GreenMachine

I saw "Cool Hand Luke" during a film class in college. I did NOT see Jeb on TV since I do not watch TV. Can you elaborate? Great line from the former: What we have here is a failure to communicate. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Nick, that was damn funny!! I was sitting in my living room with my in-laws and my wife, only half listening to their conversation while browsing the BASE board, and all of sudden I busted out laughing. Thanks man for the good laugh after a shitty day at the DZ. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Great view Sinister, thanks for sharing. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

YES, I took my FJC with Tom Aiello, which I thought was well worth my time & money!! NO, he was not pushing the idea that you have to bust yourself up to be taken seriously in this sport. It was just one of several things mentioned during our open discussions, which is why I did not quote him when I first posted. However, it was definitely the one that made me shake my head the most!! Another stupid thing I heard was: "You are not a REAL BASE jumper till you have more BASE jumps than Skydives." Lastly, Tom Aiello stressed the importance of safety, progressing slowly, the high risks of injury or death, and personal responsibility throughout the entire course. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Congrats on the movie gig POCBASE. I visited your town years ago --- amazing place! But this was long before I ever found jumping. Curious if that E has any over-hung areas? Also, do you know of anyone flicking the "Was-way" B downtown? Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Re: [mindtrick] Do u beleave in God Did you mis-spell 'Believe' to make a point? FYI: I am an Existentialist who Prays & Meditates. an Atheist says there is no god an Agnostic doesn't know and an Existentialist doesn't care Why? Because if there is a God I know she is happy with me. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

I agree that the design has a nice feel! The functionality to store photos of objects along with data & notes is quite cool. My Only gripe is that the site crashes like a drunk teenager when viewed with Macintosh's browser: Safari. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Thanks Guys!! I definitely appreciate all of the help. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Hey Gang, I got a used Odyssey velcro container made by ParaTech Rigging and was unable to find a company website. I am hoping a few of you could share with me any literature on the rig or your experiences jumping it. Thanks in advance for any help! Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Don't want to hijack the thread but I am curious what people think of the "Odyssey"? Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

I am not a climber and do not know what kind of rope these guys were using... but for what is worth my buddy's climbing rope, which I used for towing, is rated for 10 falls and from a quick Google search I learned this: The UIAA standard requires that a rope take a minimum of 5 consecutive 1.71 factor falls. This is a stringent test with a very high safety margin. To understand it, picture the leader falling 16 feet with 9 feet of rope in service and landing 7 feet below the belayer. Repeat this five times with a five minute interval between falls. More Info on Climbing Ropes Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Mac makes a great point which others echoed. I would like to encourage you guys to go a step further (especially those with families). I got hit on a motorcycle and during the 3 weeks in the hospital and 4 surgeries I went from simply being an "Organ Donor" to filing detailed "Advanced Directives" and drafting a "Will". More Information on Advanced Directives & Living Wills Skydivers & BASE jumpers are responsible, prepared people who should not leave this burden to family and friends... One bonus is knowing you won't be hooked up to machines for an extended period, unless that is your wish. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Fabien, I am very sorry for your loss. Also like your sentiment: some should bitch less. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Hey Calvin, Thanks for the input --- I like the idea of using a cut-away system that does not require using the hands because there was one run where a strong gust of wind made flying the wing and trying to cut-away at the same time made for a very, very scary moment. I think I got the concept from your description --- instead of using a handle with a pigtail for the cutaway use several loops of rope which gives a mechanical advantage to reduce the force and gets the line safely to the teeth. Any way you could email me a photo of the setup? I tried to view the video of your paraglider friends but between AOL sucking and my slow ass DSL the video just kept stuttering. Thanks again for the expert input man! Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Being pulled with a dynamic rope that had some give was a whole lot smoother than the earlier tows with a short, fixed line. The cutaway was pretty easy to initiate but there was some mild shock when the canopy transitioned from being towed to flying, not sure I would call it smooth. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Cutaway System Please see the 5 attached photos. Landing I am a little sore but it really wasn't that hard of a landing. I was wearing boots, knee pads, knee braces, helmet, and had my feet & knees together ready to PLF. With smaller canopies the amount of input needed to get a reaction is less hence on this canopy I knew it would take more input but between the low altitude, cutting away, and the funky wind I just gave it too much. Better to learn this in the middle of a grass field at daytime than.... Towing Before ever knowing how dangerous this activity is/was me and some skydivers did this at the DZ on a windy day using a golf cart and a short, fat, nylon tow rope. We experienced some minor lock out as well as the golf cart's back wheels being pulled off the ground inspite of four guys riding in it. From this experience, prior para-sailing, reading threads on this topic, and researching what the pros use for towing up gliders I tried to improve on the process. Yep, it is still very dangerous. But then again so are many other things. On the Up Shot I got to land a new-to-me BASE canopy three times: once with the toggles outside the guide rings, once with the toggles routed thru the guide rings, and once with rear risers after losing the toggles. It seems to me that this was good practice for a newbie with very limited BASE experience. Thanks to all for the constructive input & PM's. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

[Green]Well I just got back from some ground launching, sorta.... I used my Dagger 266, a 60 meter dynamic climbing rope, pulled by my little Toyota truck, and a homemade cutaway system --- piece of PVC as the handle & nylon rope attached to a foot of vinyl covered steel cable routed thru a riser's 3 rings. I wore th harness, set the canopy on the ground, and tied the climbing rope to a 2" stainless steel ring hooked to the 3 rings. My buddy in the truck drove forward while I kited the canopy. Once it took shape he eased on the gas and I gained altitude. At the apex of ascent I cutaway and then landed the wing. So we did this 5 times ---- me 3 times and him twice (he only has 4 tandems). On the 2nd run i lost the toggles and had to land with the rear risers and over amped it which hurt a little. In the past I'd only landed on rear risers using smaller, ellipitical canopies and putting down a 266 was totally different. Now I understand why some of the people I saw at the Potatoe bridge biff in when landing on rears. It takes more skill than I had originally thought. Of course for subsequent runs I ran the brake lines thru the guide rings and did not have to worry about loosing the toggles... Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Yes, i sold my BASE gear after my FJC. After some time and reflection I got another rig. I have not jumped it yet but I have 2 objects currently under research. PM sent explaining my deleted post was ONLY in jest with someone with whom I thought I could joke. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Hydroguy has a girfriend?! I thought he was a *REAL* Fag Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Hey Bryan, that sounds like an awesome gig. Cool shots too, thanks. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

The guy said "Just for someone to pat me and say you're all good." When I finally quit laughing I almost cried....that guy is probably allowed to vote, drive, jump & run for office. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

Any of you who know me know I am not a real BASE jumper by any measure. However, BASE 515 / Mike's retirement made me think of something I heard in Idaho. To be a real BASE jumper one has to break themselves and come back. At the time I thought it was stupid and still do -- here's why: It is highly doubtful anyone would say BASE 515 / Mike is not a real BASE jumper. He did 600 jumps in 9 years and per another poster those were injury free. In my opinion this is a damn good thing! Congrats Mike!! Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

I wish you well in your new endeavors!! Oh, and enjoy your new found free time. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

745 square foot canopy Wow dude, that is a lot of fabric. All of my tandem jumps have been on canopies between 370 and 420 and that's with passengers weighing from 105 to 255 pounds. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM

I applied to the last Deathcamp, did not get in, was unhappy about it, sucked it up, paid to attend one of Tom A.'s regular courses, and feel the training was worth the money. Rigger, Skydiver, BASE Jumper, Retired TM