TomAiello

I've bought tons of used gear on-line. Three full rigs (one from Skycat gear shop, two from riggers), two skydiving canopies, too much BASE gear to count (including at least six canopies--although I've known most of the BASE people I've bought it from). No problems, ever. I know that there are crooked jumpers out there, but they seem a whole lot rarer than the crooks in the rest of life. I've also sold gear on-line, with no problems. I've regularly shipped small things to people based on their word that they had sent a check. I've never been disappointed. It sucks to hear that you've had bad experiences. I hate so say this, but you really ought to name names, and let everyone know, so that other people will avoid the crooks. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I believe that the actual award is called screwBASE. I'm not sure who's gotten all four, but I'd lay money on some folks in Utah. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Yes. And yes. PM Bungeechef if you want more info about their operation. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Weird. I guess I don't have a good grasp on navigation on various systems. For me it's two keys simultaneously (Command-W) to close the pop-up, two for a "back" (Command-[) or a mouse action for either. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'm not sure what "bump jumping" or "bumpy jumping" is. If you are looking for information on Bungee Jumping (i.e. jumping from an object with a rubber cord attached) try here. Edit: Oops, screwed up the link, didn't I? Thanks Lolie. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Second what RevJim said. I often like to have the original posting and the profile on the screen at the same time, and the back button doesn't help that. You can do it by opening a second window and re-finding everything, but a pop-up is much handier. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Try displaying the picture, then grabbing a screen shot (how you do that depends on your specific computer and operating system). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Here's the whole picture. I thought the picture was cool enough to try to extract an icon from, even though it was hard to get a small enough chunk for an icon. Maybe I'll change it, if enough people mention that they can't figure it out. Maybe not. I'm pretty lazy. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Wow, I'm not sure what the time difference is, but I guess it's the middle of the night there? 67 seems like a reasonable middle of the night temperature. I mean, you still have to wear a sweatshirt, but it's not freezing or anything. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Try looking here. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I wonder if PD has changed their practice? Your Ace was manufactured by PD wasn't it? I know my BJ was made on-site by CR. If PD has changed despite the ease of manufacturing argument, I bet there's a pretty good reason for it. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Here's the transcript of an email on the price: Sorry it took me so long to dig it up. When this thread popped back to the top it kind of reminded me. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

This is still a bit unpolished, so please excuse any errors. I wanted to get this posted, and start a discussion on it as soon as possible. In public discussion, especially on-line discussion, I avoid naming BASE jumping sites, as well as BASE jumpers. I ask everyone else in this forum to do the same. I will edit posts which include site names or precise locations, with the exception of a few extremely popular legal sites suitable for beginners, where instruction and supervision are often available. Examples include the legal bridge in the Western United States, and the popular big wall in Southern Norway. Please remember that the appearance of a site in Skydiving Magazine (or other public venues) is not an expression of support for site publicity from the BASE community. Skydiving has done much to widen the rift between Skydivers and BASE jumpers by publicizing sites despite direct requests from local BASE jumpers to the contrary. I will remove the names of BASE jumpers who either (a) request that their names be removed, or (b) have made such requests for privacy in the past. My failure to edit a posting is not an expression of support. I'd recommend avoiding names altogether, whether they are well known or not. Sites Inquiries about sites serve as the primary gatekeeper of the BASE community. If a prospective jumper has to locate experienced jumpers to learn about sites, there is a far greater chance that they will receive instruction (of any kind) and use appropriate gear. If a site is publicized, pretty much anyone can run out and throw himself off of it. He can jump with no training, with improper equipment and with no supervision. This is a recipe for disaster, and has resulted in multiple accidents, including more than one fatality. Any discussion of a site can easily be held by referring to the site descriptively, rather than by name or location. It is easy to discuss "the Bridge Day site" or "the popular terminal wall in Northern Italy" for example, and using such labels detracts nothing from a technical discussion. Accidents occur at legal sites, as well as illegal ones, and this reasoning applies equally to either. In fact, the majority of BASE fatalities have occurred at legal sites. The ease of access to these sites, as well as the frequency of accidents, argues, if anything, for greater site secrecy at legal sites. Some BASE jumpers feel that preventing accidents is important because it keeps sites open for jumping (whether legal or illegal). This concern is a distant second to preventing injury. People I also generally refrain from naming people. Many BASE jumpers are very shy--especially since they may face legal consequences for some jumps, and those consequences could have major ramifications for their lives. It would be extremely unfortunate to cost a fellow jumper their livelihood because you inadvertently mentioned their name in an internet discussion. I often use pseudonyms, sometimes drawn from other places (particularly easy for people active on-line, as they often have screen names) and sometimes the product of my fanciful imagination. The informed can often decipher my references. By referring to the Little Aussie, or Space, or 460, I can allow each jumper to choose the level of their own name recognition. If they want to be known, they can publicize themselves. If they prefer to remain anonymous, I have not disregarded their desires. What's in it for me? All of this may seem to be a bit much. But it costs you nothing to refrain from naming names, and it may gain you much. By acting respectfully, you will gain the respect of experienced BASE jumpers, both in your area and elsewhere. This is invaluable in gaining mentoring, support, and guidance, as well as easy access to established jumping sites. Very few experienced BASE jumpers will take you to new sites if they know that the next day the sites name and location will be spread across the internet (or around the drop zone). Refraining from naming sites is quite easy, and the potential costs of naming them are huge. Why take the chance? I'm sure I've overlooked some things, and I'd love to start a discussion on this topic. Thanks for taking the time to read this. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I assume that Erno was using Opera when he had the problem. Isn't that your normal browser, Erno? I'd prefer to use Safari (which, admittedly, is still in beta) because it has some nifty integration features with my OS, and because if iSync gets a bookmark sync (between different computers) running, it will doubtless be the first browser supported (I use three different machines). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The landing area is very large. It's a wide open grassy field, which is easily the size of the experienced jumper landing area at many drop zones. In order to make the upper landing area (the field), you will want to take a delay of no more than three seconds (slider down). You should be careful to land in the farther portion of the field (across the drainage ditch which may or may not have some old wooden boards bridging it), as the nearer part of the field has many large rocks which would be unfriendly to land on. There are two good outs. The first is a sandy (or covered in cockleburr bushes--depending on the time of year) beach, which is generally the "advanced" landing area. At some times of year, the water is high enough to submerge this area, forcing landings in the upper field. The second is the river. The river is wide, deep and slow, making it an excellent out if you either (a) are too low, or (b) have some kind of malfunction. The river is also good fun for jumping round parachutes. All exits should be made over the deepest part of the water, in any case, to minimize the chance of injury in the event of a malfunction. You may see experienced jumpers landing in other areas, or intentionally taking an out due to the nature of their jump, or delay. Please do not attempt to emulate them until you are certain that you have the experience necessary to do so. I recognize that coming from me, this is a classic case of "do as I say". Please feel free to flame me in private if you wish to point out my hypocrisy. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

