TomAiello

Today the water levels were up dramatically. Very high water as of today at around 3pm. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

He wasn't that low and he didn't have an off heading.... maybe they made two jumps. James made at least 3 wingsuit jumps. One was a 4 way with Baxter, Perry and Robert in Prodigies and James in a Phantom (maybe an Acro?). One was a rodeo with me. The third was a solo where he flew very far (that's the one I was describing, above). I'm not sure if he made more jumps than that, but it's very possible. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The water is actually on the low side of average. There is lots of exposed beach to land on. The "short out" landing area (the open space just before the regular bridge day landing area) looks pretty rocky, but the main Bridge Day landing area is both fairly clear and pretty big this year. No sandbar, though. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I was in the landing area, and I think his plan was to take a water landing. His off-heading put him just on the shoreline, and he rolled his ankle a bit. I haven't watched the video (was it shot from above?), but I can tell you from my perspective below that it was pretty much a psychotically low pull. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I can go down and look if you want. It's been raining quite a bit today (and pretty windy) but not the kind of torrential downpour that would push the water level up overnight or anything. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Call Morpheus and ask. I believe they've made some oversize WS-Xtremes (I think as prototypes) at one point or another. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Yes, that's bigotry. Please review the Forum Rules, specifically this part: As a conservative, I believe we need to respect the rights of people to regulate their own property. This forum is someone's property, and he's established a set of rules he'd like you to follow if you want to use it. Why don't you take some time off from this forum to reflect on whether or not you really ought to be saying things like that on someone else's dime. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

As with all these questions, it's going to depend. It might be better to ask "what is your favorite" rather than "what is best". Here's my recommendation for a wingsuit BASE rig: Morpheus WS-Xtreme 9' Bridle Asylum 38" vented ZP PC, with floating handle Consolidated Rigging Ace (unvented) Canopy, with composite ZP topskin Lots of people will have different opinions. Here are some thoughts: WS-Xtreme: In my opinion, this is the best wingsuit specific rig in production. Other options (Merlin) don't seem as tested, or (VKB rig) are going to be hard to acquire or difficult to use with standard wingsuits. 9' Bridle: Many people recommend a 12' bridle for wingsuits. I haven't had any problems with a 9' bridle, and it is my opinion that a 9' bridle will move the PC far enough away to clear the burble with an appropriate pitch technique (either full flight for clean airflow, or full fall to reduce burble) Floating handle PC: The floating handle minimizes the risk of bridle/PC entanglement, which has killed an extremely experienced BASE wingsuit pilot. Ace: The Ace has lower pack volume than the vented alternatives, and is (in my opinion) the option most likely to hold it's resale value because of it's performance slider down. That said, if you aren't planning on selling the rig, and you won't ever do any slider down jumps, the choice of canopy is pretty minor, so you may just want to go with whatever you can find cheapest. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Can you explain why you think this? Why do you think that BASE needs public acceptance or support to survive? Do you think that growth of the sport is good? What makes you think that? Thanks. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think you're missing the point of Bridge Day. Bridge Day and BASE are related, but not the same thing. Bridge Day has it's own culture, history and standards, which are different from those of BASE jumping generally. I value Bridge Day as Bridge Day. I value BASE jumping as BASE jumping. I think of the two things separately. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

My observation has been that a new jumper with 50 jumps off the bridge in a couple weeks has not developed nearly the judgment that a guy with 50 jumps over a year off more technical objects has. I'm firmly convinced that at this point, in the vast majority of cases, the thing that kills us is not a lack of technical skill--it's a lack of judgment. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

200 bucks for an original Skyflyer in good condition is a pretty good deal. However, an original Skyflyer is probably not the best first suit. It was one of the twitchiest suits ever made, and certainly the twitchiest that I ever owned. I think you'd be better off with almost any other suit (even a suit with much bigger wings) as a first suit. The Phantom is a great suit, and will serve you well as both a first suit and a flocking suit. My advice is to skip that old S-1 and save up for a Phantom (or find one used, or both). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Not that seems really intense. Does shroom BASE Count? Two different sets of numbers. Acid BASE numbers should be maintained by Outrager. The keeper of the shroom BASE numbers has unfortunately been added to the list. Anyone who wants to pick up the job of keeping track of those numbers has to get a stack of "Team Psilocybin Psilution" t-shirts printed up, because you're supposed to get one with your number. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Where can they be purchased? Will there be any for sale at Bridge Day? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

