flydive

Got an unexpected trip to Italy in November... anybody have first-hand experience of jumping conditions that time of year? Northern Italy? Swiss Valley? Is it even worth bringing a rig... well, that's a dumb question... let me rephrase, what are my chances of using the rig without crampons and ice tool?

I'm tired of paying a monthly (with a now 2-yr contract) fee for a U.S. cellphone, only to jump in other countries where I have to use my secondary Sim-card cell phone and constantly buy new sim cards that have expired since the last time I was there. This wastes the domestic cellphone that I'm paying for, and costs money to keep buying sim cards. Does anybody have a viable solution for having one cellphone (primarily US) but has adequate international coverage for the countries basejumpers like to frequent? I've heard airline pilots like to use AT&T for such purposes, but that is so far just heresay... what are jumpers using out there? Richard

Trying to find PeterK and Rocky from Hawaii (yes, and of course Kolorado) but can't find an active profile for either of them (PeterK has turned off his PM access ) Any help... PM if you can? Richard

I was up in Camp V___ last week for the first time... there staring me in the face about 2 miles from the runway was an approx 1000' A... inside the wire! Hmmm...

Thank you, Tom, for your inspiration. I met you briefly during FCJ absolutely amazed by your dedication to jumping at the crack of dawn. The image of the trunk of your vehicle stuffed with 4 packed rigs (already jumped and re-packed by 10 a.m.) is forever etched in my mind. You will never be forgotten. Richard

When is the Stupino meet?

Just got back from the Sao Paulo area a couple of days ago jumping with neneskydive and friends. He has a very good network of friends (mostly base-friendly skydivers) down there which made the trip awesome. Was down there for 2 weeks and almost got my Brazilian BASE (winded out on the E) plus a few crazy O's. Plan on a lot of driving though... we put about 1500 miles on the car during the 2 week stay racing from site to site. Do you like day legal buildings? He's got one set up that we pillaged, and is working with authorities to set up more. Definitely get in touch with him before you start hucking off stuff... he's done a lot of groundwork to get key objects authorized down there.

Are dynamic corners the only feature on the Prism 2 you don't care for, or are there other things that you're not so hot about? Richard

Don't know anything about single-pin Prisms... can anybody fill me in on the pro's and con's, packing differences and gotchas compared to a standard 2-pin rig? I've got a used Prism 2 to demo soon, but want some opinions and advice from the fine folks just itching to share their knowledge in this forum. Thanks, Richard

Rumor has it that there is 1, and only 1, local basejumper in Dubai, UAE. Anybody have any contact info to PM me?

Funny... an almost identical scenario happened BY ACCIDENT at the KL Tower a couple of weeks ago. Started as a PCA'd Mr. Bill to an uncommanded deployment while still hanging on... canopies started to downplane before they figured out they better go to plan B and let go. I'll let the guilty parties involved elaborate if they wish... although I think the next day one of them was running around in a tight pink T-shirt with 'FLYCHICKS' written on it... and NO, he wasn't a chick...

Who's organizing this event? What's included? Where's it based out of? Is there an event website for details? .

Hey man, Speaking from my own experience, I will highly encourage you to MAKE the time in your military commitment to take a BASE course... canopy experience being met, of course. I always told myself that as soon as I got out of the military I would start basejumping, what with not wanting to jeopardize my flying career... but after a rough deployment and not wanting to wait 5 more years, I said 'Screw it', took then-Vertigo's course, and it's changed my life immeasurably. Turns out the only limitation to me learning to basejump was self-imposed! Now I've made friends all over the world, been to places I never even considered before, and have found a passion that I want to sustain until I'm 70. As far as the military is concerned, just be discrete until you have some experience under your belt, then if anybody gives you grief, you can use the ol' "Don't worry, I've been doing this for a long time now" rationale. Good luck... it'll be worth it! Richard .

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; rather, it is because we dare that they are not difficult." - Jan Davis

In the very early planning stages of a New Zealand vacation in late November / early December. It will hopefully revolve around hopping from dz to dz with 'tourist' side-trips based out of those dz's. Most importantly, looking for local basejumpers' input for recommendations (dz's, exit points, side-trips, weather, etc...) and/or guide volunteers to your favorite exits! PM me or post, either way will work. Thanks, Richard .

personally, my favorite BASE jumps have been solo, no gc. fear and anticipation BEFORE the jump, complete relaxation and trust DURING the jump. it is far from an intellectual exercise and more spiritual. unfortunately, the distraction of others, the presence of cameras, etc. has so far prevented me from achieving the same spiritual results... ____ Now that's something you won't here in any ol' risk management lecture... that's something you only hear inside of you. And having the courage to act on what your soul is screaming for you to do... well, I think that's what got us all jumping off stuff in the first place, right? The human journey of basejumping is (to borrow a quote) nourishment for the soul. .

Ahh yes... scoped this one out from 20,000 feet with a FLIR pod on my Tomcat while on deployment in the Persian Gulf. No kidding it would be the coolest B I've ever seen to throw in the logbook! As far as getting in... dress like you're there for a multi-million dollar sales conference (slacks and button-down shirt absolute minimum), plus there is an approx $75 dollar entrance fee if you're not a guest, but in return you receive a voucher for the same amount in services/drinks/meals/etc... basically they don't want freeloaders showing up. Showing up with some of the local Dubai ex-pats would definitely be the way to go, as they make enough coin out here to frequent the place regularly... oh yeah, if you're thinking about getting a room, rumor on the street is they start at $5,000 a night. I think I've got a cool FLIR still of it somewhere... If anyone's interested I'll try and dig it up. ...

67 jumps... 17 objects

Think about this one for genetics... I was adopted at 3 and never knew anything about my biological parents until almost 20. All I ever wanted to do growing up was be a pilot, and in my teens, I also developed a facination with skydiving. Neither of my adopted parents had ever exposed me to either activity, but as soon as I went away to college, I immediately started flying, and later, skydiving. I am now an ex-fighter pilot who has started basejumping in the last 2 years. Heres the kicker... you can imagine my surprise when I find out years after I started flying that my biological father was an Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam, as well as an accomplished skydiver on an RW team. Additionally, my biological mom turned out to have about 17 jumps to her credit. Now how is it possible for a kid separated from his family at 1 y/o, put in a foster home 'til 3 y/o, who then received zero exposure to his dreams, ends up being driven to follow in the exact footsteps of his biological parents? Along with finding out about my father (who was by then deceased), I was fortunate enough to acquire his jump wings from his skydiving days back in the '70s. My first solo after AFF was with his jumpwings pinned to my rig. Genetics... mysterious and powerful.

I've got 2 weeks to pack as much basejumping in as possible before I deploy to the Persian Gulf for a year (found out a week ago, nice!)... so the congealing plan is to hit Moab next week and TF for MemDay boogie. Only thing is... I need a tour guide for Moab... now I'm really pissed I missed the Turkey Boogie! Anyone going to be in the area who wants to show a new guy around? PM me please! Richard

Damn, you pretty much described my outlook on life perfectly... nicely done!

Add F-14 and F/A-18 pilot to the list... sucks having to keep it on the way-down-low all the time!

Also, why are vented PC's only offered up to a 42 on this website? Why not a 46? http://www.baserigs.com/docs/products/accessories/pilot_chutes.html (haven't figured out the link thingy yet...)

Ahhh... this forum never gets dull, I love it! It's like pushing people's buttons just to be vicious and get a laugh! In my case, ask 2 simple questions and get 17 vehement responses... only a couple of which attempted to answer my questions, which I sincerely appreciate. Anyhooooo... now that I've been soundly chastised for not being an expert on all facets of the sport at the scant number of 25 basejumps, I'd like to ask again... is my brand-new (ok...18 jumps) non-vented PC unsafe? Am I setting myself up for something detrimental when statistics finally kick in? Second question: What is bias? And what does it mean to me as a low-time basejumper? Please don't stop the attitude, hollering and jeering... I really do get a kick out of it. Just try and teach me something at the end of your post. That's all! Rich

As a very new guy in the sport (less than 25 jumps), can somebody explain what a VENTED pilot-chute is and what it buys you versus a non-vented PC? Also, what's this I hear about directions of mesh, etc... Probably needs to be a new thread...? Rich