OK. I'm seeing it. Take a look at the fifth control line on an Ace/BJ, though. It's not a doubled back single line (like the other four). Since there's only one line, it might actually be easier just to larkshead this one on. Is it looped for consistency? Why not just use five individual lines? Perhaps too much line in the cascade joint? And, to follow up on something from that earlier thread: Is it possible for high performance lines on skydiving canopy to saw through the tapes if they aren't larksheaded? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ditto. I can't access the info from that machine, ever. It just keeps asking for the login over and over and over. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Must mean something else in Finnish! :-) Yes it does :) And it's got to be a slang term. After searching four Finnish-English dictionaries, all I could come up with was pupu: (noun) bunny Maybe I can find a Finn to explain it to me... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Gosh, I guess then I'd just say "I'm going to Bridge Day." As I said, I'll try to start another thread on this subject. But it will take me a few moments (at least). Let's not side-track this first jump thread into yet another discussion of my site naming policy. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've posted this question to the Gear and Rigging Forum, in this thread. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've noticed that the line attachments are larksheaded onto the attachment points on my canopies, for the suspension lines, but the control lines are looped (not larksheaded) directly around the tail attachment points. I've seen this configuration on several canopies. They are mostly BASE canopies, but one was a skydiving canopy. We've been discussing it in this thread. Note that the manufacturer of one of the BASE canopies in question has posted, saying that this is an industry standard configuration, used by other major manufacturers (such as PD). Can anyone explain why the line attachments are different (looped rather than larksheaded) on the control lines? It appears that the larkshead is stronger, so there must be some other reason not to use it on the control lines. Help? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

How old were they? My Stiletto was manufactured pre-Velocity. I wonder if PD changed their design. My control lines are looped, but the rest of the lines are larksheaded. Me too. Maybe we ought to start a thread in gear and rigging, and see if someone knows why it's done in general. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've been meaning to start a thread on site naming, and my specific reasoning. I guess I'd better finish writing that and get it posted. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Here's a more complete quote: -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've had the same problem on one of my machines, but not another. They're running the same OS, have similar hardware, etc, so I think that it's got to be a cookie-like issue. I haven't been able to sort it out, yet, though (haven't really tried too hard). I did notice that I don't get the problem with IE, but I do get it with Safari (I mention this because I know you use Opera). Maybe Bill Gates has bought off Sangiro? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com