educational requirements for the two types of physicians discussed above (Spine Surgeons and Physiatrists): Physiatrists: (a) 4 years of college (b) 4 years of medical school (c) 1 year of internship (d) 3 years of residency Total of 12 years of post high school education. College graduation is required, as is 8 years of post-college education. Spine Surgeons: (a) 4 years of college (b) 4 years of medical school (c) 5 years of orthopedic surgery or neurosurgery residency (d) 1 year of spine surgery fellowship (most fellowships are actually 2 years) Total of 14 years of post high school education. College graduation is required, as is 10 years of post-college education. While I will not speculate on your definition of "real doctor," in my view, the "years of medical training" required of either a physiatrist or a spine surgeon (roughly twice that of a chiropractor) mean that I'm more likely to trust them in diagnosing or recommending treatment for disorders of the spine. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The only real answer is "because they want to." When I first met Dwain Weston, he was talking about throwing aerials from under 200'. I asked him "why would you want to do that?" and he looked at me kind of funny and said "why would you want to BASE jump?" Same answer: just because I/you/they want to. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Nic, that's a personal attack. Consider this your one warning. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Don't worry about it. At her age, it only matters if it has a functional effect. So, if she didn't know she had it (no pain, no loss of mobility), it's just words. Most doctors can diagnose you with a dozen things you don't know you have, and that won't change your quality of life at all (unless you worry about them). Oh, and like someone else said, get a different doctor to read the films and give you a diagnosis, if you're worried about it. And try to make it a doctor who has no incentive to tell you she needs something (in other words, someone like a spine surgeon or a physiatrist, who has spinal training but who won't get a bunch of your money for follow up visits on the scoliosis) Your chiropractor may just be fishing for more patient visits. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

It's an extension of the original discussion about the proximity flying video posted here by the same jumper. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ah, ok. I had trouble making it out on this little window on my laptop. Still, I think that maybe a little "slow down, there" speech is in order. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ouch. Did the TM know that was going to happen? It seems like the buzz pass is so close to the tandem opening that there's no way to predict it accurately--it could just as well have opened flying into the flight line and resulted in a collision (and potentially triple fatality). Jimmy, have you talked to Chris about that in person? I'm assuming (from your comment and the fact that it's your home DZ) that someone has? Chris is a hugely talented athlete, and a super nice guy. It's going to suck for a lot of people if he hurts or kills himself over-reaching like that. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Lots of people don't. I think it's something that your body trains itself not to feel, somehow, over time. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

If you don't frequent the BASE forum, check out the 2nd attachment in this post. Here's a direct link, if you don't want to brave the wilds of the BASElands. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've always taught them to FJC students with the PC attached, as a backup. What you decide to teach to students, and what you decide to do for yourself are two very different things. When you're teaching, someone else is trusting you with their safety, so you generally teach the most conservative techniques possible. When you are jumping for yourself, you set your own level of risk, and use whatever techniques fit that level. edit because I forgot that Lonnie also taught static line in his FJC -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

There's a reason for that. It all depends when the break happens. The only premature break I'm aware of, the canopy was just being extracted when the break cord busted. The Pilot chute took over and saved the day. there was (is ???) video on sdmovies of a SL antenna jump where the SL breaks (no idea how it was rigged) right after exit - and the PC extracts the canopy (i *think* it was a jump in S. America). I don't see how that would of been survivable without the PC. I know of one case in which a similar premature break (with no PC) was survived, very early on. I believe that the jumper actually flailed enough to elbow the canopy out (either that or he flopped around enough that it fell out to one side--depends on if you believed the jumper or the others watching), got partial inflation, and survived the impact. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

My asian friends take issue with it. I was asking my friend something about being Oriental, and she said, "Damn it Jaye, I'm Thai, not a vase!" Oopsie. "Oriental" is a subset of "Asian" because the Orient is a geographical region (the term generally describes Southeast Asia) which is a part of the larger whole that is Asia (generally accepted as a much larger geographic region including most of Russia, India, and the Middle East). Thus, "Oriental" describes a person from the southeastern part of Asia, whereas "Asian" describes those people as well as Indians, many Russians, Palestinians, Israelis, Persians, and a bunch of other folks. Interestingly, many Americans make the mistake of describing all pacific islanders as "Asian," when in fact many are neither Asian nor Oriental. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I don't get this part. How do you secure them? If the canopies is packed do you have one really long piece of break cord from the attachment point to the object? If so couldn't the break cord separate prematurely still and keep the pack closed? I'm obviously missing something. Static line and break cord are two different things. The static line is a piece of cord that does not break, which is used in the place of a bridle in this setup. You close the container by using tailgate rubber bands in the place you would normally have closing loops, and you double the static line (which is where you'd normally expect a bridle) over, tucking a fold of it through the rubber bands (which are where you'd normally expect the closing loops). Basically, the loop of static line acts as a pin replacement. When it's extracted from the rubber band (analagous to pulling the pin) the container opens. The break cord is entirely inside the container (picture it as attaching the bridle to the canopy), so it takes no load until the container is open (basically rendering a total impossible). This part of the system would also work with a velcro rig (using the regular bridle and shrivel flap, but putting the break cord between the shrivel flap and the canopy), using the bridle as the static line (non breaking) attachment. Todd S. showed me that setup several years ago (I believe he was using it out at the little wall). From the sequence of personal interactions, I wonder if perhaps he learned it from Jakey in the first place. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Cool technique. Are you leaving the static attachment on the object? Or is there a way to get it to detach and leave the object clean? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