That was the "in most cases." I'd use a diaper if I was at terminal, but at Bridge Day, for example, I don't use it. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Aren't USPA Membership and USPA Group Membership different things? If USPA's goal was to increase the number of collegiate skydivers, I'd think they should try to create a scholarship program to fund college students going through AFF. It's the huge start up cost, not the ongoing marginal cost, that dissuades most poor college students. When I was in college, a fair number of college students paid for AFF by packing, which worked well since the DZ was really very close to the University. I'm not sure how many places the two exist in such close proximity, though (by google maps it looks like about 6 miles, from memory it's a really long bike ride or a short drive). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've steadily increased my tool count throughout my BASE career. I originally learned with no tools, but each time I found a way for a tool to make things easier/faster/neater/more efficient, I added the tool in. My observation has been that most pack clampers use just 4 2" spring clamps, and that there is no experience/clamp correlation--it's more often just whatever you learned and stuck with. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Modern BASE rounds use neither a sleeve nor a slider. They also don't use a diaper (which was probably the latest iteration of that sort of reefing) in most cases. I'm thinking we ought to get 460 or RiggerSam or somebody to hold a round packing seminar on Friday at the Holiday Inn. I'm proabably already a little overcommitted to be adding anything to my Friday schedule. So, who wants to lead that? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Living in proximity to an object does not make you a "local" in the BASE sense of the word automatically. Were that the case, then any non-jumper would be considered a "local." A more complete definition of the term would be "local BASE jumper," which definition likely excludes someone with no previous BASE experience, and also likely excludes someone so out of touch with appropriate BASE gear and technique as to take a skydiving rig for a 2 second delay from a terminal cliff. Further, even being a "local BASE jumper" does not give one an absolute right to damage the access of other jumpers. Even were you an active jumper living in Twin Falls, for example, I'd say it's a bad idea to do something like setting up a trampoline in the roadway and running across lanes of traffic to spring off it for a launch. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Did you stop using the pull-up cord by the tailpocket and replace it with a clamp? Yes. My packjob is evolving almost continuously. So, probably is yours, and almost everyone elses. That's as it should be. If you stop learning and improving things, well... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

My experience has been that the 5th line compresses (shortens) the control stroke. This means that if you have long arms (which you do) it can actually hurt you, because you have to be extra careful with your toggle inputs. If, on the other hand, you're a short, fat guy, like me, the shorter control stroke is very useful (because the full control stroke on a 4 line 300+ canopy is longer than my arm stroke). I think the answer to this question depends on your build. With your build (tall and thin), I'd recommend going with 4 lines, not 5. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I know one active military jumper who was told by his CO that he could not BASE jump, and would get in trouble if he did--whether the jumps were legal or not. I think for 99% of military folks its not going to be a big deal. The remaining 1% are mostly people involved with military parachuting, and especially demonstration teams, which because of their role as a showpiece have extra rules (and also CO's who still hold some historical grudges about BASE). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

No, not every time. And it's 4 bungee cords. It's also evolved into 13 clamps--and you left out the pull up cord. If you PM me with your mailing address, I'll send you a copy of the video, and you can pick it apart at your leisure. I originally learned to pack with no clamps. I'm pretty comfortable packing in a variety of ways--clamps, no clamps, flat pack, over the shoulder, etc. It's interesting that you call that "Aussie Style." The guy who taught me to pack (without clamps) initially was Australian (Pete W.). But the guy who laughed at me and said "it's way easier with clamps, mate," and then proceeded to show me that he even packed his PC with a clamp (something which at the time I found hard to fathom), was also Australian (Slim). The whole point of tools is to make the process easier, or easier to do well. If you can't pack without the tools, the tools themselves are not going to pack for you. They just make it easier for you to pack, especially when you are learning, without having to waste mental and physical energy on the "nylon wrestling match." Either they'd head over to a hardware store (I heard they have them in Europe, too) and buy whatever tools they wanted, or they'd sort out how to pack with less tools. Plenty of people are doing that by the end of my FJC's, actually. And it's actually quite rare that I see one of my students a year later and they're still using all the tools. Tools are just that--tools. I use them packing parachutes for the same reasons I use them building something, or working on a car. They make a certain task easier, or faster, or more efficient, or more reliable. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

#48 Fred Read the list, it's important. I think the one that KansasSkydiver was thinking of was the one in the PNW, off BASE 587's bridge. It wasn't a fatality, but left the guy in very serious condition, and I believe with permanent disability. There have been other cases of this, too. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Clicky -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com