TomAiello
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Everything posted by TomAiello
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While most of the experienced jumpers I know look down on some or all of their exits, my experience working with students has been that usually need to look up to get the exit nailed, and that only after several jumps (when the body position is getting ingrained) can they start to look around. I actually had one student who I told to look down to early in his training sequence (I think it was the 4th or 5th jump) who did a complete front flip and pretty much gave me a heart attack. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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My original post is here. The flights are amazing. Both the proximity (how close he's flying) and the duration (how long he stays close to the cliff) are amazing. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Have you used the Trango from aircraft with a skydiving container? Any thoughts on it's suitability there? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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*REPUBLICANS* Who is YOUR 2008 Presidential Candidate?
TomAiello replied to SkyChimp's topic in Speakers Corner
On an ideological level, I'd vote for Ron Paul. On a practical level? I think it would be nice if Tancredo were in the white house, because we'd see legal BASE in National Parks in the US. Tancredo is the only congressman to actively address this issue, and has essentially asked the NPS to allow BASE jumping. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com -
Enough. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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I had a very similar experience, except I was watching from the exit point, and my friend had the helmet fall down over his eyes. He reached up with both hands and jettisoned it in freefall about 2 seconds down. Fortunately he then took another 8 or so, and was well clear of the opening area by the time the helmet came whizzing by. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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When I talked to them last week, they said they'd ship mine immediately. I think the on-line ordering might be a bit funky, so you might want to call them and check. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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I know that reading is too nerdy for you, so here's a picture. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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It's $25 plus $7 shipping, from Morpheus, in the US (I know this because I ordered it and that's what it cost me). I don't know about other parts of the world, though. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Why did you roll it over? A long time ago, I did a similar jump, but with the canopy more spread out (I used clothes pins to attach it to a handrail behind me), and just launching flat and stable (well, more of a stand and stable). I was able to land (no flare, just PLF into some foam mats) without injury about 50 feet below the exit point. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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There are 4 jumpable bridges within about 30 miles of here. They range from a nice beginner bridge (the one everyone jumps) to a sort of intermediate bridge (the one that starts with H), to a fairly technical one (GF) to a super insane, once in a lifetime, one (MG). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Also, if that kind of proximity flying is your thing, you might want to check out Fly the Line as well, which is sort of the wingsuit version of the same thing. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Dude, you need to get out more. If you want I can give you directions to at least 5 bridges that you are guaranteed not to think of as "just training tools." -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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The first person I heard say it was Jeb Corliss. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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No. There is no set minimum. I'll evaluate all the applications against each other competitively, so more skydives are to your advantage, but so are other experiences. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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If the thing you were going to collide with was another canopy, wouldn't it also be turning away from you? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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I fly canopies of that size and larger quite regularly. If you want faster riser response, you ought to consider changing the type of canopy, which is a far bigger variable than the size. An Ace 280, for example, has very snappy riser response, where a FOX 265 has much slower response to riser input. Can you explain why you decided that performing the turn in the shortest amount of time was the important factor? In general, I'd think that performing the turn in the least amount of forward distance would be the thing to worry about. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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The Apex BASE DP is their Dual Pin container. More info here. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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What rigging errors are possible slider off, but not slider down? He's talking about the potential for error when you open the links to remove the slider or put it back on. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Definitely. Many people like to leave the slider on because they don't want to create chances for error in repeatedly putting it on and taking it off (and opening the links). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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In the event that one riser releases, the slider can (and has, on a couple occasions) hold the released riser down somewhere near the jumper, allowing the canopy much more inflation than if the riser rode up above the canopy (basically making that half of the canopy--at least--into a streamer). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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In my opinion, it's "six of one, a half dozen of the other." Slider off: The risers can spread more, and the canopy theoretically ought to fly better as a result. The canopy is slightly easier to get into the pack tray, and everything sits cleaner without the slider in there. Slider down: The slider cross connects the risers, which can save you if one riser blows, because you'll have more fabric staying inflated over your head (I know of at least 2 cases in which jumpers credited this with saving their lives). The slider can also prevent you from over-rotating a fast aerial by catching your feet and "bouncing" you back down on the correct side. Personally, I jump both ways without thinking about it. I don't think it matters too much in 99.9% of cases. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Short answer: No. BASE jumping requires both different equipment and additional training. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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Don't fool yourself into thinking that the Ace/BJ 310 is bigger than the Troll 305, or smaller than the Dagger 313. Those canopies are all effectively the same size. Pick your canopy for the canopy, then let the square footage number follow along. The only genuinely "bigger than plus size" BASE canopy on the market is the Flik 354, which is legitimately one size larger than the 310ish sized canopies. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com
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It greatly increases the chance of a malfunction. I have seen 4 untailgated rollovers resulting in line overs. I have seen 0 tailgated rollovers resulting in line overs. When you are about halfway through the roll, there is a moment when you are on your back, with the lines stretching horizontally toward the canopy. At this point, the wind is essentially blowing straight up the tail of your canopy. I believe some kind of reefing is essential to minimize the chance of line over or tension knots in this situation. More discussion here. In particular, have a look at Jimmy's post which was copied from BLiNC (the link is dead because of the various reorganizations there) It'd probably be better to revive that thread to discuss this technical point, rather than side track this one. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com