And here is the thread, right there in this forum. If you want to revive the discussion, you're welcome to do so. In all honesty, I can't really understand the point you are trying to make here, but if you'd like to continue that technical discussion, have at it. The reason the search function doesn't find this thread is because there was a problem with indexing the forums into the search results that caused search results to be "lost" for all threads (in all forums) between roughly January 17th 2006 and May 26th 2006. This thread was posted on April 27, 2006, which is in the middle of that time period. This is currently the subject of the top thread in the Error and Bug Reports Forum. If you look at the post history for any user, or at the results of any forum search, you will notice that there is a gap during these dates. If you would like to discuss the search index error, I encourage you to do so in the Error and Bug Reports forum (the active thread is linked above). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

They Valley Hostel? I'm not sure, since I can't place anything as being right by the bridge. There are several other (more upscale and pricier) hotel options in the valley, as well, and also the campground. From my experience, the Valley Hostel, the Horner, and the campground have all been pretty jumper friendly. I've packed in all three places (also, for what it's worth, at Balmer's) I don't know about any other places from personal experience, though. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I don't really know. My best advice is to go to a store that stocks a bunch of armor, and try on various pieces for yourself, evaluating fit, protection, etc. I found it helpful to take a rig and also look at how it changed the fit of the rig (and the location of the PC). For what it's worth, my general impression has been that several other brands are at least as protective as the Dianese, at a fraction of the cost. My personal favorite is probably Fox Racing, but I admit that I've got hundreds of times as many jumps in the Dianese, so it may just be that I've identified things I don't like about it, and haven't had a chance to get so nitty-gritty with any other set of armor. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I definitely agree. I've seen entanglements with the armor, and it isn't pretty. Anything you can do to minimize entanglement potential seems like a good idea to me. Neil, I got my Dainese armor (top and bottom) for about US$200, by just waiting until I found it on close out at some random internet site. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I don't believe I've ever claimed any particular skill or expertise at BASE jumping. Can you find somewhere that I've (your words) "proclaimed" myself to be a BASE "god" ? It's interesting that this discussion of your forum has come back to a discussion of me personally. I wonder why that is? You're more than welcome to point out a technical discussion in which you disagree with me. Then we can discuss that specific technical point, and you, me, and everyone else can decide for themselves what they think. I strongly disagree with your contention that I've banned people who simply disagree with me on a technical point, and I challenge you to point out any posts where that was the case. Can you? Again, I find it interesting that you are so obsessed with me. I will, again, point out that your obsession began immediately after a post I made here. In that post, I analyzed an incident which resulted when you tried to repeat a jump that I had first conceived and performed. Unfortunately, you failed to understand the basic technical points necessary for the performance of the jump (the underlying importance of maintaining line tension during deployments of all kinds, and the importance of practicing the launch to achieve minimal separation during the freefall), and as a result, a serious injury resulted. I tried very hard not to cast blame, or name names, in that post, and I find it quite indicative of your personality, and your underlying feelings of guilt, that you took it so personally, and began lashing out at me. I've said this before, but I'll say it again. Nick, I am not your enemy. You are lashing out at me because you blame yourself for what happened. Let go of that guilt. In BASE, accidents happen. The best thing we can do is to learn from them, and be thankful when those involved are able to recover. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Unless things have changed a lot since I was a Lodi jumper (and they may have), you can probably just camp at the dropzone. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I actually don't think the tear will have much impact on the PC's inflation. It's about an inch and a half across, and is in the mesh between the reinforcing tapes on the bottom skin. I've played around with the PC a bit, and can't really see anything that the tear does when the PC is inflated, aside from perhaps making it more likely that other parts of the PC will wear out sooner. You can check out the PC the next time you're up here, and let me know what you think. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Do you work skydiving at all? I write off all my jumping expenses as part of my BASE instruction business. It's easier for me because in net I actually do make money, but I know a lot of people who write off part of their jumping expenses that way. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com