Balloon jumps

[willso1 0]

Hey I'm sure there's plenty of you out there that have done the odd balloon jump or 2 and would love to give one a go some time. Haven't jumped for a long time and only have just over 100 jumps. How different is it from out of a plane, do you feel like your guts is in your mouth? I suppose there's less room for error and I don't want to freeze as i jump!! Any suggestions, opinions? I know I'll need some currency jumping before I think about doing one but they looks awesome fun ; )

[TiaDanger 0]

The search function is your friend...tons of information on here already.
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=balloon%20jumps&sb=score&mh=25

And for the record: the appropriate ranking of cool modes of transportation is jet pack, hover board, transporter, Batmobile, and THEN giant ant.
D.S. #8.8

[spootch 0]

10 seconds later and it's just another jump... ONLY COOLER

[Coreefdiver 0]

They're fun.
Much like a BASE jump (I'm guessing); no forward momentum to speak of. You jump off or let go of the basket and let gravity do the rest. Except for the use of the burners, its pretty quiet, till you hit terminal velocity, and that is another cool thing, you hear yourself pick up speed by listening to the air.
I hope to put some more jumps together this spring.

DS#727, DB Cooper #41, POPS #11065, SCR #13183, FA #2125, SCS #8306, HALO #309 SRA #5930

[hodges 4]

We did one over in Perris earlier in the year. The balloon operators had rigged up a big line so that we could swing out from the balloon before letting go.

Coolest thing ever. Don't worry about the exit - it's the landing that you want to consider; you'll likely be landing off the DZ.

(P.S. Sitting on the side of the basket while climbing to an altitude where a parachute might work was the worst bit for me).

[TSISK 0]

i did one Dec 27th at the Holiday boogie in eloy and liked it so much i did another on the 28th. For some reason crawling up on the side of the basket to Jump was the scariest part. It is very quiet but 0 to 120 in 12 sec is the shit

[ILUVCHUTERS 1]

I was so scared my first balloon jump (last Christmas, Eloy) I had about 100 jumps, it was my first time off my home DZ, and the whole landing out thing freaked me out ("what do you mean we're not landing on the DZ??")

Also, just the quiet of it all, right before you jump/fall off the basket. So freaky. But so very, very cool. I love balloon jumps.

[Sangi 0]

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How different is it from out of a plane, do you feel like your guts is in your mouth? I suppose there's less room for error and I don't want to freeze as i jump!!

Yes it does feel like your guts are in your mouth and that's why it's so awesome, something that you can practically never get from a regular aircraft exit..

There's no point in worrying about the exit itself (you can tumble like a dead ragdoll and you'll be fine once you hit terminal and can get the control of your body), since you can't hit anything (it's not a BASE jump), it's the landing you have to worry about because it will be off the DZ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLJeRIcvNvw

It was my second dead air exit and one of my best ever jumps, will do it again no doubt

"Dream as you'll live forever, live as you'll die today." James Dean

[mjosparky 3]

Quote

Quote

How different is it from out of a plane, do you feel like your guts is in your mouth? I suppose there's less room for error and I don't want to freeze as i jump!!

Yes it does feel like your guts are in your mouth and that's why it's so awesome, something that you can practically never get from a regular aircraft exit..

There's no point in worrying about the exit itself (you can tumble like a dead ragdoll and you'll be fine once you hit terminal and can get the control of your body), since you can't hit anything (it's not a BASE jump), it's the landing you have to worry about because it will be off the DZ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLJeRIcvNvw

It was my second dead air exit and one of my best ever jumps, will do it again no doubt

It took you less than 5 sec to check you altitude.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[waterboy3412 0]

would you guys say its similar to a helicopter jump? i did one of those last summer and that was a blast.

Mike

[sinjin 0]

bring your phone for starters, you might be landing away from the balloon chase truck. when the balloon is lifting off start to study the area. roads, powerlines, landing areas. you want to land somewhat near a road, not near power lines of course. they are great fun.

dont let life pass you by

[mjosparky 3]

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bring your phone for starters, you might be landing away from the balloon chase truck. when the balloon is lifting off start to study the area. roads, powerlines, landing areas. you want to land somewhat near a road, not near power lines of course. they are great fun.

Good advice. Remember there are no straight lines in nature.
Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[Sangi 0]

I did some of my AFF jumps from a MI-8 heli, at least that heli was still moving forward a bit during exits so I didn't get to feel that gut wrenching..

Another key thing when lookin where to land after a balloon jump is watching out for the power lines, you won't be able to see the power lines themselves from altitude, but what you have to look for are the power line towers / poles.

"Dream as you'll live forever, live as you'll die today." James Dean

[sundevil777 93]

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We did one over in Perris earlier in the year. The balloon operators had rigged up a big line so that we could swing out from the balloon before letting go.

Where was the line attached? That sounds like a great little bonus.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[hodges 4]

The pilot added a set of handles on the crown line which I believe it attached to the very top of the balloon and is used to control it on the ground. The shape of the balloon meant that the line swang out quite far.

I threw up a quick video here if you're interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFRhLOMSkfE

[Coreefdiver 0]

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The pilot added a set of handles on the crown line which I believe it attached to the very top of the balloon and is used to control it on the ground. The shape of the balloon meant that the line swang out quite far.

I threw up a quick video here if you're interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFRhLOMSkfE

that was a pretty cool addition to balloon jumps!

DS#727, DB Cooper #41, POPS #11065, SCR #13183, FA #2125, SCS #8306, HALO #309 SRA #5930

[The_Don 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFRhLOMSkfE

Easy button!

I am NOT being loud.
I'm being enthusiastic!

[mjosparky 3]

Here is a neat way of doing a balloon jump.

Sparky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMpuBIJuSNE

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[virgin-burner 1]

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Here is a neat way of doing a balloon jump.

Sparky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMpuBIJuSNE

doesnt that count as two jumps!?

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda