The111

Ok, I wish I could claim to have written this, but I didn't. I stole it from bash.org. IronChef Foicite: well, there's a lot of reasons IronChef Foicite: i mean, roses only last like a couple weeks IronChef Foicite: and that's if you leave them in water IronChef Foicite: and they really only exist to be pretty IronChef Foicite: so that's like saying IronChef Foicite: "my love for you is transitory and based solely on your appearance" IronChef Foicite: but a potato! IronChef Foicite: potatos last for fucking ever, man IronChef Foicite: in fact, not only will they not rot, they actually grow shit even if you just leave them in the sack IronChef Foicite: that part alone makes it a good symbol IronChef Foicite: but there's more! IronChef Foicite: there are so many ways to enjoy a potato! you can even make a battery with it! IronChef Foicite: and that's like saying "i have many ways in which I show my love for you" IronChef Foicite: and potatos may be ugly, but they're still awesome IronChef Foicite: so that's like saying "it doesn't matter at all what you look like, I'll still love you www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Well as we were saying above TSO-D is a good one. May not be a super fancy website, but their customer service and prices are impeccable. Just don't let Arlo know I said that, or it might go to her head! www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Yupyup. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Please explain this. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Who do you work for? I work at Lockheed Martin in Orlando... And exactly how tall are you just out of curiosity? www.WingsuitPhotos.com

After 23 initial jumps (8 AFF + 15 solo) I took 4 years off (due to money, not injury). When I came back and did a recert jump with an instructor, I was much less nervous than I expected. I mean, I was a little antsy on the plane ride, but I didn't hesitate or anything. And yes, for me at least, freefall skills were very much like riding a bike. I was completely stable from exit all the way to pull, did all the shit I was supposed to do in the dive by like 8k feet and had time to track with my instructor for a while. :) Canopy skills on the other hand took 10 or so jumps before I was even decent again (i.e. usually standing up within 50m of target). www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Wow, I still think I got a pretty good deal (far below retail), but I paid more than anyone here. Vector III with almost all options, except for Skyhook Spectre 170 PD Reserve 160 Cypres 2 All new, $5300. Still 15+% below retail by my calcs (15% average between items, I think canopies/containers were discounted even more but the Cypres couldn't be too much), and the best deal I could get after checking some large DZ gear stores and online retailers. It is supposed to be ready in two days. :) Same as you, Blahr (I know because Arlo mentioned that to me). Only difference is I am in the same area as her so I can pick it up right away and have mine before you. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Try spelling it correctly: misfire. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Good point. I think I'll have my B by then. Even with a B don't think I'd want to go below 3000, yet. Eventually I'd probably be ok with it. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Hmm, I would hope for at least 4k. My hard deck is 2k. If I jump from 3k, wait for terminal, then deploy, I'll be deploying MAIN at my hard deck. And I definitely want to wait for terminal. So I don't think I'd go any lower than 4k. 5k would be perfect. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Thank you. I do understand how capitalism works, Quade. I'm actually a large advocate of it. Another related question... how high is an average balloon jump? www.WingsuitPhotos.com

I've been searching for a DZ near me that I can do a balloon jump (I want very badly to jump into still air). I finally found one with some coming up, but the price will be $75-$80. Is this a fair price? What are some prices other people have seen? www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Has anyone informed Sandy Miller of these many mistakes? Her contact info is listed at the end of the article. I know I'm probaby the 10000th person to say this, but I *CANNOT STAND* journalists who do such a bad job at obtaining facts before publishing an article. I think when inaccuracies like these are found (which is all too often when skydiving or BASE is involved), the author should be informed of his/her error. Obviously, it won't change anything, but it still seems like the appropriate thing to do. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Thank you. Neat stuff. You know how much altitude Yuri covered in the 2-min you speak of? www.WingsuitPhotos.com

So it's possible to hold a sub-20mph fall rate for a whole minute? www.WingsuitPhotos.com

