TomAiello

Is the machine normally shared? If so, tossing your cookies could just land you back where you started. If not, that'll fix it for sure. Nothing wrong that a little cookie munching can't cure. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

What operating system are you using? On most newer ones, it's pretty easy to set up mulitple logins (to your computer) that would automatically route to the correct dz.com login. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Or put elevators in 2000' towers. Oh, wait a minute... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Oh, man, that's my home DZ. I've been out of town for a while, but I still feel connected to it. This stuff always sucks. And we've had a tandem fatality/lawsuit thing before. I really hope it all works out. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

..not a fan of microsoft, use linux whenever possible. XP was great for my grandmother... You know the new Mac OS is Linux based? --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

I've got the funniest video of him shooting the wires of a 1600' tower on a wingsuit. Let me see if I can find it... --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

This is the text of the actual warning label inside the tail pocket of one of my canopies: Warning 1. Training and/or experience are required to increase the risk. Never use this equipment unless you have: A. Read the warning label and completed a “controlled program of instruction” in reckless behavior, - or – B. Read the warning label and figured it out for yourself. 2. Lower the risk of death, serious injury, equipment damage, or getting busted by staying home. Maximum Deployment Speed: Slow Maximum Gross Weight (Jumper, Clothing, Ego): Low Model: Mojo 260 Serial Number: Date of Manufacture: 4/96 Parachute systems when properly assembled, packed and operated are still dangerous and unreliable. You should consider yourself a test jumper when using this equipment. The manufacturer makes no warranties expressed or implied for any actual or consequential damages. Removal of this label will damage your gear. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

I'm running a G4 600 laptop and a dual G4 1gig desktop. If you want to do video editing, the extra processor power is DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED. For all other applications (i.e. still graphics) it's total overkill. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

The hot new drink for BASE jumpers is 180 energy drink. We just love the name. It'd be a bit like someone who never played baseball randomly named their drink "strike out", or someone who knew nothing about skydiving called their drink "cut away". We just laugh every time we offer each other a 180 just before exit. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

What about the grandaddy of all numbers, your license number? I'd bet you have one of those. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

You probably ought to learn to turn it off manually without waiting the 14 hours, if only for safety reasons. I had to turn mine off in the plane one time, after my reserve pin got dislodged, and I had to ride the plane down. Just before diving, the pilot (who had, believe it or not 25,000 skydives at the time) turns to me and says "got a cypress? Turn it off--we're going down fast!" I don't know if his descent rate really would have fired it or not, but I'd rather not find out the hard way. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

You can see both XXX and Reign of Fire trailers (and tons of others) at http://www.apple.com/trailers/ Looks like ROF just has camera suits, not wing suits. My vote for best scene is definitely the bit where Tim R. exits the back of that corvette off our local span, though. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

Hi Dan, Do you happen to know how the glide ratios compare? Is the skyray just faster, or does it also have a better glide ratio as well? --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

...the bottle for the rigger. Even if you're miffed now, the Good Karma is always worth the investment. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

Hey Derek, I've got a sheisty old accuracy container (can't remember the brand) (no reserve, no main) mouldering in a closet. I bought it complete and stripped both canopies out to use for BASE. I'm not sure if it has risers (I may have converted them for BASE as well), but I know I've got the reserve PC. The reserve was a round, so you'd have to scrounge up an appropriate freebag somewhere (as well as canopies, of course). It's ugly as venal sin (an awful brown color, as I recall). I also couldn't get anyone to grab and ship it (I'm way far from home for quite some time) until probably the 4th of July. At any rate, I tossed the thing in the closet last year because that was closer than the trash. Provided it's all still there, and I can find it, I'll sell it to you. My Price: Your word that if/when you take up BASE jumping you seek instruction from a jumper with over 200 jumps. Oh, yeah, and you pay shipping. Send me an email or post here if you want it. Viva La X-Plex! --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

OK, I promise this is my last post (for now) on this thread, then I'll shut up. Tee, We did lots and lots of research and thought about the manuever. Contrary to popular opinion, BASE jumpers are not a bunch of yahoo psychos who will just pitch themselves off of anything in sight, with anything on their back. The average BASE jumper spends about 100 times more thought on each jump than the average skydiver. All the different considerations (rigging, object, weather, bust, etc) make the sport more of an intellectual exercise than an athletic event. Jumping off of something and free falling for a couple seconds is way easier than, say, turning 10 points on a four way. It just takes a lot more thought to do it safely every time. BTW, Building McConkey #1 (first guy to launch that off a building) is also from Calgary. Western Canada is fast catching Australia as the home of the world's most extreme BASE jumpers. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

