TVPB

Zivjela Hrvatska

I caught one 4 weeks ago. CRW rotations training. We were jumping at a DZ next to a large lake with lots of those stumpy trees around. The wind was blowing towards the lake and we were training into the wind. We had a trainee third who did not turn out far enough when starting his rotation and ended up collapsing the second . . . . . .and third . . . . . .and fourth canopies. One broken line resulted in only a single cutaway. Our cameraman caught the freebag. I chased the main. Tips: - DON'T DO IT. - if the cutaway canopy is changing its shape and orientation (turning, collapsing, reinflating, etc), I recommend not touching it. - choose an approach angle with minimal closing speed. Use brakes if necessary. - remember that if you are using brakes and intend to catch the canopy with your hands, your descent rate and forward speed will change as soon as you let go of the toggles. Hence, you need to allow for this. - aim to catch the canopy by its tail or brake lines on one of the rear corners. DON'T GO FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE MASS. If the canopy reinflates you will ghost plane. . . . . or wrap your body in it, or . . . . . . have an entaglement / wrap, or . . . . . . - once you have caught the canopy, try to move your grip to the tailpocket area. This is to minimise the chance of reinflation. Also, make sure that the lines don't wrap with you or your gear. Trail the canopy behind. I don't like tryiung to bundle the canopy as their is a greater chance of wrapping / entanglement. Monitor it and let go it it looks dodgy. - keep up your forward speed and the material should trail behind you. - drop it as high as you can. - I tend to drop the canopy in a turn towards the opposite side that I am holding the canopy in order to minimise the risk of entanglement with my canopy. - make sure the canopy is not wrapped onto you in any way. Lessons: - don't cutaway too high if you don't have to. Especially near large forests and bodies of water. This will reduce the need to catch the canopy in the air. However, make sure you do give yourself sufficient height to perform your emergency procedures. A lost canopy is better than a dead person. See you in Croatia.

WAD = I did my first around 1994 or 5 - I heard of the technique but not the name. I called it the WAD -Wand assisted Deployment. The wand came from the magic that was in my hands. I waved the hand and presto - there was an inflated canopy. Not bad thinking for someone who never really got into drugs.. Using the proper technique, the WAD would open faster that a s/l and was very reliable. TARD's are fun things you do off bridges. Not recommended off cliffs. It's a Russian Roulette technique.

Roll over on a small elliptical???????? No it would certainly NOT be better. It would probably be a hell of a lot more fun though. The chance of line overs and uneven inflation are much greater on a rollover - especially on smaller & elliptical canopies. Wads are more reliable than rollovers (assuming they are executed properly) for one VERY obvious reason. The canopy has to change its orientation by a full 180 degrees on a rollover. The lines also have to pass untensioned by the canopy material which increases the likelihood of lineovers. Wads are more like normal deployments in that the canopy is thrown upwards (similar to the way a pilot chute would extract a canopy), the lines unstow AWAY from the canopy, and the deployment sequences continues. i.e. the WAD is more like a normal deployment except that the pilot chute / bridle stretch / container opening components of the opening sequence are eliminated. Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck The above could be crap, thought provoking, useful, or . . But not personal. You decide.

yes - early model icarus extreme 95 - OVER WATER - back in about 1996 Marvin jumped a 74 at bridge day in 2000 too - using the hand assisted deployment. Its on various video's including Beyond Extreme

I've only had one conversation with Felix. I didn't think much of him. I don't think much of him as a jumper either. But I shouldn't judge him unless I really got to know him!!! As for all his claims for records and firsts, we all know the reality. I'm not a great fan of the way he has impacted the sport. On the other hand, many jumpers are the same. How often do you see "I was the first to . . ." posted on the various BASE forums. When the reality is many have been before. Most of the French and Norgies seem to be the most humble on the world. They get on and do the jumps. But what the jumping community does not understand is that Felix has a job to promote his sponsor and their product. The general public would have no idea if Felix is the real thing or not. Whether he is full of shit or not does not matter. He does the job of product promotion exceptionally well. I would like to see Felix actually compete with other jumpers and get some skill credibility on his resume. I don't see that happening. Whether your first or last, enjoy the experience.

Yes. That was a VERY interesting jump. Had trouble trying to fly the suit whilst filming you know who - who was surfing right next to the wall instead of away from it. I was trying to save my arse whilst still getting the "money shot". Fancy trying a 360 turn next to a rock!!!!!!!! Oh what fun it is to . . . . It was a ram air wing suit suit. I copied it from a Patrick magazine photo and a bunch of garbled ideas I had in my head. The attached photo in the previous post was from the same jump video that you are referring to. Adam took that photo. The following year I added single layer material from wrist to toe - much like a sugar glider. Too much material for me. I got rid of it after two cliff jumps. Ill these responses just go to show, you can never be sure about being a pioneer at something. The people who tried all these things early on are the true pioneers and hero's of our sport. Hats off to them. I am priveliged to follow.