I found an older post in the BASE jump forum where it was stated that someone named Robert Pecnik made a 1 min wingsuit flight from a 2000 ft cliff. I find this impossible to believe... I did the math and even if he deployed at 0 ft (which obviously he didn't), an average fall rate of 2000 ft/min is equal to 22 mph. Possible? www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Me First is a super-band of sorts... almost every member is from a different punk band. All of these bands are talented in their own right and have released their own material. Punk is a very "nichey" genre of music and by necessity it is true that most songs by a punk band can sound pretty similar to the average listener, but that doesn't stop me from listening to entire albums, and getting much more out of the experience than I would from single songs. Chances are if you don't like punk bands like Bad Religion or NOFX (who both rule, though it could be argued that their songs all "sound alike"), you won't like Me First. To answer your question though, I would be very surprised if they did release their own material under this name. As I said, the band is a sort of super-band, and by definition is a cover band. The whole thing is sort of a joke, but the best part is that they sound awesome. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Holy shit I didn't realize they had a new album out. I'm getting it tonight! www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Ok, on the page it is bragged that the Space Games is a "televised event," yet no info about television broadcast schedule is given. Is this even true? www.WingsuitPhotos.com

How you see the sun rise twice? I'm guessing if you time it right and the sun just peeks over the horizon at you when you are on jumprun, then by the time you are on the ground and your horizon is located differently, you'll get to see it "rise" past horizon again? www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Dd0g: I'm gonna have to agree with 460. As a low-time skydiver who has spent many hours wondering if BASE will be in my future... your stories of your adventures with Dwain have pushed me closer to a definite yes than I have ever received before. I don't know much about BASE or its participants... ironically I only found out Dwain existed a few weeks ago when I stumbled upon an old post he made on this board. Even without knowing his accomplishments, I was immediately impressed by the intelligence and mastery of communication his post displayed... I could tell how important this sport was to him. When I read Tom's reply that we should all listen up because this was clearly the world's best BASE jumper, I sort of felt a little in awe. Reading your posts about you and Dwain and your love for each other and this and other sports, I experienced a small amount of the passion that you both obviously felt for so many things... a passion that has lacked from my life in many ways recently, except for the small amount of skydiving I've done. Looking through the pictures you've posted of you and the "fair-haired Aussie" (he does have cool hair!) smiling together in beautiful locations, I could sense the adventures you've experienced. There have been many "cheesy" comments posted to the effect of "the brightest stars burn out first" or "it's better to die doing what you love than never really live"... that sort of "No Fear t-shirt slogan" material. Know that this is true. Reading your accounts of your happiness with Dwain and this sport, I was a little bit jealous, but extremely happy for both of you. You have obviously lived an amazing life and you should be proud of it. I'm not really sure what the point of this post was. Someone somewhere commented that Dwain's incident could have prevented some whuffos from becoming future skydivers. As a low-time jumper who's never witnessed an incident, much less lost a friend, maybe I'm not qualified to say this, but I think that you shouldn't get into a high risk sport in the first place if you can't handle a loss like that. I always wonder when I read about someone who "reconsidered" why he jumped after losing a friend. The reality of an incident should not scare you into realizing it was possible all along. You should always be aware of this and be thinking of it every jump you make. Again, I'm getting off track, but my point was that in a really weird way, all of the talk about Dwain this week has made me feel a stronger "calling" from BASE than I ever have before... though I'm still not close to ready for it. His incident in itself did not attract me to the sport, but reading all of the wonderful things people have written about him, you included Dd0g, in spite of the tragedy that has happened, has allowed me to more effectively weigh the respective value of such a painful loss, compared to what you have to gain by following your dreams. Dd0g, know that you and Dwain and the other people in your stories are among the chosen few who live what the rest of the world dream about. I only hope that I can one day feel your courage and love for life at an exit point when I am ready for this sport. Maybe our paths will cross one day... from reading your posts you sound like someone I'd love to meet. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

I don't have enough jumps to participate in the beach jumps, but I'll be there for the boogie and I can pick up some people on the beach (I have a truck). www.WingsuitPhotos.com

I experienced that on like my 40th jump... www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Heh, obviously you caught the sarcasm in my post, but to clarify, I'm not actually moving... "I'm moving to Africa" was more of a "Damn I *want* to move to Africa now!" But if I ever do make it out there, I'll ask the nearest guy I see to point me in your direction! www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Shit, I'm moving to Africa. That sounds fun. I'll have to look you up. Which tribe are you in? /intentional misleading quote... www.WingsuitPhotos.com