Mt7wildcard

Can anyone tell me the process that was undertaken to receive the blessing of the authorities to jump legally? Thanks

[If your tandem pilot hasn't done this before, you might want to warn them that the passenger seat will jump up at them once you exit... and can smack them in the head. ] After 50 or more 'jumps' from the tandem we haven't noticed a problem with that......depends on your equipment, I guess.

OK, since we're posting vid and pics....... http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=3608 Can someone make it click?

Let's not forget about your previous snowboard base jump from that cliff. It was perfect and beautiful. Maybe one of the best snowboard-base jumps ever done. Who else has done any snowboard jumps? A couple mentioned here already.........anybody else? Scott

Here is an article written in response to the "lame-o" who wrote the editorial in the Golden Star newspaper. The Golden Star REAR-viewpoint COUCH SITTIN', SIX PACK SWILLIN', DONUT AND FRENCH FRY SCARFIN', must come at a cost. Let me start out by first saying that I fail to fu lly understand exactly what compels a 'Mcburger muncher' to 'waddle into our grease-fest establishments' with nothing but 'pepto-bismal' representing the difference between the achievement of a 'belly- boosting' feat and a gruesome and disturbing 'excretion'. Nor do I pretend to see why some hardcore shoppers venture onto the transcanada highway when conditions and traffic risks are extremely high, throwing caution to the wind in the name of mall-cruising, or, just maybe, aiming to become a legend in the eyes of their kids who they expose to the same hazards. I know at some level, in a childish sort of way, the act of defying the odds and rushing headlong into potential danger can produce some sort of rush or sense of excitement. So be it. To each his own. Perhaps I’m just a timid lame-o. And hey, this type of behaviour is common in an industrial town, right? But this week’s news of a Heimlich manouver gone wrong just south of Super-size me way highlights a more troubling reality: Every time one of these slobs — and they are usually men, whether that’s a surprise to anyone or not — boldy (stupidly?) venture forth but screw things up, it comes at a tremendous price to taxpayers. While it’s hard to gather an exact sense of how much a quadruple bypass like the one we saw on Sunday night might cost – one official has put it at $100,000 — you have to assume that it wouldn’t exactly be cheap to bring in a taxpayer funded medical service that supplies diabetic drugs, surgical teams and medical facilities, along with the various other resources that were required to save this ill-fated gourmand. And let’s not forget the fact that countless residents were made to endure protruding jowls, distended bellies, fat asses and the sound of ambulances into the early morning hours. Or, most especially, that this rolly polly — seemingly in an attempt to either gratify himself or to curry favour among his fellow diners — put rescue crews in peril as they attempted to gurney the fat bastard “precariously close to the hospital,” as the authorities put it. But what does this anonymous Joe average care about all that? Sounds like he was in from Arkansas for the weekend and, as members of his curious sub-culture are wont to do, decided to toddle up to the buffet Sunday afternoon to gather a fuller enjoyment of our lovely brunch. It probably wasn’t so lovely, though, when he was stuck in a telephone booth in sub-zero temperatures waiting to be rescued because of his error in judgement. The man was ulimately taken to Golden Hospital and treated for hypertension. But this should not be viewed in any sense by him, or anybody else, as a clean getaway. When people, whether they be reality TV watchers or eater's of bad food, exercise extremely bad judgement, deliberately putting themselves and others in harm’s way, we all pay the price. And so, in turn, inactivity must come at a cost. The only way to ensure guys like this understand the full impact of their actions is to hold them financially accountable. Sitting on their asses might not seem like such a good idea if they have to foot the bill for their own fool-hardy negligence. Aaron A. ____________________________________________ The same could go for smokers, speeders, people who have sex without condoms, etc.

To draw a line between them becomes a little bit difficult after you see this website. www.paraflite.com/html/paris.html

You have made a very good point there. But: I believe, 100%, that the student, regardless of experience, acted on his own freewill and should accept 100% responsibility for his actions. Poor judgement ....maybe. No one hurt....great. Having said that: "I hereby dissolve my instructor (Miles D.) of any responsibility for any actions or endeavors undertaken by myself in the near or distant future. l accept full and total responsibility for my decisions. I also dissolve my rig supplier of responsibility and anyone who has given me advice in the past" Scott Watwood Canada 0 skydives -0$ >50 base jumps- >3000$ >400 paraglider flights ->10,000$ Making my own decisions, doing my own thing and having fun - PRICELESS! P.S. Had a long fall from 2300' from the paraglider today. Also Priceless.

