TomAiello

How far did you turn the canopy on that riser? Riser turns eat altitude. Because of this it is important to only make riser corrections until you are no longer facing the object (so, on a true 180, only the first 90 degrees or so of the turn should be made with the riser). As soon as you are no longer closing on the object, you should switch over to using the toggles, to reduce the rate at which you are losing altitude. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Different people have different objects. As far as I know, their object selection is extremely limited. If you know of a nice, safe (both in the BASE sense and in the gueriila warfare sense) span somewhere in eastern Africa, I'm sure those guys would love to hear about it. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Sounds kinda familiar? Your example is a generalization about a group that people cannot choose to be part of or not, and in which membership is held regardless of personal choice or actions. Chad is referring to specific experiences with individual people who have made actual choices and taken specific actions which have had a real impact on his life. That's actually a pretty significant difference. I suggest both of you guys table this discussion until tomorrow, and give yourselves a chance to chew it over in the privacy of your own heads before posting more of your thoughts here. You might even consider just picking up the phone and talking it over a little. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Hey, If you're bored, and think it's a good idea, check out this thread. Or, if you have a couple minutes to help, but don't want to click through to the other thread; Go here. Put in your details, then type something like this (or cut and paste the below verbage): in the comment box. Thanks for helping us out! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

To make it easier: Go here. Put in your details, then type something like this (or cut and paste the below verbage): in the comment box. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Several years ago, I tested this out with several Mojo's of different sizes. All my factual data is from those jumps, all on Mojo canopies. While you can decide what to extrapolate from there, be aware that I'm not saying anything about any other parachutes. My experience was that the difference between the smalles size we tested (Mojo 220) and the largest (Mojo 280) was between 35 and 50 feet (depending on the jump, as there was variability). These are all for slider down go and throw freefall deployments. I am of the opinion that the canopy model is far more important than the canopy size in these kinds of variabilities (so that I'd rather jump a Blackjack 310 than an unvented FOX 225, if it was critical). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

An effort along those lines is already underway. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Chad, I think we understand why you feel that way, and most of the folks here tend to feel that you are justified. Still, threats or discussions of physical violence aren't appropriate on this forum. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Actually, no. The copy I had bookmarked, the site owner specifically asked not to be linked from this forum for bandwidth issues. I believe it was rehosted somewhere, so you might try searching this forum for a link. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've got them on another hard drive. I'll dig them out and try to repost them to SM.com. I may try for a slightly higher quality, as well. If you want full quality versions, I can try to hand them across AIM or something, if you like. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Jimmy Halliday used to be a cannonball guy in the circus. Maybe we can build one of these things and he can teach us all to use it. If we put it in Miles Daisher's back yard, we ought to be able to launch people into the gorge and get an extra 500 feet. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Pretty much. Superterminal is basically a very large collection of short videos, some of which have been seen on the internet before. These are the same guys who brought you Virtus, Track or Die, I Fly but You Can Hardly Move, etc. I really liked the cover art. It was a very refreshing change from our typical "hey, look at my adrenaline rush" packaging. The content will blow your mind. The tracking is futuristic--that's the only word I can think of to describe it. I feel like these guys have pushed tracking into the next millenium. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

My criteria: 1) Protective: Must be able to take hard knocks from all directions. This includes the back of the head. I've seen many skydiving helmets that ended high up on the back of the head, leaving some exposure there. Should take impact as well as a Pro-Tec or better. 2) Re-usable: Shouldn't get destroyed by the force of impact. I understand that this is a trade off (because one of the ways helmets cushion you is to absorb the shock themselves), and it's less important than the actual protection, to me. However, if possible, I'd like the helmet to be able to take some abuse (from landings, etc) without needing to be replaced. 3) Non-restrictive: Should allow full vision and hearing. The helmet should allow peripheral vision and normal hearing (something that most skydiving helmets suck at, and many other helmets aren't terribly good at either). Being able to yell without being muffled would be a plus, too. 4) Snag Free: The outside of the shell shouldn't have any snag points. 5) Light: Should be as light as possible, so that you don't end up with whiplash from hard openings. 6) Aerodynamic: The helmet should be aerodynamic for tracking and/or wingsuit flights. This may be at odds with the "full vision and hearing" in number 3, so this might mean a different helmet for that kind of thing. 7) Quick: You should be able to get this helmet on and off in a hurry. Nothing is more frustrating than fighting a buckle or strap while trying to ditch gear to avoid a bust. I'm sure I'll thin of some more, and I'll add to this when I do. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Looking at his profile, I somehow doubt there was a DZO to be thrilled or otherwise. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

You definitely ought to plan the buzz in advance, just like any other part of a skydive. If someone buzzed her without notice, I can see why she'd be a bit put out. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Colin, Abbie and Jamie came by today to visit. They even brought Anna Grace her first doll. Photos attached. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've attached a couple photos to this post. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

It would be simpler to just lease (or sub-lease) an apartment for some time period. This strategy has been used very effectively by BASE jumpers on several occasions. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

In practice? You probably won't get busted for it. In theory? You'd need the permission of the homeowner's association. Legally, condominium ownership is a bit strange. The way it works is that the individual condo "owners" actually only own what's called an "air lot" or "air parcel" which amounts to the actual space in between the walls of their unit. The actual walls of the unit are owned by the homeowner's association, which is required by it's charter to maintain and keep up those walls (and all the other physical parts of the property, like sidewalks, lawns, hallways, etc). As a result, in actual legal terms, the individual "owner" of the condo does not actually own the balcony you jump off, or the beach you land on and therefore cannot grant permission to you to do the jump. Note that the above is my personal opinion, based on my understanding of laws specific to a few states. It may not apply in your particular jurisdiction, and in any event I am not a licensed legal professional, so my opinions should not be treated as legal advice. If you want a legal opinion for your particular jurisdiction, I recommend contacting an attorney licensed to practice there. A property law specialist would probably be your best bet. edit: typo -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

It's Feb 2006. It's got a picture of Bode Miller on the cover, and across the bottom is the text "Dead Drop: BASE Jumping's Riskiest Stunt" (I'm not sure what that text refers to, since I didn't see any articles about risky BASE stunts, but whatever). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I have. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The article isn't on line yet, but apparently it will be here once it's up. Until then, I guess folks who want to read it will have to get a print copy of the magazine (which is what I did). I thought the article was very well written. It did a good job of focusing on Miles, while still discussing some of the controversy about him, and about the "most jumps in a day" type stunts. I thought it did a good job being up front about the contrived nature of these "records." The pictures were classic. They captured Miles' personality so perfectly. Tim, Miles, nice job with the article. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

For those who want to know, the final winner of our little guessing game was 1010. You can see the final rankings of the guesses if you go to expectnet.com and login to the game "aiellobaby". Hey, 1010, drop me a PM (or an email). I owe you a t-shirt. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Yes. It varies depending on the specific container, but many BASE rigs can accept a size up or down. It usually allows for less variation than a skydiving rig. Be aware that it's much safer to vary sizes with a velcro rig than a pin rig. In general, it's a good idea to jump a pin rig sized specifically for your canopy. Velcro rigs allow you a bit more wiggle room while still maintaining some safety margin. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Should probably say: "very few experienced jumpers"? Please self-destruct this post after reading. Good catch. Thanks. I fixed it. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com