Cool. Keep the info flowing. See attached photo. Suit built from scratch in one go with approx 10 hours work. No templates / rebuilds / etc. Idea from a SMALL photo of Patrick de Gayardon in a magazine. Test jumped out of a plane the next day in Australia. First jump off a cliff (Kjerag LP7 in Norway) two days later on 19th July 1998. Purpose of this suit: I needed manouvreability & descent rate control due to the floaty / acrobatic BASE jumper I was filming (DW). This included vertical descent in both horizontal and vertical positions, and horizontal speed. I also needed to accelerate away from the wall as quickly as possible as the walls became underhung (I'm not the best tracker in the world & don't have the "ideal" physique). I also needed something that would give me greater freefall time off those big walls in central Norway - I "cracked 30 secs" off one. 30 secs - ha - how things have improved since then. Its great to see the work of Robi, Yuri, Loic, etc today.

Does anyone out there know who jumped wingsuits prior to the year 1999 - both skydiving & BASE jumping? Patrick de Gayardon? Others???

RISERS V TOGGLES??? There are arguments both ways and I believe there is no definitive answer. You have to consider many variables prior to making a decision. Some of these variables include: - jumper experience (student v experienced) - jumper skill level - jumper coordination skills - jumper mental & physical state both at the time of he jump and generally - type of canopy - brake setting - wing loading - type of toggle - equipment compatability (i.e. where the toggles are located relative to the jumpers reach) - weather conditions - object you are jumping off - slider up v down - freefall time - separation from object during deployment - flight path and landing options (outs) - etc etc etc It is true that you generally get a better response from toggle input as compared to riser input. Especially if your brake settings are too deep. However, it is also true that it is more difficult to consistently grab your toggles on every single occasion. How many video's have you seen where people are fumlbing for their toggles. It is extremely important to set your gear up properly prior to jumping (esp brake setting). I teach students to use their risers rather than toggles for the simple reason that they are more likely to get the correct response more often in a high pressure situation (such as a 180 off heading). There is less to think about. The target location for their hands is greater on risers than toggles. There is much less precision required to grab risers over toggles. I discuss the riser / toggles scenario with each student and explain each of the variables listed above and how to deal with them. I also state to them that once they become more experienced & "dialled in" on canopy control, then they can make the decision that is most appropriate to them. My personal technique for heading control is along the lines of: - assess weather conditions prior to each jump. - determine all possible and probably scenario's for the deploying canopy - derive a plan of action for each of these scenario's PRIOR TO EXITING (taking into account all variables listed above) - at each stage of the jump I assess where I am relative to the scenario's I have predetermined and I am already adjusting my plans (i.e. left shoulder dipped low on deployment . . do . . . . and prepare for . . . . - as the canopy is deploying, my hands are reaching for the general area where my toggles are - before they get there I am assessing what is happening and what is likely to happen (am I going off heading? which way? etc) - if things are looking the slightest bit from perfect I am reaching for my risers OR if things are looking good I will grab my toggles. BTW - I THINK IT IS BETTER TO USE THE "BIG GRAB / STIFFENED / TOGGLES as they are much easier to get the fingers through. If someone says that everyone should only use risers or toggles, they are not considering all the variables. Therefore: - set your equipment up properly (brake settings & easy grab toggles) - get good instruction - plan your jump & jump your plan - be prepared for all scenario's - use your risers until you gain enough experience, competance, etc. - make the decision to use toggles once you are satisified that you have considered all factors. Stay Safe Have Fun Good Luck Tom Begic

All the best for a speedy and full recovery Todd. I did my first 4 way team with Todd (team was called Ozone - based at Picton drop zone - Sth of Sydney Australia). That was his first year of open RW skydiving competition for us. My memories of Todd in those days were: - smiles, we couldn't wipe the bloody thing off his face - competitive, he knew he would become an Australian Champion and dreamed of being a World Champion one day - he was down to earth, friendly, positive, happy go lucky, a great person to be with Last year I was a member of the Australian Team that competed at the World Championships. Whilst waiting for a jump, the Airspeed team walked past our tent and something caught my eye. I looked closer and saw that bloody smile again. On one hand I was shocked that Todd was in the USA team (why in God's name would you become a Yank?????). But on the other hand I was not surprised at all. Todd realised a long while ago that to achieve his goal he would have to join the top teams in the world. I know he will realise his dream of becoming a World RW Champion. I hope that he does it this year in Croatia. Take Care Buddy See You In Rijeka Tom Begic Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck The above could be crap, thought provoking, useful, or . . But not personal. You decide.

I believe Rob Fry has done one off a 480 foot cliff.

Hi Folks - just doing some research r.e. BASE wingsuit flying. If you did your first BASE wingsuit flight BEFORE the year 2000: - what was the date of your first flight? - how many did you do by the end of 1999? - which suit did you fly (model / who built it)? - have you ever built and jumped a suit that you built yourself?

For those planning trips, here are some internet route planning / mapping sites: General www.mapquest.com www.mapblast.com www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/map_sites/map_sites.html Europe www.viamichelin.com Australia www.whereis.com.au North America (USA) www.usatourist.com/english/tips/maps.html www.topozone.com www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/maps www.mapsonus.com Distance www.indo.com/distance Airfares + Accom www.zuji.com.au www.expedia.com www.drivetravel.com etc Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck The above could be crap, thought provoking, useful, or . . But not personal. You decide.

Hi Guys I love throwing in the line: "BASE jumping IS NOT dangerous!! It is the people (humans - mere mortals) that participate that make it dangerous". It stirs emotions and makes people think!!!!!! Erroll - the way we participate in the sport is what makes it extremely dangerous. Some jumps are more dangerous than others. If the sport itself was "extremely" dangerous, we would have lots more fatalities and serious accidents. Per Flare - yes, there are unknowns. But most are unknown because we tend to ignore the information that is available or we do not have the experience to recognise that it is there. Throw in the factor that we get more scared as we add more complexity and our minds start struggling to absorb and assimilate all the info that is available. Our minds also tend to distort what information our senses pick up as the pressure increases. How often do you hear someone say, "I did 4 seconds delay off that cliff" - and the video shows 2.5 seconds!!!!! mdbase - I think differently to you when I make a jump. I stand on the edge and consider all the things that can go wrong. I then devise an action plan for each scenario so that I don't have to think of it whilst the potential incident is happening. This saves time and minimises the chance of confusion in a high pressure situation. I just have to act it out if it happens. I am alive until I make a bad decision or my reaction is too slow or incorrect. Your logis seems to be that you are dead until you make a good decision, and that decision is made up as you go. Your last statement I totally agree with. Essentially the aim is the same in both sets of logic - to maintain life. Tom - r.e. not jumping - you are thinking of the highest factor in the hierarchy of hazard control. Lets face it - this is not a long term option. But it could be a good short term option. There are many more levels of control that will help minimise the likelihood or prevent an incident. These include personal protective equipment, substituting another jump site, jumping at another time (to allow for weather and experience etc), using different gear, etc. You are absolutely correct about the stage of the sports evolution. But we have improved exponentially over the last 5 years or so and are always improving. The fact is that too many of us are too busy to research the sport - we would rather be out jumping! Don't forget that I have made assumptions such as "given sufficient data and the ability to analyse it" - this is theory, real life is different. p.s. I actually believe BASE "can be" very dangerous. But the level of danger (risk) is dependant on a whole lot of factors that each jumper can ignore or take into account and act on. You still have to respect the sport. But each of us is responsible for the outcome for each jump we make. It is up to each of us to arm ourselves with as much knowledge, experience, and skill to keep ourselves safe and have fun. p.s.s. r.e. the following comment - "I think that each accident / incident IS preventable." What I mean by this is: if we study each incident, we would more than likely find a reason or several reasons why it happened or ways in which we could have prevented it from happening. p.s.s. if an idea or opinion does not make sense it could be for a number of reasons: - we chose not to understand it - our interpretation was different to the intended meaning - it was poorly communicated - perhaps it does not make sense - we wrote it at 3am Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck The above could be crap, thought provoking, useful, or . . But not personal. You decide.

Wild ass? Nah! Of all the canopy out of the container deployments I've seen / done, the WAD is probably the most reliable and safest. It is in affect a normal deployment with the p/c inflation + canopy extraction components removed from the deployment sequence. The others have a much higher chance of line overs, line twists, and off headings. Not much fun off a cliff.

Congrats I have two. They are a lot of fun. Your jump numbers will suffer a bit though. Take Care Stay Safe Have Fun Good Luck