[However, learning BASE through gymnastics and paragliding is like learning to fly a jet plane by learning to fly a canopy or a radio controlled plane] --------------------------------------------------------- That is very true. However.....since you brought it up..........with 14 years in the aviation industry, after flying several different types of airplanes and with over 100 hours flying helicopters, I felt that this experience did indeed help me learn to fly a paraglider. And now a base canopy. ----------------------------------------------------------- [My only concern is that your satisfaction in the course may be unfounded and once you have a few hundred jumps under your belt you may realize the true danger you were placed in] ----------------------------------------------------------- Believe me that I fully felt the danger I put MYSELF in when I stood on that plank the first time. (run soundtrack of 8 yr old girl screaming)

I am compelled to comment on this thread because I am one of the other students of Miles' FJC. After talking to him I found out he was unaware of this discussion as he doesn't care about or pay attention to the criticism that goes on here. His first two 'students' were are both truly 'world famous' paragliders. One has the world record longest paraglider flight and is current Canadian Champ, the other is a past Canadian and US nationals winner as well as a top placer at the world cup events. Both are tremendous athletes. I have no accolades but have over 400 paraglider flights with over 300 hours of canopy time. Most of these flights were in Golden B.C. which is one of the top paragliding sites in the world. Lots of these flights were in very sick air. My longest flight was over 6 hours. I am an instructor of paragliding and have done many tandems. Does this qualify me to Base jump? No. Can I fly a canopy? Yes. Base canopies are far easier to fly, far less susceptible to collapses and have way more consistent landings. The wind seems to affect them less and there is little ground effect as the approach angle is too steep. Base canopies are way easier to land in a tight spot. I landed softly in the 10' circle at BD on both of my jumps there this year. I missed the button by two feet on my no-step landings. I'm in my 40's with a family. Have had a few different careers, the latest being a raft guide and tandem paragliding instructor. This is not meant to glorify or justify us as Miles' students but to let you know we were not the average 'wuffos'. He did his research before accepting us into his course. He knew also the I was going to continue jumping from my paraglider to gain experience before doing any other objects. My latest was Wednesday from 3000' above the field. Nothing to run into, lots of time to think. I now know what terminal feels like. I've been practising tracking, flips, rolls and getting stable from different positions. Simulating riser turns and emergency procedures when the canopy opens. I had packing experience with my reserve canopies in my paraglider harnesses. I spent 20 minutes in the wind tunnel and am currently in a gymnastics club program to perfect flips and twists. The thought of sky-diving has been on my mind for a long time and I was definitely discouraged to go to base by my sky-dive/paraglider friends. They had a lot of valuable input to what I was getting into. And more about what I'm doing now. I heard about Miles from a friend who had jumped with him before. Effects on my life....base is all I think about. Just the way I was when I started paragliding. And skiing. But I didn't go out and do really stupid things then and I won't now. All that Josh Briggs said ('AirCanada') I have to agree with. Miles was very safety conscience and made us repeat practise procedures over and over. He covered everything very well including past accidents. Not morbidly or maliciously but in a way that we could learn from them. Do I feel comfortable tracking away from a cliff? Not yet. Can I track? yes. Will I do a cliff soon? no. Paraglider drops are not base jumps. But I'm getting my sky-dive experience here. Without an engine. Miles knew that when he started to teach me. Maybe one day I'll use a plane to get up there. But I can easily be 7000' over the valley in summer in my glider. And I had fun getting there. Maybe next summer I'll be looking for some cliffs. No, I definitely WILL be looking. I've actually found some near here. I've also met locals (2.5 hour drive away) who don't have a problem jumping with us. They are actually quite stoked about exiting from my tandem glider. I highly recommend Miles D.'s BASE camp. He was very professional and extremely safe with us. That may be completely different from his personal jumps. But I do believe that he carefully plans all his jumps. Sometimes $hit happens. That can happen to anyone. I know I will be very careful to avoid that $hit. Miles knew that about me before I started. Scott Watwood Golden, B.C. Canada

Generally speaking, all radio waves can be harmful. Low frequency or high they all have a detrimental effect on our bodies. Frequency meaning wave length. AM is medium freq. but x-rays and ultra-violet are extremely high freq. FM is High freq but a lot closer to AM wavelength. The bottom line is the power generated by the amplifiers in the buildings at the base. Yes, the more power output the more cooling required(i.e. air conditioners running) Some AM stations have "?00,000 watts of power" to send the signals long distances. Wi-fi is 1 or 2 watts to surround your house. Of course the exposure time and combination of watts/freq. ratio can alter the potential damage to your cells. Nick is right about the FM generally not being the same power strength. Is it alarming that cordless phones operate at the same freq. as microwave ovens?

Are there any base jumpers in B.C. or Alberta that are on this forum? Could you contact me by PM? I'm all alone out here in the Rockies.

Yes, Keep trying Jason. Is there anything we can do to help? As in send an e-mail or letter in support of this and that we would bring lots of cash to Fayetteville. Maybe a permit purchase from NPS. (for a small fee) Let us know what we can do.

I will be going to Bridge day. Scott and I live in Golden B.C. Currently in Ohio. Driving over there tomorrow-the 3rd of Oct. Probably do a little rafting and paragliding until the 16th. Better to break ground and jump into the wind than break wind and jump into the ground.