TomAiello

I believe he had well over 1000 jumps at that point. In all honesty, I'd only say that Slim was world class if "world class" was a group of 2 people who were head and shoulders above the rest. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

In general, my experience is in line with Sean's. I've found that smaller PC's tend to be less prone to hesitation, and that it's a PC hesitation, rather than a slightly slower extraction, that will really do you in. Note that I do not recommend experimenting with this at low altitude, and that I don't recommend that anyone actually use any PC size that's not the recommended size for the delay (from the manufacturers chart). If you want to play this game, be sure that you have formed your own opinion, and that you take sole responsibility for any outcome. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Sorry. I hadn't gotten to the bottom of the thread. I am just often taken aback by the number of people I meet who think "well if it's on TV it must be real." -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Explain this to me. It was on video, correct? I'm pretty sure I saw E.T. on video, too. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

In the US NPS lands, it's not the exit so much as the landing that gets you. Someone jumping from an aircraft ought to, in theory, be just as guilty of "aerial delivery" as someone jumping from a cliff. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Nice write up. Thanks for posting. The SBK page at http://www.BASEKjerag.com also has a load of useful information. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

damn commies... they have been fking us over since we made them a trade partner... think about it Speaker's Corner warning. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Have they only put that web site up since Chris went in? Lame... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Don't do it the same day as skydiving. I haven't been scuba diving in years. I started with my Dad when I was in high school, and was pretty into it in college. I think all my gear is in a shed at my parents house, now. Which makes sense, I guess, because they live 20 minutes from the ocean, and I live 12 hours from the ocean. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

My last fortune cookie was empty. Is that bad luck? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

That's up to you. I'd count them, though, so I'd say you've got 66 objects there. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I honestly don't think that's the case. The main/reserve 2 parachute system is great for it's intended environment. I don't think it's so much about increasing safety, though, as about allowing people to do more of what they want to do (skydiving) with less hassle (i.e. packing). If you had to do a reserve or BASE packjob for every jump, each jump would be much more effort, take much longer, and/or cost much more money. With a reserve, you can slam the main in their pretty quickly, and get on the next load. As an added benefit, the fail-safe backup allows you to screw around with twitchy, less reliable, but far more fun canopy combinations--like those postage stamp sized, cross-braced ellipticals. In my opinion, if you are thinking of your reserve as your "2nd chance", you're relying on your main too much. I tend to think of my main as my "fun, convenient parachute" and my reserve as the thing that makes the skydive survivable. Hmmm. I wonder if I ought to split this off into a separate thread? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Truthfully, 2 doesn't equal 2 either. Every time you exit of an airplane, you are carrying a parachute that you absolutely, positively depend on to work every single time you activate it. You call it the reserve. When you exit an object, you do the same thing. You carry a parachute that you absolutely, positively depend on to work every single time you activate it. It serves the same purpose as a skydiving reserve, but in this case, you don't call it a "reserve" because you aren't planning on trying anything else first. It's not that BASE jumpers don't have reserves. It's that we don't have mains. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

If I am reading Cornishe's post correctly, he is attempting to jump her inflatable ass. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

At least one Northern California jumper stopped here for a couple days on the way there. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Can you compare your Phantom flight with your V-1 flights? I'm just trying to get a feel for the performance range. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ouch. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I believe the St. Louis Arch jump is a yearly happening. I investigated that, and as I recall the jump is made under an airshow permit issued to the county (perhaps the city?). There have been various civilian demo teams doing it in different years. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Is this also true in Europe? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Why would you want to use google video instead of Skydivingmovies.com? Can you give us a rundown on the features you like there? It just seems to me that Skydivingmovies.com is a little more "in the family". I wonder how long until google video has the infamous dam strike? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Hmmm. Interesting. If you are one of the folks who responded "201+", I'd love to hear from you. Can you at least PM me, if you don't want to respond in the thread? Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'd also be curious if folks want to volunteer their total number of jumps along with total number of objects. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I too would be very curious to hear people's thoughts on this. I've not really developed a feel for it. I've had students who I thought "that guys going to be in it for life" who really didn't jump much after that, and a couple who I thought "I doubt that one will stick around" who had 100 jumps a month later. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

There are FJC's here almost constantly. If you call Apex, they can tell you what their schedule is, and often arrange things to suit your needs. You've also still got a couple days to apply for my Labor Day free FJC, but be warned that I've only got 2 slots left, and there's a fair bit of competition for them. I've got enough good applicants that I'll likely run a shorter (3 day) FJC sometime in late September or October, and give preference to folks who were high on the list for the Labor Day camp. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I heard there's a big party at Ray's house on Saturday night. Be sure to bring extra tequila for Abbie. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com