TomAiello

The people in the video are family and friends of Scott's girlfriend. I am uncertain where they got the details they recounted on the broadcast, or if they are accurate in any way. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

This cannot be said to apply to dental hygiene. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

All, I don't have the energy for this bickering right now. Please stop. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I have seen experienced jumpers using skyhook equipped Vector 3's on BASE jumps. I personally wouldn't do it, but that's not to say it doesn't happen occasionally. Personally, I think that if you are willing to jump a Sorcerer, the skyhook is actually a more modern version of the same technology. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Local news piece can be viewed here. If anyone wants to discuss the content or tone of the piece, please start a separate thread to do so. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Huh? How did you get that out of my posts? I, personally, would not be willing to leave a man down on the ground. I wouldn't be willing to live with myself having made that decision. I'm really confused as to where you got "I'd bail and leave someone" out of my posts. Can you point it out to me so that I can go back and clear up the misconception? Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Charged with, but was her partner convicted? Yes. He refused to give up the other jumpers on the load, and the NPS really stuck it to him as hard as they could. For the record, in that single incident, I think that Keith showed more character than I'm likely to have in my entire life. You are saying the person was charged with and convicted of involuntary manslaughter? Aerial Delivery, if I recall correctly. It was a large affair, that involved a substantial time in custody, some plea bargaining, some lawyers, and a conviction that has followed him around ever since. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Charged with, but was her partner convicted? Yes. He refused to give up the other jumpers on the load, and the NPS really stuck it to him as hard as they could. For the record, in that single incident, I think that Keith showed more character than I'm likely to have in my entire life. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I am not amused, and this is not the time to be starting something on this forum. Go Away. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Let's hold off on that. The family would like to avoid getting too many people involved with digging around. There are already various BASE jumpers checking sites at my request, as well as an official law enforcement investigation. We'd like to avoid muddying things up for the real professionals (the police), so we're trying to keep too many people that we don't know about from running out to check things out. Missing persons posters are being faxed to dropzones, so the word will be fairly widespread, in any case. I'll try to post updates here, and keep it floating near the top for a while. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

All, I have detached the discussion of the appropriateness or lack thereof of other jumpers potential actions, various plans, and "the pact." Let's keep this thread for actual information and leads that may help us find Scott. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've attached a photo of Scott to this post. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Some additional information: Scott's vehicle is: 1999 Ford Ranger –extra cab Color: Dark Green Had some body damage on one of the front fenders Plates: Oregon plates WVY 505 This vehicle is still missing with him. If anyone sees this vehicle, please let me know, or just report it to your local authorities, as this has become a missing persons case. If you are a jumper with information about this case, be certain that you can share your information with me and I will not pass any specifics aside from body location along. This will protect you, your jumping partners, and your sites (aside from any site that may physically have the body located at it). Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Some of the information posted on the bike forum is not accurate, or at least does not agree with the information that I got from Scott's parents at approximately 8:30pm (pacific) last night. At that time, they were attempting to trace the phone call, for example, but had to wait for a judges order this morning. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

For the amount a Grohe faucet costs, they'd better replace it quick. I'm currently picking out faucets for my house (after an extensive remodel, I'm putting in all new fixtures). Grohe and Moen are pretty much the short list. I'd love to hear what kind of experience you have with their customer service. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

