TomAiello

I spoke with Wayne Stout on the telephone today for over an hour. Basically, all he wants is for jumpers in Twin Falls to be provided with basic information about the requirements for the jump (mostly the recommended gear). Such documentation could easily be provided, and enforced by Don (by, say, not letting people on the boat who haven't read the information and signed a statement to the effect that they understand it). He would also like us all to refrain from engaging in flame wars with the grieving family. All of this sounds perfectly reasonable to me. I know that an effort is underway to provide this kind of information already. I'd like to get involved with it, and see if we can have it in place as soon as possible. Truthfully, I think a lot of emotions are running very high right now, and that there have been a lot of misunderstandings about his intentions (as jumpers, I'm sure that we are all familiar with misreporting by the press). I'll now re-lock this thread. Wayne has promised to post shortly, to give us all an update on his position. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I am compiling a memorial video for Dwain. If anyone has footage they can contribute a copy of for the project, please email me at tbaiello@mac.com. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I don't think that wing area (or wingloading) is the whole story. For example, what's the wingloading of an F-16? It generally lands it's occupant safely. Is landing a hang glider (relatively low wing loading) safer than landing a 747-400? I haven't seen any statistics on that, but I kind of doubt it. To put it another way, if you can safely land a VX 46, does that mean you could land an Interceptor 46? Wingsuits are so much more than wingloading, just as parachutes are. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

While I generally agree with Motherhucker... There is a great deal of history surrounding Bridge Day, and the Bridge Day culture (as distinct from the general BASE culture). I don't believe that BASE jumps should ever be made on non-BASE gear. Do I believe this strongly enough to sever some of our cultural ties to the past? Do I feel that I have the moral authority to deny a Bridge Day jumper who has used the same gear for the last fifteen years? I'm not so certain. I'm not sure that I really lump Bridge Day into the BASE category in my mind. There is a certain separation there that makes me hesitant to impose my general BASE values on Bridge Day. Yes, I may have the experience to tell a fifteen jump old-timer that he needs real BASE gear. But do I have the seniority, as a three time Bridge Day jumper, to impose my views on a fifteen time Bridge Day jumper (even if those are his only fifteen jumps ever)? Again, I am uncertain. I guess what I'm saying is that Bridge Day isn't real BASE, and as such, I'm not sure what rules ought to apply to it. If I was running Bridge Day, I'd probably require BASE gear. But I'm not running Bridge Day, and one of the reasons is that I don't have a sense of it's history. I think Jason is the right man in the right place right now. I'm very happy going along with whatever decision he makes. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Me. I've got some neat BASE flight video that looks like crap on low speed connections. It's freakin' huge, though, so the only people who've seen it are the ones I've shown in person from tape. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I agree with Kevin. The folks I've talked to reported simple overdelay--no gear malfunction. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Quote...Harry Parker had been killed during the filming of the Vin Diesal movie "Triple XXX".Quote Different Harry. Equally tragic loss. There's a thread about it in talkback somewhere if you do a search. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

