Too big to jump?

[Ty_Locke 0]

I'm 5' 11", 295 lbs, mostly muscle with light body fat. Can I jump? I'm very interested in BASE jump tracking and wingsuit piloting. Yea or nay? Thanks!

(Don't say, "You should just lose weight" please)

[Ty_Locke 0]

To clarify: "light body fat" means I have some fat covering muscle. Not a beer belly, lovehandles, manboobs, etc. Also, I completed one tandem HANGGLIDE but never a skydive. And I'm interested in BASE tracking and aircraft jump wingsuit piloting. Thanks for any input you may have.
-Ty

[brnnncrzy77 0]

I am doing an AFF program with someone your build. Keep in mind that you need hundreds of jumps to ever think about a wing suit.

u werent flying, u were falling with style

[Ty_Locke 0]

Thanks. Good to know it's possible, now to find out how effective it is. And yes, I know tracksuits are recommended for 30+ jumps and wings at 200+. Is my weight going to basically negate the purpose of these suits though?

[airtwardo 6]

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Thanks. Good to know it's possible, now to find out how effective it is. And yes, I know tracksuits are recommended for 30+ jumps and wings at 200+. Is my weight going to basically negate the purpose of these suits though?

You're not gonna fly as far as a featherbutt...but you WILL have some fun!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[stayhigh 2]

Which school lets close to 300 lbs jump??.

Bernie Sanders for President 2016

[shah269 0]

Hu.....should be just an issue of finding equipment right?
And well if he ever picks up swooping....

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[airtwardo 6]

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Which school lets close to 300 lbs jump??.

Pecos Parachute School

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[tkhayes 124]

little, if any gear exists that is TSO'd to carry you. Meaning I doubt you can jump.

Just because you find a place willing to take you does not mean that it is safe to do so.

The PD 281 reserve parachute is TSO'd only to 300lbs max exit weight. You with gear, will be closer to 330-335 exit weight.

Few, if any harness containers are TSO'd to that weight.

[Squeak 17]

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little, if any gear exists that is TSO'd to carry you. Meaning I doubt you can jump.

Just because you find a place willing to take you does not mean that it is safe to do so.

The PD 281 reserve parachute is TSO'd only to 300lbs max exit weight. You with gear, will be closer to 330-335 exit weight.

Few, if any harness containers are TSO'd to that weight.

what about Mil H/C or Tandem rigs?

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[pchapman 261]

There have been various threads here on dz over the years about options for really big guys.

Basically TKHayes is right, it is impossible (?) to find any normal gear (harness and reserve) that is certified to your weight plus the weight of the gear itself. As squeak suggested, that leaves military style equipment (such as for a soldier plus extra equipment) and tandem gear custom modified for student use.

Which is all very, very rare. Some of the other threads on the subject do mention the occasional DZ that has had such gear. So search for those threads too. I can't say you can't jump, but it may not be easy to find a place that's set up to take you.

[tkhayes 124]

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what about Mil H/C or Tandem rigs?

I assume mil h/c is a military rig - so I have no idea what you asre talking about.

Is it TSO'd for sport use? Or just a military designation?

And tandem rigs are rated for 500lbs TOTAL weight. That does not allow the user to to necessarily put 499 lbs in one harness and 1 lb in the other harness. Most of the harnesses are rated for 250lbs max weight.

Plus tandem rigs are not designed for such use and with the litigious nature of todays skydiving environment, and the brunt of the lawsuits brought down on the manufacturers, I kind of doubt that the tandem manufacturers want to see their rigs used for anything other than their intended purposes within the intended limits.

SO again, just because you can find someone who is willing to take a 300lb AFF student, does not make it safe, nor right, nor legal, nor a smart thing to do.

The answer?

lose 50lbs and get to 240lbs and you can jump at almost any dropzone, well within the limits of normal skydiving equipment.

[winsor 186]

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I'm 5' 11", 295 lbs, mostly muscle with light body fat. Can I jump? I'm very interested in BASE jump tracking and wingsuit piloting. Yea or nay? Thanks!

(Don't say, "You should just lose weight" please)

For skydiving, the MC-4 is certificated for 360# suspended weight, so gear is not a problem. I have a couple of them with AADs available.

As far as wingsuit or BASE go, you are into a whole different realm. Neither of these activities are at all forgiving, and should be considered only when you have the fundamentals of saving your life with a parachute nailed.

The effect of weight in parachuting is not linear. Two people in identical condition, with identical wingloadings and the identical malfunction can often expect very different outcomes. An arrival that might have a small, fit person bruised and shaken will routinely have a person twice the size in an ICU.

In any event, get input from big folks that jump, since the opinions of scrawny folks don't hold a lot of weight, as it were.


Blue skies,

Winsor

[chuckakers 370]

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To clarify: "light body fat" means I have some fat covering muscle. Not a beer belly, lovehandles, manboobs, etc.

At 5'11", 295 pounds and based on your description, you must look something like this http://www.bodybuilders.com/jay.htm.

Otherwise the only thing to say is - yep - lose weight.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[BIGUN 1,050]

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I'm 5' 11", 295 lbs, mostly muscle with light body fat. Can I jump? I'm very interested in BASE jump tracking and wingsuit piloting. Yea or nay? Thanks!
(Don't say, "You should just lose weight" please)

So here's what it sounds like...
You're either a powerlifter, bodybuilder, football player or some other reason for being a mesomorph body type.

Is it possible - yes.
I've trained a lot of Anvil Brothers using the MIL rig of which Winsor speaks .
While at or close to your weight; most of them were over 6' tall.

