TomAiello

Ouch. Nope, that's not the way it works. In fact, in BASE, very experienced jumpers tend to jump lower wingloadings, usually because they've seen enough bad stuff go down that they want the extra safety margin (sometimes also because they are trying to land in more questionable areas, or for other reasons having to do with attempting more advanced jumps). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Typically, folks just buy the largest size canopy they can find. Be aware that the size numbers given by manufacturers aren't really that comparable between brands (for example, I once laid a Troll 290 on top of a Blackjack 310 and found them to be almost identical in size). So, don't be fooled into thinking you need to buy the canopy with the largest "size number." Decide which canopy you want (and demo several different canopies when making this decision), then order it in the largest available size. Jumping skydiving canopies (which are available in larger sizes) isn't really recommended. Some people have tried to use military canopies, tandem canopies, etc, because they were available in such large sizes. Virtually every one of those I've ever seen has had some very strange (and undesirable) slider down openings. You might also seek some input from other people in the same boat (i.e. folks whose body weight is high enough that they are "overloading" even the largest size canopies by traditional measures). There are a couple on this forum (if you need help finding them, drop me a PM). Also, be aware that there are going to be jumps that you just aren't going to want to do, as a result of the wingloading and canopy size issues. Tiny people can land in bad areas, especially broken ground, much better than large people. This is just one of those things that you are going to have to accept, and shape your jumping style around. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I totally agree, and have some camo gear. But there is also a place for non-stealth looking gear. I know a guy who has a set of blaze orange gear, compete with hard hat, for jumping active construction sites. Some guy sneaking around wearing all black, with a camo bag sure would stand out there. But just another worker in an orange vest and hard hat? Sometimes "stealth" means being able to hide in plain sight. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Slider down opening quality is the single largest of the criterion I use when selecting a BASE canopy. It's exceedingly difficult to test slider down, low airspeed, opening characteristics in a non-BASE environment. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Thanks everyone. I've just peeked in here. I'm briefly at home getting some things ready, and then back to the hospital to bring everyone home. We're exhausted, but happy. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think that when you are playing at altitudes that low (100') you're going to see some pretty big variance depending on jumper and gear size, too. Take a big ole fat guy like me, and put him under an unvented 310, and he's likely to femur or worse. Take a skinny little guy like Chad, put him under a well vented 200 with a ZP topskin, and he's likely to come away ok. And then there's the technique you bring to the jump, which is a whole other set of variables. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

In my opinion, consistency of inflation is more important than drag force. More drag may get you to line stretch sooner in 95% of cases, but if the cost is hesitation 5% of the time, the hesitation is going to be the real killer. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I haven't known you to intentionally mis-represent people's experience levels or dismiss the opinions of very experienced jumpers, so I'm going to assume that you just don't know the people posting here. You may have missed the posts by Kleggo: and; and Outrager: These are two very experienced jumpers posting opinions opposite to your own. Without getting into a "my Dad's bigger than your Dad" contest, I'd just like to question your source for stating that neither of these jumpers might be one of "the most experience jumpers on this thread." -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

By round of applause, should I post that picture? I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that we'd rather see pictures of Katie in that bikini. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Good BASE photo websites: Vertical Visions Image This Aerial Focus Aerial Extreme There are many more. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Please review the Forum Rules, specifically: It's still a personal attack, even if it's in an attachment. Consider this your one warning. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think that perhaps 460 had misidentified you as the manufacturer of the canopy. Presumably the manufacturer does wish to win the hearts and minds of the BASE community, in order to sell canopies. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

No. It's a bit more sophisticated and shaped. It's not quite square, is tacked down all the way along three sides (the trailing edge is free) and has holes in the front of the topskin (outside the inlet area). It's my opinion that the Vtec cover is a bit better at allowing air inflow than the PAC valve, and seals just as well. If you're trying to retrofit valves though, I'd recommend checking out the MDV (Troll valve) and using that style. It's a "duckbill" style valve, and in my opinion it allows the cleanest inflow while also sealing virtually perfectly. I think it's the best of the valve designs currently on the market. I guess you'd have to ask the rigger if he thinks he can do it well. I'd expect that anyone who you'd trust to patch a canopy ought to be ok with it, although the shaping of the valves makes them a bit more complex than a simple canopy patch. If anyone has close up photos of the various valves, maybe they can post them. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Reading these forums is pretty educational. You might be tempted to travel for the AFF jumps before you go home, but I'd try to overcome that temptation. If you can do all the training in a short time, with the same instructors, I think you'll retain more of it. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Clearly, the key to survival is not to get a BASE number. Hey Ray, does DJ have a BASE number? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

He had this camouflage rig for a long time. I'd bet it's in one of your photos, somewhere. It's probably him jumping it, because the thing is so damn ugly no one else would have wanted to (that's an often repeated joke between friends, for those who are wondering). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I just got Soul Flyers 2 from Square 1. It's got some amazing stuff in it. I was particularly impressed by the wingsuit swooping a few meters off the ground. This is the same guy who did that ski slope swoop in Verbier a while ago, and the new video has some similar, but longer stuff, in several other locations, as well as some other flights in very close (as in single digit feet) proximity to the ground or other solid objects. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

It's not really a worry, it's just that I sometimes have to backtrack one or two folds on the mesh to make sure I come out correctly. You're making an interesting observation though and the only honest reason I'm not doing that is because I've never tried it. I will do so as soon as I come home. Many people fold the PC into their opposite hand, starting at the top, then switch it into their pitch hand once they finish folding. That way the top is in the palm of the hand as you fold it, to keep it controlled, until you switch it into the other hand. The reason for starting the folds at the bridle is so that you can measure the bridle length over your shoulder, down your arm, and into your hand, before you start folding. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Partly, yes. But remember that the other side of the equation (the canopy heading) is rarely "pure" either. What we think of as "on heading" can be (and often is) up to 15 degrees off heading. Remember back in the IPBC days, when jumpers would complain that the judges had dinged them 10 degrees, even though they'd had a perfect on heading? And then when they were shown the video, they almost always had to admit that what they perceived as a "pure" on heading was actually 5 or 10 degrees off, one way or another? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've split this off the "Cliff Strike in Arizona" thread. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Yep. Jaap described it pretty well earlier in this thread. When I started jumping this was the standard method for handheld pilot chutes. I know that it was still pretty standard at an IPBC event I went to around 2001 or 2002. It's still the method I teach. I'm really not sure when or why so many people started trying to create "improvements" to this method. I can say with certainty that Dwain chose to use this PC folding method for his ultra low jumps because he felt it gave the least chance for PC hesitation outside the "Feteris" method (PC pretty much full inflated before you leave the exit). Is there anyone out there who initially learned this method and later changed to some kind of hand held mushroom? Can you tell us why you made the change? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Dude, your ancestry is showing. This is America, damn it, AMERICA! The land of instant gratification! Fast cars, fast women, fast food, fast jumps! We can have it all! Take your Euro-trash attitudes back where you came from!

I completely agree. When I was younger (some would say more foolish), I used to go stowed from low altitude a lot. I'd regularly be the only stowed guy on the load, with a 46" or 48" in my BOC. Even after a noticeable hesitation stowed from about 240', I kept doing it. I like to think that I'm older and wiser now. My personal limit for stowed is probably riding right around 300' nowadays. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Are there any BASE jumpers who are currently, actively jumping the canopy, that might be able to offer comments on it? Also, can you tell us what sizes are currently available? Your web site seems to imply that the only size available presently is the 260ish one. Is that still the case? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

For lack of a better term, I'd call it "windsock effect." The canopy (not yet fully inflated) has open cells at the front that tend to be grabbed by the wind and rotated in a manner similar to what happens to a windsock. This is more pronounced with slower openings (because there is more time before the slider gets down for the still-bunched-up canopy to get pulled around by the wind). Subterminal slider openings are pretty slow. This often yields openings directly into a strong wind (regardless of wind direction). I remember one load with a wind at opening of around 35-40 mph coming from approximately 135 degrees behind and left, on which 5 consecutive jumpers experienced identical 135 left openings. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com