TomAiello

There are many legs of the Grand Canyon that pass outside the NPS boundary. As for the helicopter, I don't know. I'd ask some skydiving experts and see how they managed that one. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I seem to recall one unpacking just before exit on a B with you. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

really? Yes. Really and truly. Not even the bits that get posted online and linked to this forum. I just don't have time. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Max and Jesse were in Jesse's Explorer. I didn't see Sky, though. Was he here somewhere and I just missed him? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Having never seen a single second of Stunt Junkies, I'm totally mystified by your question. Can you rephrase it so that someone who has zero knowledge of that show can follow it? Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

If you duct tape the bottom closed with your foot inside, I bet it'll increase the flight performance of the pants. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

When students in my FJC's rent gear (i.e. they don't yet have their own), I ship them a rig in advance so that they can practice packing. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think someday may be sooner than you think. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

In my opinion, the spine protector would be better built into the rig than the wingsuit. That way you'd have it on every jump, not just the wingsuit ones. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Shuttle Pro is available as a single full body suit, and also as 2 pieces (top and bottom). Also, virtually all the individual pieces (knee and shin guards, spine protector, etc) can be purchased individually. Have a look here for example. There are numerous similar products, by both this manufacturer and others, and several discussions about the relative merits of each system can be found in the BASE forum. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Don't you think it's a little presumptious for someone who pretty much only uses this forum to Troll to tell us what it "is all about"? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think there are about 6 reposts of this one in this forum. Let's keep the discussion in the original thread. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Hey, Were you one of the 3 guys I met around 2 pm yesterday? Driving the Forerunner with the Utah plates? The ones fiddling around looking like they weren't quite for sure how to get that parachute thingy into the backpack thingy? I'm headed out to the bridge right now. I'll see if I can find you today. Maybe I can convince you not to do something really foolish. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Normally, no. On a BASE canopy it's more likely that the canopy would maintain heading and you would spin underneath it. The majority of BASE line twists are caused by the motion of the jumpers body (spinning) under a steady (maintaining heading) canopy. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Yes. If I understand your question correctly, it's pretty off topic, but in brief: My experience has been that heading performance begins to degrade noticeably on slider down BASE canopies at wingloadings around .65 (unvented canopies) and .5 (vented canopies). I highly recommend bottom skin inlets if you are going to drop your loading below .65 or so, but then again, I'd pretty much recommend them for all slider down BASE. Note that my firsthand knowledge on this is all pretty much slider down, non-wingsuit. I've got no idea what happens when you throw that slider thingy around your lines. Robi is correct about the opening not really caring if it's horizontal or vertical. The opening just happens in the relative wind--which direction the relative wind is blowing through the opening is irrelevant (or rather, always the same, if you prefer). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Since you can't just pop a rig in an e-shopping cart and check out, there's no real need to do that. The manufacturer can easily have a real conversation (rather than just posting a disclaimer document) with anyone who calls them inquiring about gear. I have yet to encounter a manufacturer who doesn't do this--they all ask you some questions when you order gear. They also make you sign a written waiver, which pretty clearly describes the risks, before they'll sell you gear. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

That's by far the easiest, and in my experience, most common, method. In general, all you need to jump with is either the rope or the rack (because if the other guy isn't rapping off, he can jump with the other one). A trad rack is kind of a pain (because of the snag potential, so you need to find a way to cover it), but a rope isn't too bad. The easiest way I've found to hide the rack from snags is to use a backpack type rope bag and put the whole rack in it, then wear it on the front for the jump. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I don't think that's accurate. What are you basing your statement on? I know that I've had every major US manufacturer contact me at various times asking for references on potential customers they were selling gear to. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've seen a couple people do it. You're going to have to size the wingsuit for all the protection, which will make performance suffer when practicing from planes. In general, it's pretty rare. You can get away with just the really critical stuff (like the spine protector) fairly easily, though. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Nope PDA rounds have only ever seen much use in BASE as pilot chutes. I think the problems mostly had to do with oscillation and landability (plus, by the time they were more refined, we were pretty much all on squares). I believe that somone tested one (or maybe more than one someone) for use as a building escape rig. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've got about 5 different rounds. You're welcome to jump one of them. Two are already in rigs, actually. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think what we have here is a failure to communicate. MyTwoCents (and company) is saying: You don't have a right to hurt other people's ability to participate in BASE jumping (by, for example, doing things that make government regulation or banning of jumping more likely). Greeny (and company) is saying: I have a right to BASE jump. These two statements are not in contradiction of each other. We pretty much all do have a right to do what we want--provided we're not hurting others. We do not have a right to hurt other people without redress. Failing to consider the impact of your actions on others is inconsiderate, and, in a BASE sense, unethical. One final thought: Carrots work better than sticks. You are never going to be able to stop someone from getting into BASE. You can usually convince them to, for example, attend a weeklong free training session. Oh, and one really final thought (sorry): If you think that Greeny hasn't learned a lot from his missteps starting BASE, you're not paying attention. Have a look at his "Lessons Learned From an Unconventional Introduction to BASE" post. Sorry to lecture. [/rant] -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

When I was 14, a family friend crashed her car into a tree trying to avoid a deer, and was killed. About 2 months later, I was riding in the car with my dad. A deer jumped in front of us, and he hit the brakes, slowed as much as he could, and then plowed straight through the deer. It flipped up over the car (it was a little Alfa Romeo convertible), rolled off the back side, and over into a gulley on one side of the road. The car was unharmed, my Dad and I were fine, and the deer was killed. I've never swerved for an animal in the road. Brakes, yes. Steering wheel, no. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Actually, you met him at my house on Saturday night. Remember the guy who I made leave the case of cheap beer outside? He moved to Twin about 3 months ago. I think he's pretty much reformed from his original internet posting ways. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Please use the Search Function. You'll probably want to read the (numerous) existing threads, and perhaps add your questions to one of them, rather than start a new one. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com