> There has to be some "safe" way to do that jump.. Sure. The same as the "safe" way to skydive, BASE jump, or drive a car. Get proper instruction from experienced people. >Well I was really more refering to a normal rig setup, normal slider, no tailgate, etc. I'd recommend always using a tailgate on a McConkey. It helps to keep the canopy oriented properly in the pre-inflation stage. And that is a "normal" rig. CRW jumpers use "normal" CRW rigs, Freeflyers use "normal" Freefly rigs, and BASE jumpers use "normal" BASE rigs. What do you do about stowing your brakes in a jump like that? You can do it in pretty much any brake setting. We've done it with brakes deep, shallow and unstowed, now. Note that if you're leaving a solid object, you should use deep brakes because normal object strike considerations still apply. > And do you think you take a normal pro pack and just flake it out a little ? Techniques vary depending on the exit point and the object strike considerations. If you want more detailed instructions, email me. There's been quite a bit of thought about how to deal with the canopy. > Wonder if you could do that jump from a helicopter or if the downdraft would just yank your butt off the side... I wouldn't try a helicopter. That jump was made in very light (2 mph tops) wind. When I tried it in 5-7, I had to back down because the canopy got away from me (eventually we figured a way to solve that, but it degrades heading performance). A balloon might work though. If you have no experience with dead air exits, you still might end up wrapped in your canopy--a situation in which your reserve will be of little use. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

Troll 290. Please DON'T try this, or any other BASE, without proper instruction and guidance. It'd be a bit like saying--I bet you could jump out of a plane without any instruction--it's just like falling, right? BASE sees so many skydivers get hurt/maimed/killed because they don't have proper instruction and guidance, and figure that their skydiving experience will translate. It doesn't. That's one of the reasons that "skydiver" is a largely pejorative term in the BASE community. Please don't become a statistic. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

Hi Bill, He (that's actually me) did the maneuver almost exactly as planned (one loop--I think it's be impossible to do two). And it was even my first time. The only thing I did differently the next time was launch harder out (I was too worried about that step through this time, so I tried too hard to make sure the front loop happened on schedule). By launching harder, you can keep better line tension throughout the maneuver. Performed properly, a McConkey (that's the name of the maneuver) will maintain line tension on a properly inflated canopy all the way to full flight--virtually eliminating the chance of a malfunction. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

Hi There! I'm new to this forum, so I'll introduce myself. My name's Tom. I'm not really a skydiver, as the last time I made a skydive was over a year ago (I've been jumping three or four times a week, though). Anyway, I started reading this forum recently when one of my friends made his final jump, and there was some information about it here. You guys seem cool enough that it might even convince me to try jumping out of planes again. Thanks. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

If you want I can just email you the file. I also have a shorter (196k) version if you're running a skinny pipe. I put that up because I wanted to test out Apple's free web site capabilities. I didn't tell anyone it was there at all. It took Derek all of five hours to find it. Derek, how did you find it? And did you watch the other two as well? I thought Choppy's wingsuit flight was the best of the bunch. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

> I wonder if he overrotated accidentally. Actually, it's pretty much impossible to over rotate. No matter how hard you tuck, unless you have competitive diving/gymnastics experience, you are unlikely to make it too far. Under rotating is similarly difficult, although no one has really tried to do a standup. The lines and risers pretty much guide you into the correct position regardless of your launch. > Seems a bit foolish Funny, that's what whuffos say about you... --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

Yeah, that guy sure must be nuts. Devilishly handsome, though. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

Does anyone know how Atair measures their canopies? CobaltDan maybe? I'm specifically interested in how they measure the Troll. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com

OK, I got a fairly good explanation from BASE 311 at: http://www.blincmagazine.com/forum/board/3843.html It sounds like the opening at altitude ought to take longer. Thanks Bill, for trying to explain basic concepts to someone like me, who often just doesn't get it. --Tom Aiello tbaiello@mac.com