TomAiello

No. My experience has been that the height of the colored segments varies (sometimes dramatically) from tower to tower. Relying on coloring or lights to determine height is a good way to end up with a very bad estimate, and potentially some hospital time (or worse). The best way to determine tower height (without actually getting to the top of the thing) is usually to check the sectional. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

All of my suggestions for first gear are linked at the upper right corner of this page (just click on the "My First BASE Rig" link). You can also find my advice for getting into BASE up there ("Getting into BASE" link). I'd definitely recommend getting a few hundred more skydives, first. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Do those still exist? I remember shopping at Piggly Wigglies as a youngin.

If you were a real redneck you'd be using Piggly Wiggly bags... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The "best" discipline is whatever you, personally, find the most rewarding (and/or fun). For some, that is wingsuit flight. For some, it might be theoretical physics. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

You might also read "how to jump from a bridge into water" in the same book. A few years ago, I had a nasty accident (pulled too low on a BASE jump from a bridge, over water) in September or so, and ended up in the hospital for about two months. I got three copies of the "Worst Case Scenario" book for Christmas that year. They all had both of those sections marked. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Creating such a public list of sites (legal or not) would be an incredible violation of BASE etiquette (have you read the "Before you post" guidelines at the upper right corner of this page?). Such discussions are best held in person. Failing that, phone, PM or email might work. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I haven't seen it written down anywhere. If you kick around long enough you'll run into someone who knows it and can tell the story. Until then, check out the memorial photos on BASE 416's web page. They might give you a feel for some of the story. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Dude, I'm absolutely terrified to stand on the glass. I kept reaching back to check my PC, and finding no handle. Totally freaked me out. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

From where you are (Mississippi), I'd say your best bet is to call Jim Cazer in Alabama (256 268-9843). If you're looking for a "standard" (i.e. non kill line) bridle, though, you can easily call Consolidated Rigging or Basic Research and get one with a pin for about 20 bucks (or without for 10). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've got no idea. Standard skydiving setup, as far as I can tell. I just have the video. I wasn't present for the actual jump, which was probably made long before I ever made a parachute jump of any kind. I wonder what Steve would have thought of the current news events re: Libyans shooting down the plane he was supposed to be on... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've got video of "Dead Steve" exiting a Cessna from around 250' (it's hard to tell from the altimeter, since it's analog) with skydiving gear. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

It's been that way for years... I just got my folks on the phone. Broken glass in windows, some things falling off walls, but no structural damage. Everyone sounds pretty much ok in Atascadero, anyway. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Yeah, I know. I've been in that area in slightly worse earthquakes, a bit further away (since I lived there for my first 18 or so years, I'm pretty used to them). Still, my parents are old folks now, and I worry so... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Anyone have info on damages (if any)? I've got family about 20 miles from the reported epicenter. All I'm getting on home, work and cell are various "your call did not go through..." recordings. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think it would technically still be "stalled" when viewed as a wing. The difference is that a traditional ram air parachute deflates when stalled, so that it loses the majority of it's aerodynamic deceleration properties. In other words, it's no longer working as a wing (square parachute), and it's pretty lousy as a round parachute, too. This design could, in theory, create a canopy that flew like a square in the forward direction, but could be "flown" (moved by spilling air, as a round is, actually) as a round in the backward direction. As a side benefit, such a design might also be able to open in a "stall", but still open (as a round). This would mean that you could set your brakes so deep that the canopy could have literally zero forward speed on opening (if you screwed it up the canopy could actually open in a sustainable backslide). The next step would be adjusting the trim such that it could move in a sideways direction as well, but I think that would take a lot of work on the trim, and sacrifice a great many positive forward flight characteristics. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I don't think so. You would just use riser input to control the canopy when you wanted it to "slide". In theory, you wouldn't really need to modify you reactions very much. If you opened facing an object, you'd just grab both rear risers and pull. The canopy would spill air out the front (but remain inflated), and slide away from the wall. It's essentially the same thing we are doing now, but we'd lose a lot less altitude, because the canopy wouldn't deflate during the process. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I know several people who are working on that. In theory, if you put airlocks on the front of a canopy, and valved secondary inlets on the bottom skin (and perhaps airlocks on the tail, as well), you ought to be able to create a canopy that can "slip" backward (in the same way a round moves when you pull a side down to spill air) without deflating. I agree with Nick. Cooler--and safer--things are on the way. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Probably very little. There's not much need for that kind of testing on something that goes into a reserve. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Here you go. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I once heard a wingsuit guru say he didn't see the point in putting the suit on below 1000 feet. I think the number is getting lower all the time, but depends on how well you fly the suit and what you consider enough flight time to be "worth" the added trouble of using the suit. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Nope. I mostly built it as a curiosity. I never jump with a sail slider, and only use a small hole mesh slider on about 3% of my jumps. So, the value to me was pretty limited. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Wendy, can you elaborate on this? I'm familiar with cycling the steering line to try clearing a line over. How do you use a rear riser stall to do it? In your opinion is rear riser or toggle a better way to approach this? Or are they just different? I'm not sure if you're talking about using a rear riser stall to clear a lined over steering line, or just to try and clear a lined over suspension (non-control) line. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I built one of these a few years ago. All you need to do is put pile velcro along the bottom side of the large mesh slider (on the tape), then make a slider shaped (minus the corners for the grommet) piece of small hole mesh with the hook velcro on it. You can also make a sail piece. The only problem I encountered was putting the more resistant piece on top (the sail patch tended to get blown off as the slider came down). That was easily fixed by putting the "patch" on the bottom of the slider. I constructed mine after seeing one of Space's students using one a few years ago. Not sure if the original idea was Space's, or the student's, or came from somewhere else. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

BASE 428 said: -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com