TomAiello

Check out this link to the video of a jump I made yesterday here in Switzerland. Warning: Audio track may not be work safe, as I was a bit excited during this experience. http://homepage.mac.com/tbaiello/iMovieTheater4.html Hook knives are apparently mandatory for slider up BASE... I've attached stills for those who don't want to wait for the video to download. One of my friends says they look a lot like the "bad canopy" flash cards used in AFF. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

Me too. I'm travelling this weekend, so I'm in stopover-land until Monday. Of course, after that, I'll be in the sweet land of mountains, chocolate, and legal BASE! Woohoo! -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

Jumps at my favorite Drop Zone are free. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

Tom? Care to comment? I'm pretty sure that the only person who considers Felix to be one of the greatest BASE jumpers in the world is Felix. He's even a laughingstock among other Red Bull sponsored jumpers, who are, as a group, largely viewed with amusement by the larger BASE community. Red Bull basically sponsors whoever has made friends with their PR guys. BASE skill, knowledge and experience are completely irrelevant to their decisions. It'd be a bit like a group of 100 jump wonders getting Pepsi to sponsor them as the "greatest 4 way team of all time". Airspeed probably wouldn't even notice, and if they did, they'd probably just laugh. Someday, I'd love to show Felix the video of the Little Aussie (who is widely regarded as one of the greatest BASE jumpers in the world) throwing a double gainer from 180 feet. Or maybe the one where he flies a wingsuit between the guy wires of a TV tower. Or how about the new generation of tracking jumps, where (non-wingsuited) jumpers are out-tracking 65 degree slabs. I wonder what he'd say if he knew what the larger world of BASE was getting up to (he's not part of it at all, and I really doubt he keeps up on anyone else's achievements). Somehow, I think Felix would just laugh, and go back to doing his thing. He's good at his thing (marketing himself as the "God of the Skies" [his own term]), and you have to respect that. It's just that his thing isn't really BASE jumping. Still, he knows what he wants, and is vigorously pursuing it. I guess that's got to count for something. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

Interested Parties should check out the photo attachment at the end of this BLiNC thread: http://www.blincmagazine.com/forum/board/4202.html Not work safe! -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

That is true, but I am talking about comparing no-slider, sub two second delays, which are recorded on video. Few jumpers will complain that openings are "too" fast at that altitude. Comparing one man's snivel to another's streamer, you would find that neither of them was acceptable. Anyway, I've PM'd Dan, so hopefully I can prevent this discussion from side tracking a thread about Cobalts. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

What kind of delays are you taking? I really got into trouble on the low end (sub 5 slider, sub 2 no slider). Anyway, I guess the Troll 2 makes that all kind of moot, at this point. I look forward to trying the new canopy. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

Where are the Cobalts made? Are they manufactured in Europe and shipped everywhere? Or are there multiple production facilities? It seems like people are getting wildly varying results on different Cobalts. Is there perhaps a variability in the manufacturing process due to something like variable materials, different plants, or even just poor quality control? I've noticed that the Troll (Atair's BASE canopy) has received widely varied reviews (mine opens like absolute shite, but flies like a dream)--no one can seem to agree on how it behaves. I am beginning to suspect that different Trolls may actually behave differently. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

Well, I don't know about you, but sometimes when I'm rigless (not often these days, as I've got three functional dry-land rigs), I: Open the closet, blow the dust off the old skydiving rig, hook up the wingsuit, and jump out of airplanes. Oh, wait, you meant what if you don't have a skydiving rig? When that happens, I just go jumping. God, I'm such a smart aleck on this board sometimes. It feels good to get away from the serious me in my normal on-line home. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

We originally got the idea from the paraglider site referenced above. One of the Northern California jumpers is a long-time paraglider, and he posted the same link to the BASE board. Shane McConkey saw it, thought it looked cool, and launched it off our local span. Then I did one in Idaho, and before you knew it some crazy Canuck had launched one off a building. We're still trying to get McConkey BASE (the antenna is proving quite challenging for snag and wind considerations). Once someone can get off all four objects, I'm going to try to talk Shane into handing out numbers... A short video clip is on the skydivingmovies ftp server. I believe it's just titled "McConkey", and it's in the "BASE" section. Someday, I'm going to get off my butt and put up a more comprehensive (and higher quality) video of it. There's also a video (Mad World) still in the "uploads" folder that includes (among other things) a better quality clip of the same McConkey jump of mine. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

Hi Sangiro, Have you considered a feature that allows users to "rate" each other in some way? I was just thinking it might be a good way to: 1) Indicate to newbies who the people are that give good advice, 2) Allow subtle peer pressure to improve on-line courtesy. A few examples from BLiNC (well, it is where I spend most of my on-line time): 1) Mick has designated some people as "Team", which serves as an indicator that (at least in Mick's opinion) their advice is generally sound, and they are good people for newbies to ask for help. 2) Their is a "user rating" feature that allows registered users to rate each other (see attachment). Unfortunately, the quantity of anonymous posting on that board makes this feature relatively useless. It might work better here, though. Just a thought. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com rating.pdf

Yep. I actually got in an argument/discussion with the poor Red Bull PR girl. I was in an "angry at Red Bull" phase. They sponsor a BASE jumper (Felix Baumgartner) who has violated our community ethics quite flagrantly and often. Then again, they also sponsor Shane, and he's pretty cool. I still prefer to drink 180. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

I believe (quick profile check) that Chris is jumping a Raven. Based (oooh, horrible pun there) on a couple of hundred approaches on seven cells, in a variety of winds (up to and including 20 mph in a highly turbulent environment), rarely in less than half brakes, I'd say that he doesn't really have much to worry about. In the scenario you outlined (sudden tail gust while just above the stall point), simply easing up the toggles a bit ought to recover the stall in less than 50 feet (much faster with practice and a 7 cell specifically designed for stall recovery and stability). Even a more panicked reaction (throwing the toggles up hard), should only eat up a bit more altitude (say 100 feet). I think Chris is doing the right thing by exploring the performance range of his canopy. More practice and knowledge is almost invariably a positive. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

That may depend on your personal physique. If you are a manly, fit, special forces trooper with good leg flexibility, it's pretty easy to get the leg wing off quickly. If, on the other hand, you happen to be a fat, lazy American BASE jumper with a nagging ankle injury, the LQRS can be quite helpful. As noted before, if you are open low, it is often useful to just cut away the wings, rather than wasting time getting to the zippers. If you make a habit of this, it is also quite useful to have an extra set of cut away cables, so that you don't ruin a road trip by dropping one. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

I prefer the handles because: 1) I rarely jump in an environment where snagging a handle is likely (I'm not often in an aircraft). 2) I feel that I can get them slightly faster (which might become important if you dump at 300 feet, as I have a disturbing tendency to do). -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

First time I've contributed to a "weekend numbers" thread (virtual beer all around!). 2:8:6 Two, well, um, yeah. Eight jumps (including two out of an airplane! It's been over a year, which is not good for my Stiletto landings), not counting the two more I'll do tonight. Six beers (that's one at the DZ, two at home, and three this morning after a very full [4 jumps, five hours of driving] night last night). And, the first time I met a DZ.commer in person (Hi Lummy!). I guess I owe you some beer the next time out. Weird to be jumping out of a plane again (someone at the DZ cracked, "Hey, you do know this thing isn't attached to the ground, right?"). -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've had my protrack "fail" several times, and tell me that I had pulled at some high altitude (10,000 or whatever), basically giving no reading on the flight. I think that the protrack might see sudden changes in descent rate (flaring out of a dive, or dropping to a flock, then settling in with them, etc) as a parachute opening. Other than that, there are all kinds of "type of airspeed" issues. But, if you are worried about having it actually work as an audible altimeter, or be a reliable way to judge your progress (by comparing readings against other flights of yours, with the same protrack mounting), I think it's generally pretty good. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