To recap the information that we know: The jumper's name was Scott Wesley Denham. He holds a USPA C license, and we've located him in the database. He reportedly began jumping somewhere in the Midwest, but was mostly active in California. He had an address in Truckee, CA at one point. He had also apparently lived in Visalia, CA and Glendale, CA (in LA). His last reported residence was in Valencia, CA. He was jumping with a guy named Chad, from Oregon, within the last few weeks. This is not Chad from Seattle, who posts here. He was reportedly jumping with a guy named Mike at the time of his disappearance. Mike is reportedly an itinerant jumper, who was headed back to Florida or the Gulf Coast shortly after this jump, and is probably there now. Scott had worked as a packer at the Elsinore dropzone last summer, but they had not seen him since approximately September. During that time, he had made few, if any, skydives, mostly just packing and hanging out. He was not known to Elsinore area BASE jumpers as an active BASE jumper. He appears to also have been largely unknown in BASE circles in the greater Los Angeles area. Scott had been injured in a landing accident at a dropzone in Oregon in approximately September. It sounds like this was the result of jumping a highly loaded canopy at an unfamiliar DZ. Scott had inquired about taking a First Jump Course from Corky in Taft sometime in the last year. He had then resurfaced, several months later, saying that he had completed a First Jump Course with Consolidated Rigging. Neither CR nor Asylum have any record of his having completed an FJC with them. Scott had apparently been jumping mostly solo, in the LA and Taft areas. He had been seen to jump a relatively low profile site in full daylight, and had been confronted about this with no real result. Scott called his mother late the night of January 17th or early the morning of January 18th. He told her that he was going to make a BASE jump. Scott also talked to his girlfriend at approximately the same time. She believes he was in Glendale, CA, when he called her. He told her that he was going to make a BASE jump, and that he would be at the jump site within 45 minutes. The night of January 21st, a guy named Mike called Scott's family. He spoke to Scott's sister. He told her that he had been jumping with Scott on the 18th, and that Scott had gone in on that BASE jump. He also said that he was going back to Florida, or the Gulf Coast. He gave no other information. If anyone has any information about this, including; a) Any way to find Chad, from Oregon; b) Any way to find Mike, from the Gulf Coast or Florida; c) Any knowledge of a BASE accident in California sometime in the last week; d) Any other information about this stuation, I would greatly appreciate any information you can share. I can be contacted here via Private Message, via email at tbaiello@mac.com or via telephone at 208 420-2602. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'm going to lock this thread. Let's move the discussion into the "Lost Friend" thread, which has a more descriptive title. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

If anyone has any more information about this incident, I'd appreciate a heads up. I am trying to help the family find details, survivors, etc. What we know so far is that he jumper's name was Scott, that he was jumping somewhere in Southern California, that he was 22 years old, and that he had very few (if any) prior BASE jumps. He was apparently jumping with someone named Chad, from Oregon (this is definitely not Chad from Seattle, who posts here), and someone named Mike, from Florida or the Gulf Coast. It is unclear if he had any prior BASE experience, but if he did it was minimal. It is unclear if he was using BASE gear or skydiving gear. If anyone here knows any of these people (Chad from Oregon, Mike from Florida or the Gulf Coast who was very recently in California, or Scott Denham from Oregon, now living in Southern California) I'd very much appreciate any infomation you can share about how to contact them. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

For terminal jumps, you'll want a 32" or 36". Depends on the manufacturer. Either 32" or 36" is fine. I've seen people go terminal with PC's as large as 42" (which I don't recommend), and as small as 28". Not really. Check out the delay-altitude-equipment chart on the Apex web site (is it still there?) or the one in the components section of the CR web site. I've attached a .pdf file which also has some general guidelines. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

An FJC is definitely worth the money. The BASEeuphoria FJC in Spain has a good reputation, and I really like the fact that they do some airplane canopy control practice before taking you out to the span. If you're coming to the US, drop me a line and I'll shoot you the info on mine, but if it were me in your position, I'd probably just go for the FJC in Spain because it will be closer, hence cheaper for travel costs and such. Do yourself a favor, though, and seek out and meet your local BASE jumpers to line up some guidance back home. Do this before your FJC, and talk things over with your local jumpers to make sure that the FJC you pick is going to be a good fit for you, and for your home scene. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think this phenomenon is going to be very limited. It requires that the wingsuit pilot have a specialized rig (different from either their standard BASE rig or their normal skydiving rig), and that they be well enough known to their DZO (or other authority) to allow it. I've seen it too, but I think it's going to be a very small group of people who are actually that far into it, and I think that mostly it will be for demos and such. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think you may be over-estimating the number of "BASE-only" guys. I know quite a few folks who now think of themselves as "wingsuit only" guys, without regard to whether they are flying from planes or objects. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Johnny Cash? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

You can send a case of beer to this address. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I know a guy who is (a) a BASE elder, (b) trusted by BASE jumpers all over the world with confidential, and potentially sensitive personal information, (c) very familiar with government regulations from a career working in and out of government, and (d) the only lawyer who has ever beaten the NPS on an aerial delivery charge. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for him), he's also way too smart to get sucked into this morass. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com