TomAiello

Dude, Bridge Day is soooo not about the jumps. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Covering up accidents may be good for the ego, but it's bad for other jumpers. We can all learn from accidents. Knowing some folks in the local medical community, and knowing that he was in the hospital here, I'm fairly certain that "he's fine" is not "what 'actually' went on." No one here bears him any ill will. We're not trying to kick the guy while he's down. Everyone has accidents, and no one has a problem with that. Covering up is silly in a case like this. It's far more helpful to other jumpers to discuss the accident and help them avoid similar things. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Dude, when you were here you met and jumped with several people from that area. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I noticed that their web site advertises a first jump course during the event, but then they've just copied (verbatim) the FJC text from the Vertigo web site (complete with pictures of the bridge, and a description of driving up from SLC). Sounds kind of fishy to me. I wonder if they're affiliated with Skyride? (sorry, couldn't resist) -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Why put it at a DZ? Or in the U.S.? I can think of at least one place where it would be totally legal, and you'd have enough time to enjoy the flight. Heck, if your budget for building it is climbing to 6 million anyway, why not throw in another couple and build a 2000 ft tower with an elevator, to launch from? Call it an even 10 million to set the whole thing up? Then you could do repeated landings on one side of the tower, and, for those interested in such things, do regular parachute jumps on the other side. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

If the apparatus were re-usable, and set up somewhere convenient like Eloy or Perris, are you saying you wouldn't pay a hundred bucks (or whatever) for a "landing ticket" and give it a go? Turbine aircraft, wind tunnels, and lots of other toys cost way more, in their entirety, than I can afford individually. That doesn't mean they're way out of my league. It just means that I buy small increments (jump tickets, tunnel time, whatever). edit to add: I have no inside knowledge of Jeb's attempt, so this is all just hypothetical to me. I'm not trying to imply anything about Jeb's apparatus, financing strategies, or re-usability. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Hey, as an Amuhrican, it's my god given right to rule over all you dang furriners from other nations. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Be aware that getting caught with lock picks can bump a run of the mill misdemeanor trespass up to a felony. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Dude, we have threads for that. Let's keep this one on topic, okay? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I use a rubber band to control the bridle. So far, no issues. I haven't tried threading it onto the bridle. I pretty much just put it over the 's' folds, and lose it on every jump. Chad, why did you decide to put it onto the bridle itself? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Maybe we ought to start a separate thread on that. Personally, my take is that technical knowledge ought to be disseminated as widely as possible. The more the knowledge is written down, shared, talked about, posted on the internet, or whatever, the more chance that people will run into it, and that it will not be lost. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Yes. They are sold in priority order, so if you want to jump early in the day (hence, be able to jump again), you ought to get one as early as possible. I'm not sure when they sold out last year, or how many slots there are. But I do know people who've tried to get them later, and found them sold out. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

And that's different, how? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Thanks Chad.

In general I agree with you. But in this case, I saw someone who was potentially going to do something fairly dangerous (tape off with masking tape), where a very simple piece of advice (grab the other roll of tape) could lead to a dramatically different outcome. I am not saying that tape is a good way to static line. Nor am I saying that I'd recommend it. But I wouldn't recommend (for example), freefalling a 140' cliff, either. But if I saw someone on a 140' exit with a 32" PC, I'd still recommend that they upsize the PC. I don't think it's as cut and dried as you are making it out. Remember that 2 other posters had already suggested tape, and the original poster had already expressed the misconception that masking tape was the tape to use. In this case, you can either stand by and say "if you're not using break cord, I'm not helping," or you can say something like "dude, if you're gonna use tape, at least use electrical tape." Why not try to help them avoid injury? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Sure. I was trying to address a potentially dangerous mis-conception (that "tape" meant masking tape), not provide instruction on how to perform a static line jump. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Masking tape tears far too easily. I'd really recommend against using it. Electrical tape is a much better choice, if you are going the tape route. The other thing is that electrical tape doesn't change strength when wet. As I understand it......masking tape can increase in strength when it becomes wet!? You also have to remember that electrical tape changes strength with temperature. Sub-zero it can become quite brittle. Proper break cord avoids all these issues. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

If I understand the method you are describing, I'd say the big risk would be introducing slack into the lines. If you don't time that just right, I could see slack in the lines, which leads to all kinds of potential trouble. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Masking tape tears far too easily. I'd really recommend against using it. Electrical tape is a much better choice, if you are going the tape route. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

If they have your password, anyone can "break in" to your account. It's happened before, and is a situation that usually requires intervention from HH. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

In theory, the PC could be inlated and at bridle stretch as it crosses the exit point, which is pretty good as far as hand held jumps go. So, they may have felt that the 'PC drag' would do them better than their handheld technique. Personally, I think it's a stunt, rather than an actually useful technique. But hey, why not just try it 5 or 6 times the next time you're down here. Then you can form an opinion as to whether it has some value between the static line and handheld options. The snag potential thing sounds pretty grim, too. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Do a forum seach for "static line" or "carry on static line". It's best to have someone show you in person, and practice from something high enough that screwing it up won't kill you. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Do you mean a standard static line? Try searching this forum for "static line" and see if that's what you're looking for. There are many ways to do it. If that's not it, can you clarify what you mean? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

On the Bridge Day Web Site it says "available July 1st". -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Cheers, Mike! I'm sure I'll be seeing you around.