Here's the issue with you're height/weight ratio...
Even if you did as TK recommends and got down to 240, your height is still a factor of freefall speed.
Your mass at 5'11" 240#'is still going to have you falling at speeds in excess of most skydivers fall rate.
It's a physics thing of which Winsor can address in depth.

In short, can we get you in the air? Yes.
Can we get you to your A license? Yes.
Will anybody jump with you after that so you can progress in RW skills (required for BASE and wingsuit)? Probably Not.

So, we can take your money and get you in the air.
Would we be doing you justice? No.
After your A license, you'd be left on your own and your two goals would be unattainable.
Because you're heels dug in about not losing weight; your two goals would be unattainable.
Anyone who tells you different is just out for some quick newbie student cash.

For them what's over 6', I'll start training at your weight if they are receptive to losing weight. Once they hit 260#, I can transfer them off MIL gear to sport gear, but they need to continue down to at least 240# and possibly more until their height/weight ratio comes more in line. In your case, if you were my student, I'd ask you to focus on on a goal weight of at least 220#.

You seem pretty adamant that you're not going to lose weight and have no intention of doing so. Which sounds to me as though you've got a sport that you're deeply vested in and need that much muscle mass. As you know, that much muscle mass will make it considerably harder to lose weight. To save you a buttload of money based on your wingsuit and BASE goals; I would highly recommend you remain in your current sport.

Now, before you poo poo my reply... Let me share this with you. At 6'6" 250# (of which I have to get down to 235# each spring for the season so I can fly with anyone at any height/weight and not worry about sinking out of the formation) and one of the founders of the Anvil Brothers Skydiving Team... TK, Winsor and several others will all tell you this is the first time I've said, "If you're not even WILLING to lose weight; consider something else."



Here, ya fucks...

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[jonstark 8]

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At 5'11", 295 pounds and based on your description, you must look something like this http://www.bodybuilders.com/jay.htm.

Jeezus! That guy looks like beef jerky!

[Ty_Locke 0]

Well thanks for the info everyone. I guess it looks like I won't be able to jump. #1 I can't afford a fully custom set of equipment from my first jump and #2 I could reasonably expect to only lose 10-15 lbs with extreme effort, so I'm still way over the limit.

My day job is being a knight. I do full contact jousting from horseback, hand to hand sword combat, and also show reining. I ride a 3,000 lb Shire draft horse named Lexington. You might see me at renaissance faires around the country or on the competitive jousting circuit. Working with the horses, combined with practicing my marshal skills has me physically active for 8-10 hours a day. My diet is the Paleolithic Diet or Caveman Diet. Lots and lots of veggies, little bit of meat, no grains. While I don't look like the bodybuildrer in the pic that someone posted, I am very muscular. I also don't LOOK super muscular because I have a thin layer of fat over top, but again, not enough to consider a belly or love handles, etc. Most people guess my weight to be 240-ish when I ask them. Short of severe caloric restriction (which I can't do because then I would be too weak to joust) or Olympic-level training aimed at muscle and weight loss (which i can't do because I would be crushed in the tilt) I don't see any way of ever being below 275 at the smallest.

So in conclusion, thanks for all of your input, but it seems I won't be realizing the dream of human flight.

[catfishhunter 1]

You can't joust forever the sky will still be there when your ready.

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[airtwardo 6]

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You can't joust forever the sky will still be there when your ready.

Good 'point'

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[brucet7 0]

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Your mass at 5'11" 240#'is still going to have you falling at speeds in excess of most skydivers fall rate. It's a physics thing of which Winsor can address in depth.

In short, can we get you in the air? Yes.
Can we get you to your A license? Yes.
Will anybody jump with you after that so you can progress in RW skills (required for BASE and wingsuit)? Probably Not.

I am 6ft and 250 lbs. I have to disagree with you on your last point. I have found many people willing to jump with me. I get to work on those RW skills every time I go to the DZ. With the suit, and swoop cords and body position, I am slow enough to jump with many people at our DZ. And as a coach I am always on the lookout for larger students and new A licensees to help out.

POPS #10623; SOS #1672

[billvon 2,384]

It is possible to purchase sport gear that will accommodate you. However, very very few DZ's will have such gear, which means that you might have to make a very large investment (on the order of $8000) to get a rig that will accommodate your weight for student training. If coming up with $8000 is easier than losing weight it may be a good option for you.

[BIGUN 1,050]

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Your mass at 5'11" 240#'is still going to have you falling at speeds in excess of most skydivers fall rate. It's a physics thing of which Winsor can address in depth.

In short, can we get you in the air? Yes.
Can we get you to your A license? Yes.
Will anybody jump with you after that so you can progress in RW skills (required for BASE and wingsuit)? Probably Not.

I am 6ft and 250 lbs. I have to disagree with you on your last point. I have found many people willing to jump with me. I get to work on those RW skills every time I go to the DZ. With the suit, and swoop cords and body position, I am slow enough to jump with many people at our DZ. And as a coach I am always on the lookout for larger students and new A licensees to help out.

OK. My bad for sounding so definitive.... but admittedly, you and I the other Anvil Brothers are the exception and not the rule. By the way.. have you joined yet? http://www.facebook.com/people/Anvil-Brothers/100001679884686

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[airtwardo 6]

but admittedly, you and I the other Anvil Brothers are the exception and not the rule.

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Well....

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[AggieDave 6]

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but admittedly, you and I the other Anvil Brothers are the exception and not the rule.

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Well....

Except that in the swooping world, big is better.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[keithbar 1]

dude If you ever get in the air. I for one would love to jump with ya. ton of fun load anyone? pm me dude. I've been over 250 for years. and my fat ass does it.

i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .