TomAiello

No. Wingsuit BASE definitely needs to be done with a pin rig. I know only one jumper who still makes wingsuit jumps on a velcro rig, and even he stops short of recommending that anyone else do it. Pins are recommended for wingsuit flights by pretty much everyone who is a recognized expert on the subject, including Bird-man, every major BASE gear manufacturer, and that Russian fellow with all the BASE, wingsuit and BASE wingsuit jumps. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Go Robi! Robert is truly one of the pioneers in our sports (both BASE and skydiving). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

There have been several very good threads on this topic at BLiNC. I'm pressed for time just now, but I'll see if I can dig them up and post a link tomorrow. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Will has been notoriously slow at filling orders, but he's far from being the only one (see the great Bridge Day Video controversy). I'm pretty sure that everyone who has ordered from him has gotten the videos eventually, though. I'd bet you'll get it, but it will take a while. As far as I know he hasn't been injured, or anything like that. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Some official info: And a bit of info that I got from a friend: Hope this helps anyone who is thinking of going. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Grrr. Cheesy dial-up just lost my reply. In short, I do know of the site, but I've never been there. Have you tried posting on BLiNC or The BASE Point? I bet there is even someone running around Headdown.net who can answer your question. PM me if you can't find anything there, and I'll ask some folks I know who live in the area. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Yep. I've got a fairly good analysis. Most of the work was done by an Irish jumper (thanks MT!), and I've added a bit to it. Email me if you want to see it. Edit: I've attached the graphs to this posting. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com fatality.pdf

Borrowing...we're only borrowing it. I promise to put it all right back where we found it once we're done. Oh, wait. I bet you meant Stealing Altitude. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Within the last 15 years, all BASE gear was "home cooked." Exchange rates to China are so fearsome that I doubt any aspiring Chinese BASE jumpers could afford to purchase gear from the U.S. And I really suspect that there's more to this story than we've read. Isn't that always the case with parachuting stories (of any kind) in the general media? Imagine that a U.S. test jumper was injured doing tests on a new low freefall system. I'm certain that at least one Chinese newspaper would carry a story that sounded just as crazy as this one. In any case, respect to Qin Ning for at least getting off the couch. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

If that were the case, wouldn't she be a Brazilian woman? And you know we'd be talking about her boobies. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

For Troll questions, I'd go with answers from Robert Jones (robert@baserigs.com), or Stane Krajnic (spelling on last name?) (atair@k2.net). Robert Pecnik (robert@bird-man.com) is also an extremely good source of information on the canopy (he's one of the primary test jumpers). I have found Dan to be extremely knowledgeable on aerodynamics, canopy flight, and skydiving (and especially the Cobalt), but for BASE questions I'd go to the people in the organization who spend more of their time and energy on BASE jumping. Why don't you just phone Morpheus and ask for a Troll 290 demo, then phone CR, BR and Vertigo and get canopies from them as well? I've found most manufacturers more than willing to send out demo canopies, and jumping the thing for a weekend is probably the best way to know how it will perform for you. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

My experience mirrors this, that the Troll 290 is of similar pack volume to the 285 FOX. The better glide and stronger flare (hence softer landings) make it seem to "fly bigger" by a bit, though. I'd definitely prefer my Troll 290 to a 285 FOX for bad landing areas. I'd also prefer it to a 285 FOX Vtec (i.e. vented) in that situation. I would definitely not agree, however, that the flight characteristics of the Troll 290 and FOX 285 are terribly similar. I've found the Troll to have both greater available forward speed (useful when fighting wind) and lower minimum (sink) speed than the FOX. Note that I have not jumped a 285 FOX Vtec With Covers (i.e. valved). Um, I'm pretty sure you meant Troll 290 MDV. Can you clarify? While I'm pretty sure that I know when you are talking valved, when you are talking vented, and when you are talking none of the above, your post isn't very clear in that regard. It might help some beginners if we tried to keep clear which canopy variant we are discussing. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I definitely think that a head high flying position has given me better results in glide angle. I just seem to get more forward speed, and slower descent rate, with my chin up. However, the speed and length of the inital "drop" ought to depend more on the "float" of your body position than it's efficiency for forward flight. The length of the "drop" is not necessarily a good indicator of flight efficiency or technique (not in the specific case--I doubt that anyone aside from Jari approaches Robert's flight efficiency). I'd guess that the chin up position maximizes both body surface area and bottom skin "cup" and thereby initiates flight slightly faster. But I don't think that's a good indicator of general flight efficiency, nor do I believe it's the dominant factor in initiating flight sooner. For example, I think body angle is more important than head positioning in determining the "drop" interval before flight. As I recall Robert once said that "drop" time was almost entirely a function of wingloading. Damn, this wingsuit stuff is so much fun.