Or, to quote Carl Boenish: "The whole world is jumpable!" -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

When I got my driver's license, I inherited my parents 1978 BMW 320i. It took me all of two months before I had flipped it end over end at 120 mph. Fortunately, my friend and I both walked away (BMW safety systems rock!). The car, however, ended up about two feet shorter, and sort of twisted sideways. I'd broken both axles, so it took two tow trucks to move it onto a flatbed, which took it to the junkyard. I still miss that car. I guess it didn't really surprise my parents when I started parachuting. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ah, young grasshopper. Helping your grandmother shop, women find sensitive and sexy. Total lack of self-confidence, they find annoying. Confidence, though, will be your magic aphrodesiac. Listen carefully, and repeat as necessary: You are NOT a dolt. You are THE MAN. You are a skydiver, probably the coolest guy she has ever met. You are smart, interesting and engaging. You are a dozen times more thoughtful, sensitive and creative than any other guy who has ever come on to her. Right now, that girl is at home, in bed, fantasizing about you. She's desperate to know when you will come into the store again. She'll be coming into work every day for the next week, hoping to see you coming down that aisle. She will daydream that you come into the store, take her into the stock room in back, and make her fantasies come true. No. You will see her again, because you will make it happen. And when you do, you will be strong, you will be confident, and you will ask her out. Because you will KNOW, that in her heart, she's still fantasizing about that stock room. "I will be victorious. To think otherwise is to have already lost." - Stephen Brent Miller -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

If y'all do it after Nov 1, I'll come out. Vegas is one of my favorite playgrounds. I might even make a skydive or three. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

Dude! That's the end of your story?! No, no NO! Get your butt back down there and find her. Anyone who has that happen, then complains that he's still a virgin... Go forth and conquer, young man. "The world continues to offer glittering prizes to those with stout hearts and sharp swords." - F.E. Smith, Earl of Birkenhead -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'm not an expert on altitude, or sinus pressure, but I can say that sounds like it would suck. If it were me, I'd hold off until you can enjoy the experience. I am, however, something of an expert on Vicodin (my Neurosurgeon awarded me a lifetime supply a few years ago). Vicodin (hydrocodone and acetaminophen) is a painkiller. It will do nothing to relieve your sinus pressure. In fact, deadening the pain (your body's natural warning indicator) might lead to permanent damage (in the case of head explosion or similar event). My advice: don't ever get in the habit of jumping on painkillers. It deadens the experience (quite the opposite of what most people want to do), as well as impairing your judgment and reaction time in the event of an emergency. Dude, stay home (or go to the DZ), grab a twelve pack, down a couple vicodin, and party instead. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

Skydance in Davis, California has a rifle range just north of the main landing area. If you undershoot by a few hundred yards you're right in the firing lane. Cut-away canopies have actually landed on the range. I understand the regulars at the rifle range make jokes about "skeet shooting" every time canopies pass over. Needless to say, there is a big student field a fair distance away, and the DZO is pretty serious about forcing people to land there if he doubts their accuracy skills. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com

Read aloud in a totally innocent voice, with no discernible trace of sarcasm or irony: Oh, nothing. Since the National Park Service banned jumping there, no jumper ever goes there. I'm pretty sure that the NPS ban has been totally effective in removing all BASE jumping from Yosemite, and every other National Park in the U.S. (Hey! No sarcasm! Totally innocent!) I suppose it's theoretically possible to jump from El Cap. But then, it's theoretically possible to jump from the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, and the Saint Louis Arch, as well. And you would certainly never see a law abiding BASE jumper doing any of those things. In all seriousness, if you were interested in doing such a jump, you would need to establish a fair degree of BASE proficiency, make enough BASE jumps to establish the skills for a reasonable likelihood of survival, then find the locals in the area and ask them for guidance. Please don't ever try to jump any object without contacting the local BASE jumpers first. -- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com