I think that each accident / incident IS preventable. However, there is no way that we can prevent ALL accidents / incidents. What do I mean by this? If you look at any event, there is a (or several) root cause or reason for the outcome. I don't believe that acts of god or influence from some parallel universe cause off headings, malfunctions, or bad landings in BASE jumping. The industrial / business world often use the "Swiss Chees" model of safety. This is where each component of a system is considered like a slice of swiss cheese. Examples in BASE jumping would include: equipment, equipment configuration & selection, jumper experience, jumper ability & attitude, level of difficulty of jump, equipment maintenance, weather conditions, physical & mental state of the jumper, etc. If you stuff up in a couple of these areas, there is a higher chance that you will be involved in an incident. i.e. if you are tired whilst hiking in poor weather and you get to an alternate exit point and decide to jump with gear that was configured for another type of jump. . . . . you are more likely t oend up dead. Given sufficient data and the ability to analyse it, you will find a reason for your BASE mishap. There are many examples of "I have no idea what happened". This is usually due to the jumper not having the data (all happened too quick and there was no accurate video), or the experience to determine the cause. From all this mumbo jumbo - I think that in perfect conditions (physical, mental, emotional, technical, etc) that I will never die BASE jumping. However, I am far from perfect. I am human. And I am average at that. Hence, there is a chance that I will die BASE jumping. I have had some accidents, off headings, and not so great landings. In each case there was a logical cause that could have been prevented. BASE jumping IS NOT dangerous!! It is the people (humans - mere mortals) that participate that make it dangerous. The danger comes from the decisions that we make. Whether they are controlled & calculated. Or made blindly by guessing. You can jump a bridge a thousand times and not even come close to having an incident. Yet you can make one jump from a severely underhung low cliff with virtually no landing area and it could be your last jump. It is your choice. Make it a good one. Stay Safe Have Fun Good Luck Tom

Hi Yuri If I liked packing I would be the first jumper with 1000000 BASE jumps!!!! It sucks. Add CRW pack jobs, freebie reserve pack jobs for your so called "mates", and I get the shivers whenever I see a messy pile of nylon and strings. That's why I started jumping what I called the "WAD" all those years ago. One minute and your in freefall!!! But I still do my own pack jobs 99% of the time for BASE. I'm a paranoid person. ;) Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck The above could be crap, thought provoking, useful, or . . But not personal. You decide.

Good thoughts MV. It was nice to see two veterans (sorry ) of the sport mention that jumpers are responsible not only for their own safety but for how the sport is treated by the general public. RH mentioned it in the last issue of Skydiving Magazine and MV mentions it here. We should look at ourselves and not go on blaming other parts of society for our image!!!! Jumpers should not be offended by how parts of our sport are portrayed because sometimes its not that far from the truth!!!!! Stay Safe Have Fun Good Luck Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck The above could be crap, thought provoking, useful, or . . But not personal. You decide.

I agree 434, BUT, The main reason for doing / teaching fundamentals is to prevent the need to recover from a bad exit in the first place. Learning a skill in a potentially fatal environment is not a smart thing to do IF you have other safer options. Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck The above could be crap, thought provoking, useful, or . . But not personal. You decide.

p.s. I think Aziz built a two stack with Martin ????? at KL Tower in 2002. THere were also a few done very early in Australia's BASE jumping history (1980's). Most of the early BASE guys were CRW guys. If you need details I could try to dig up some names (possibly Eros B & Trevor Y ?????). I've also heard the same rumours in New Zealand but these are more likely to be paragliding CRW using skydiving canopies. Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck The above could be crap, thought provoking, useful, or . . But not personal. You decide.

Hi Folks As well as looking at the CHILLING statistics from the BASE fatality list on the number of fatalities in Kjerag, Norway, you have to consider two extremely important points: 1 - Most serious injuries and or fatalities occur on opening (and in freefall). 2 - Most injuries occur on landing. You need to have a closer look at the psychology of injuries and fatalities as well as many other factors when trying to derive a root cause. One thing I have noticed in all my years of jumping is that many people seem to get comfortable when you say the words "3000 ft". They treat it like a skydive. Someone else in this topic has already pointed out that Kjerag IS NOT a skydive. What I am getting at here is that there is a psychological higher sense of urgency to "get something out" on a lower jump whereas on a higher jump there can be a misconceived notion that I still have time to resolve my problem. If you had a person unstable on a lower bridge, they are more likely to throw a p/c. All this meandering leads to my point. To remove the opportunity of object strike, you should jump from an object that you can't strike. Generally speaking, this is a bridge. To reduce the likelihood of landing injuries, you should jump an object with good/open landing areas (plural is intended here = outs). Hence a place like New River Gorge Bridge IS better than Kjerag for a low time / new jumper. If you look at the list of Kjerag fatalities, it is more than likely that each person would have survived if they had of been jumping NRGB instead. Kjerag is only GOOD for jumpers who are known to have excellent survival skills and trackign ability with some low airspeed exit experience. I don't think it is the ideal spot for a low time skydiver to learn how to BASE jump. However, if you had to choose a cliff, it would be high on the list for first choices. Stay Safe Have Fun Good Luck Tom B

Hi Pasi Well done on the CRW big ways. Are you going to Croatia this year? I'll be there for the world meet for 4 way rotations.