This is the first quarter (or so) of what I’ve written about Dwain. I’m not sure that I’ll share the more personal (and to me more important) parts. BASE has lost it’s greatest artist. The BASE community has lost one of it’s greatest leaders. We have lost a friend. Dwain was our guru. With a mad gleam in his eye, and dreams beyond the reach of other mortals, he inspired all of us--and pushed himself beyond what we thought was possible. Dwain was unquestionably the greatest BASE jumper on earth. He had mastered every sub discipline of our sport. He had made the lowest freefalls, had pushed the longest tracks, had flown a wingsuit in the tightest spaces, had performed the most complex aerials. Dwain was more than an athlete, though. He was also a master technician. He knew the gear, inside and out, backward and forward. He knew how to use it, and he understood both it’s limitations and it’s potential. Over the years many people have asked me for advice about BASE. What they often did not know was that I just as frequently turned to Dwain. I was repaid for answering basic questions with answers to my own questions. For every “how big a pilot chute do I need at 300 feet?” or “which lines do I put in a tailgate?” that I answered, Dwain would give me pages of explanation for “why does wind effect openings in opposite directions on static line and freefall deployments?” or “why do pilot chutes hesitate when fully extended, and what can be done about it?” I cannot count the times that I presented Dwain with a (to me) seemingly impossible problem, and had him respond with such an obvious, simple solution that I felt like slapping myself. But none of this is the Dwain I will miss most. Someone else can train to do those jumps. Someone else can learn that knowledge. Someone else can answer questions. No one else will ever be Dwain. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Thank you for posting this. This was the best BASE event I've ever been to (and I've been to quite a few). The vibe was amazing, the locals were friendly and supportive, and we all had a great time right up to the end. Even after the accident, the park manager said to me "I'm really sorry, but I hope you all come back next year." Truly a phenomenal event, with truly phenomenal people. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

If anyone wants to send condolences to the family, I have the appropriate postal addresses. PM or email me if you want them. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

So, in all the hoopla, we seem to have missed this. On Sunday, a wingsuit jumper (name withheld until all the chaos dies down) exited an aircraft around 7000', flew down into a gorge, dropped below a set of power lines, then flew under a bridge and flew another 1000' or so along the gorge, before deploying and landing safely at the bottom. It was an amazing flight. I'll try to edit (to remove all the controversial bits) and post the video in the next few days. Nice flight! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Crimpfiend -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

damnit all my jumps are funjumps..whats wrong whith that I think DexterBASE was referring to a cutaway made purely for fun (hence fun-away). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I believe Texas Tom has that honor. Has anyone besides me noticed that this is the first time that two legal events are going on simultaneously (China and Gorge Games)? It's definitely growing. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I don't think so. I agree that it's more novelty than lifesaver. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I believe the record is just under three hours. 2:54 comes to mind, but that might just be something I'm making up. I know that the BASE in a day thing has been done by numerous groups. The first one I know of was in the early 90's. I believe the fastest one was in the Pacific Northwest. The coolest, in my opinion, was in Arizona, where they did things like flying from one object to the next, skydiving onto the top, then grabbing BASE rigs and hopping off. Let me see if I can find more info. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Because democracy is the worst of all possible political systems--except for all the other systems in the world. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

It is, but none of the things you posted are advertising. They are good, solid information straight from the horse's (err...manufacturer's) mouth. You're perfectly welcome to post that kind of information any time. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

It looks good. But if you're a BASE jumper, nothing beats an invigorating 180. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ok, I'm talking about a rig with folding dynamic corner inserts (like the Morpheus rigs). When the corner is in the uninflated, flat position (i.e. closed normally) there is still a ridge of stiffened fabric right at the bottom corner of the rig. A wrap around style corner will hide this corner and largely eliminate the problem. When you pull the PC out of the pouch (still packed in a mushroom), the mesh (or, to a lesser degree, the edge of the cap) can hang up on the stiffened edge of the dynamic corner insert. I'm not talking about a locked in, total malfunction kind of thing. It just creates a momentary hitch in your throw, as you encounter the tension and have to increase your pull strength of overcome it. The only time it's going to hurt someone is if (a) they hit the extra tension and panic, or (b) they are really, really low to begin with. Unfortunately, I've got no camera to take pictures of this at the moment (sorry, Andrea), but I'll do so as soon as I have the necessary equipment (perhaps the week after next) available. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

It catches without the corner inflating. The stitching around the outside of the mesh, and the mesh itself, can get caught in the edge of the (normal, flat) corner. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

For me, the most worrisome thing is the potential for the mesh on the crown of a vented pilot chute to hang up on the dynamic corner. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

[inside joke] Who? [/inside joke] -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I bought mine on-line from a used bookseller in London. it came to around US$20, including the shipping to the states. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I bet Nick is interested. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com