peek

I would assume you use it jumping from objects, not aircraft, and ask you about BASE jumping, which I am interested in! This is what I usually do every time I see a BASE rig. But when I see a guy at the WFFC packing a BASE rig with people at a balloon shouting to him to hurry.... You seem to be another person that thinks I do not like BASE jumping, but quite the opposite. I think it is an important sport.

I was angry because someone was doing something that could harm 1. skydiving, 2. the WFFC, and 3. balloon jumping at the WFFC. You are correct, that was an assumption. Since this thread started I have learned that BASE jumpng from balloons is more common than I thought. I made the assumption because it is difficult to belive that a pilot would risk his certificate for this. But, OK, I acknoledge that they do. If this jumper never does that again I will be a bit happier, but please don't think I'm happy about what happened. I would prefer never seeing anything like that, but the jumper was so obvious about it. How many of these things do you think I see? I'm busy skydiving, and when I'm not skydiving, I'm busy with other things. There are a lot of things I wish we could correct at the WFFC to make it safer, but we don't have enough "police" for that. The WFFC is depending on the jumpers there to help out and tell their fellow jumpers when they are doing something that puts them or the WFFC at jepardy. (But this could be a separate thread.) Once again, it was the last day of the WFFC, and I never expected to have the opportunity. I took the opportunity to do something I thought would help.

I would like you to read the other thread in the other forum if you have not. I'm having a difficult time understand how a number of people consider my actions ratting out when no jump was made. I don't know if BASE jumpers are more sensitive to potential FAA involvement, but perhaps that is it. So far the comments seem to follow those lines.

(I think I am understanding your sarcasm but please tell me if I am not.) If you are telling me that people are impaired by drugs or alcohol while jumping at the WFFC, I believe you. However, I must not be worth a damn at noticing it, because I haven't seen anyone acting obviously impaired. If anyone else does I wish they would tell me. And if you see it and I don't I wish you would tell the aircraft folks. You will get a lot of support from them I am sure. If the aircraft hasn't taken off yet it's easy enough to give them the boot and an education, with no serious consequences if they actually learn from it.

"I don't know" does not mean "no opinion", at least to me. Just because I expressed my opinion on one subject does not mean I owe the world an opinion on everything. I don't have a formal "mission statement" or anything!

I didn't see it, but I heard about it. It seems likely.

Would you believe I actually agree with you to a certain extent? With all of the pressures on skydiving from aircraft, we are seeing many people turning to BASE jumping, and it is going to increase. (But I don't want to see pressure on skydiving from the above mentioned thing.) (On the other hand, what about those wind tunnels? Another offshoot of skydiving that doesn't require aircraft.)

Sorry, man. Ever been seen at the WFFC?

I't kind of hard to relax when you know you have handled a situation properly and are being chastised for it, but I'm getting there. And it is indeed my company, my dime, and seriously, anyone can call me and tell me to go to hell, or whatever they want. The feedback is good, and I always learn a lot from those that call, because conversation is much better thn typing. Most situations are complex and need more than just the casual posting. (I could have explained the situation better myself in the original message.)

I said using BASE gear out of a balloon is stupid, because it harms skydiving. I guess I need to repeat once more that I am not anti-BASE.

OK, I give up, I'll respond in this thread too. :) I'm not sure where I ever said that the reasons for approaching this jumper were for safety reasons. Please point me to it, it's been a long thread, I could have missed something. I'm trying to: 1. protect a sport (perhaps 2!) 2. protect the WFFC 3. protect balloon jumping at the WFFC I used peer pressure (granted, not a peer in some people's eyes, but a peer to the WFFC staff) to try to accomplish this in a limited time frame. Is there anyone who really truly thinks I am hostile toward legal BASE jumps?

Should I read between the lines? Do you have your threads and forums confused? Is your answer simply "Nothing"?

I don't know. One of the problems would be knowing whether a person was impaired while rigging. Part of any process is finding out the truth, which is all but impossible in many cases. "significant percentage of riggers"? That should give everyone a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Dave, you don't have a single story and I'm calling you on it. If you wish to, you can call me at (800 435-1975 and tell me some of those stories you think you have.

Tell the Principal to place that in my Permanent Record.

Dan, perhaps the thread has gotten so long that you have not been able to read all of the comments I have made so far. There was nothing to rat out. He was not doing something against the rules, but was planning to. Telling someone before they do something wrong is usually better than being punitive after they do it.

You know, I was trying to think of an analogy myself to try to get some people to better understand just what happened, but you have done a wondeful job of it. Thanks.

I think that anyone who brings it up in a new thread does not hate to break it to me, but is eager to. I am happy to take everything that everyone throws my way, but it sure is easier responding in one thread and one forum.

I could have sworn I started a new thread.

You forgot the contact info: Gary Peek peek@freefall.com 3201 Highgate Lane St. Charles, MO 63301 USA (636) 946-5272 Office: 9-5 central (800) 435-1975 Feel free to call me any time on my company's toll free line and tell me what you really think (without worrying about forum moderators.)

What about the mustache? (Sob). They don't care about my mustache.

Come on Nick, that was way too easy of a shot! I'm starting a new thread here. Thank you, that's the kind of discussion I'm trying to provoke.

Hell, I haven't said anything controversial for a while, so here goes: What would make you "turn in" someone to the FAA? By this I mean, (for situations in the US) how serious of an FAR violation would concern you so much that you would turn in someone to the FAA knowing that it would be likely that they would have an FAA certificate (pilot, rigger, mechanic) revoked or suspended, or if they had no certificate, would have legal (civil) action taken against them? ("Turning in" being defined as writing a letter of formal complaint and identifying yourself.) To answer my own question first: "I don't know". I'll have to think about it a while.

And I had a small window of opportunity in which to point out this mistake to the jumper (in a gentle way). I could have pulled his wristband from his arm I suppose, and looked him up in the database, and made a big deal out of it, but there was a simpler and more effective way, so I chose it. How many complaints do we all suppose would that have generated?

As I wrote in a previous post: "I don't want skydiving, the WFFC, or balloons at the WFFC placed in jepardy." I don't think it's stupid and I can't imagine where you got that idea. I'd probably make a number of BASE jumps if there were legal places to do it near me, but I'm not into it enough to go to the effort.