Not even close. Skydiving is about an order of magnitude less dangerous than BASE. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Lots of people. It's not that hard to find a mentor to train you. The only commercially available training (as distinct from expeditions) is currently the First Jump Courses offered by various manufacturers. However, a few times in the past a very few jumpers have offered more advanced or intermediate courses. While response is generally good, it is a huge amount of work for the offerers, and the risks are quite large. It is impossible to insure safe and incident free BASE jumping. The BASE community is hardly homogeneous. Some parts of it are easy to get into, some parts are harder. It's pretty much like everything else. But it's not that hard to join. Some random dude who likes to climb (but has never made a parachute jump) can decide to become a BASE jumpers, and four years on can find himself in most of the "in" clubs (and even moderating an internet forum on BASE). I'm not sure that we all agree. I know many experienced BASE jumpers who feel that a formalized training program would detract greatly from the value of the sport. Just because something seems obvious to one does not make it the correct answer for all. I agree. But the sentiment is hardly universal. A solid training program is essential for the longevity of any particular participant. Not as unquestionably essential for the longevity of the sport as a whole. I don't think that anyone offering BASE gear or services of any kind ought to be required to offer instruction for beginners (or anything else). Some people just sell pilot chutes. Some sell complete rigs. Some offer first jump courses. Some just offer expeditions. In my opinion, the best way is to find a local mentor, take a first jump course from a major manufacturer, and start jumping at home under the supervision of your experienced mentor. It's not that complex. There is plenty of instruction available. It's hardly fair to criticize BASE as a closed community inaccessible to outsiders. Many experienced BASE jumpers level the opposite criticisms. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

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

I disagree. Your statement is tantamount to saying "if everyone else is doing something, I ought to do it too." While you cannot force anyone to do anything, you can do what you think is right, in the areas that you can change. I understand that some people will not share my views on BASE ethics. That does not mean that I ought not to hold those views. I totally agree. That's why I try to help out with BASE knowledge on sites like this one. There is a huge difference, though, between helping with BASE technique and equipment, and handing out sites. If you want help learning about BASE, I'll gladly "step up". If you want to learn specific sites, come and jump with me (or any other BASE jumper) in person. We're not against sharing knowledge. We're against putting potential dangerous knowledge into the public domain. The idea is to get people to ask for help. If they need help finding the sites, then they are also going to need help jumping them. Let me go back and bump up our last discussion about this. Have you read it? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Here's an excerpt of the PM I sent to the original poster on this subject: Combining the factors (delicate access, guide required, expensive to do properly, difficult site, high consequences for error) I felt that this site was particularly sensitive. Sometimes I question my own decisions to edit out site names. This is not one of those times. Feel free to PM me (or post further here) if you want to discuss my decision to edit the post. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Apologies to everyone who thinks I'm overreacting. Feel free to flame me via PM. I've edited this entire thread to remove site names. I always think it's a bad idea to name sites. In this case, a brand new, very sensitive, legal big wall within striking distance of the U.S., I think it's an even worse idea. Anyone who is interested in jumping these sites, please contact Jay directly. As you can see from reading his post, trying to go it alone out there is a recipe for disaster, not only for yourself, but for all of his (and others) hard work in getting the site open to legal access. Thanks for posting Jay, and thanks for the huge amount of effort you've put in to opening a new legal big wall site. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Um, it might encourage other robins to come back into the yard. In that sense it would bring her robins back. With a good shotgun, you might be able to get two with one shot. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I think they vary. One that I own has several towers marked at exactly 2000', for example. The most recent version of it, though, has adjusted the marks so that they are more like 1967', 2004', etc. I think that someone at the FAA keeps going through and trying to update old objects (as well as putting on the new ones, which is the whole reason the things have new printings so often, and pilots are required to have recent ones). If you are using them to measure altitude, they're ok for quick approaches. If you spend too long getting to the exit, though, general atmospheric conditions can change, and screw up the whole thing. I far prefer laser rangefinders. As Faber points out, it really only matters if you're worried that the object isn't tall enough at all, and then you really ought to be using a rangefinder. If the object is tall enough, then the difference between 1700' and 1780' isn't too critical. You can push your delay lower on subsequent jumps until you are at your comfort limit. You never ought to be sucking it way down on your first (or first five or ten) jumps off of anything, anyway. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

In the U.S., they are either called Sectionals (larger scale) or TAC's (Terminal Air Chart, I think) (smaller scale). The best people to ask about them are the pilots at the DZ. You can also buy Sectionals (and some of their non-U.S. equivalents) here. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

If you are interested in figuring out a good wingloading for your BASE canopy, check out this thread on the newbies forum at BLiNC. In the third post, the Little Aussie lays out a very simple, easy, and accurate way to estimate your proper canopy size. For those who don't know him, the Little Aussie is probably the world's foremost active BASE jumper. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Hi Yourself! Don't be bummed. Be happy you've got a jumpmaster who's concerned enough about your safety to make you do it right. Everyone has trouble learning something. Check out this web page. It took her 7 months and 48 jumps to finish her training. And now she's a well respected jumper with thousands of jumps (you might even find her moderating a forum somewhere around here). Hang in there, and welcome to the forums! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Gee, it seems like you're applying an awfully broad stereotype there. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com