CanuckInUSA 0 #1 November 22, 2004 I just wanted to tell all my BASE brothers and sisters what a great time Ground Launching can be (if respected just as BASE needs to be). I spent the last four days at Jim Slaton's Ground Launching Camp in CA and wow!!! What fun!!! Even though I've yet to do a wingsuit BASE jump, I would like to compare the two as somewhat similar. We launched ourselves off of mountain ridges 1000 feet AGL high and flew over other ridges on our way towards landing in definitely a back country environment. Can you picture the potential here once the proper experience is gain? Launching yourself off of a mountain and flying down it to the base. Next up ... Turkey Boogie in Moab!!! Whos' coming? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
outrager 6 #2 November 22, 2004 QuoteI just wanted to tell all my BASE brothers and sisters what a great time Ground Launching can be As in paragliding ? Or attempting to, with skydiving/base canopies ? bsbd! Yuri. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skinflicka 0 #3 November 22, 2004 Awesome! At this rate of regression we'll be walking to work bare foot in no time at all. This comes as quite a coincidence on the weekend I invented a sport where a bunch of genetic freaks run around a place which I called a "Kort", trying to throw a watermelon into a "Bagsket". It doesn't bounce real well but hey what the hell? I'll forever be know as the guy who invented "Bagsket Watermelon". Or is that another $hit idea? Glad you had fun man. I'm just cranky cos i"m into my 3rd nuclear coffee. Enough of this, I'm going to tie a couple of 2x4s to my feet and go "Skreeing". $kin. Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piisfish 140 #4 November 22, 2004 it's not regression... just remember how paragliders started... Good old DRAKKAR'S with Dbag and slider removed...scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
base428 1 #5 November 22, 2004 There is more to the story......some ground launching is attempting to be (or has recently been) done in National Parks. Hmmm....parachuting in National Parks. Does that sound familiar?(c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted. <==For the media only Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #6 November 22, 2004 QuoteThere is more to the story......some ground launching is attempting to be (or has recently been) done in National Parks. Hmmm....parachuting in National Parks. Does that sound familiar? First off the guy who trained me this last weekend (Jim Slaton) was adamant about us finding sites on BLM land (which we were jumping). So he is sensitive to the issue of jumping illegal sites as the rest of us are. Now if a bunch of skydivers (without the knowledge of BASE ethics) start running around ground launching in National Parks and getting caught, well we'll need to inform them of thinking about building some of their own ethics. But to tell you the truth I don't think that there are that many ground launchers around (the sport is still in it's infancy). As to what we were doing, yes there are some similarities with paragliding (we are launching ourselves into the sky with a canopy over our heads), but we are not paragliders. You'll be able to use many skydiving canopies, but specialized canopies (different fabric, different noses and bracing) are in the works and their performance in this environment over a normal canopy are well worth the extra cost. I don't believe launching BASE canopies will give us the performance needed what with BASE canopies being huge and having a different design not condusive to gliding great distances. But who knows. Now that I have some knowledge about the sport, I will try kiting and launching my BASE canopy off of a Level I slope one day and see what happens. I just started this thread because of the similarities between back-country Ground Launching and back-country BASE jumping (including wingsuit BASE jumps). Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
base428 1 #7 November 22, 2004 Hey Canuck, What I'm referring to is a GOOD thing. I heard Jim is talking to some NP's about flying there. Ground launching is complimentary to BASE, and vice versa. Sooner or later, we'll be flying or jumping in NP's. Lot's of stuff is going on in our fight to parachute in NP's.(c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted. <==For the media only Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Niklasp 0 #8 November 22, 2004 Where can we see video of it!? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites outrager 6 #9 November 22, 2004 QuoteAs to what we were doing, yes there are some similarities with paragliding (we are launching ourselves into the sky with a canopy over our heads), but we are not paragliders. On a serious note: Could you please explain what is the difference between ground launching and paragliding? What is an objective of ground launching once you are airborne? And if you need a specialized canopy why not to use a paraglider ? bsbd! Yuri. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites base428 1 #10 November 22, 2004 Ground Launching(c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted. <==For the media only Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Rauk 0 #11 November 22, 2004 My Dagger has a wonderful glide ratio... hehe, what a shameless plug. So I am glad everything went well for you Steve, I have been putting in more time downtown and it paid off (in a lower way). Give me a call soon, I will let you know . Also, I am leaving for the playground on Wednesday and leaving on Monday of next week. Cya Share this post Link to post Share on other sites NickDG 23 #12 November 22, 2004 I'm not sure I get the idea behind this either. However, it's possible there are some future benefits we don't see at this point. I think it was 1979 or 1980 when we first heard of some Swiss folks (I think) ground launching their skydiving canopies. After Parachutist Magazine ran an article about it many American skydivers found themselves bruised and battered after running and tumbling (mostly tumbling) down hills while vainly trying to launch their low aspect ratio canopies. Ten seconds in the air was a great success back then and we felt like the Wright Brothers. Years later I made a few flights on real paragliding gear and fell in love with the feeling of lift and the amount of ground that can be covered. (Jump in the park, land outside the park?) I thought right then and there we needed BASE canopies that initially open like seven cells, but then further deploy into more of a paraglider configuration. I guess the point I'm going for is, any future development in canopies, no matter what sport they comes from, may benefit us all. NickD BASE 194 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites K763 0 #13 November 22, 2004 Hi Yuri, Hi ALL! Todd gave me the following explanation of the difference between ground launching and paragliding, as explained to him by Jim Slaton: In paragliding you're normally in a seated harness, and are attemping to get lift and stay aloft as long as possible. In ground launching you're not in a seated harness, and you're attempting to glide down the slope as long as possible, as seen in "blade running" events, rather than trying to get lift and stay up there forever. Ground launching sounds really fun! There's this great rock in the mountains east of me that is just shy of being BASE jumpable, but could definitely be a location for ground launching. The only thing that makes me nervous is how many TREES there are on mountain slopes. You know, me and trees don't get along very well when a parachute is involved... See y'all in Moab! Remember, bring food for the feast! K Share this post Link to post Share on other sites pBASEtobe 0 #14 November 22, 2004 I'm curious how you actually launch something with a wing loading between 1.2-1.5. To ground launch you have to get the wing flying first. If you have a wing loaded at 1.5 I'm sure the stall speed of the thing is in the 20's (mph that is). How do you get it flying? Do you just need a good upslope breeze to get the right airspeed but have a slow enough ground speed to run that fast? I'd love to see some video of a launch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites NickDG 23 #15 November 22, 2004 Russel, Are you telling me you can't keep that wheelchair going straight downhill unitl achieving 20 MPH? NickD BASE 194 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites CanuckInUSA 0 #16 November 22, 2004 QuoteI'm curious how you actually launch something with a wing loading between 1.2-1.5. To ground launch you have to get the wing flying first. If you have a wing loaded at 1.5 I'm sure the stall speed of the thing is in the 20's (mph that is). How do you get it flying? Do you just need a good upslope breeze to get the right airspeed but have a slow enough ground speed to run that fast? I'd love to see some video of a launch. Preferably the best way to launch is to launch with some sort of breeze (8-10 mph is probably optimal). You start by reverse launching the canopy, kite it for however long you want to, turn around and run down the hill (your launch will depend on the wind, wing type and loading, nose type, slope angle, etc, etc, etc). But if there is no wind or very light winds, then you will need to forward launch your canopy. And of course in your situation, hmmm ... we could build you a little ski jump contraption. But it's probably not a good idea. Unfortunately my camera malfunctioned on this trip and I did not get video. But here is a short video of some Ground Launching at the GLC in CA. Of course this sport is still in it's infancy and the potential for it is still not 100% known. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites pBASEtobe 0 #17 November 22, 2004 It's paragliding for speed junkies. I do a lot of paragliding myself and have always complained about how slow our wings fly. Now this looks like fun. Maybe I'll try my Sabre 107 off our little training hill we have at our local flying site. Do Sabre's have a decent enough glide ratio to ground launch? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites QuickDraw 0 #18 November 22, 2004 Maybe a new BASE catagory in the making here.. Rex Green ? I wonder who will be the first to ground launch and land on top of all four objects ? BASE regression .. for fat lazy fucker in your life. -- Hope you don't die. -- I'm fucking winning Share this post Link to post Share on other sites CanuckInUSA 0 #19 November 22, 2004 QuoteDo Sabre's have a decent enough glide ratio to ground launch? First off I am no Ground Launching expert. So any thing I say here is based on the experience I gained this last weekend at the Ground Launching Camp and may not be 100% correct. Anyway, you're a fairly small guy, so launching a Sabre 107 in wind might be doable. But I'd be willing to bet that launching your 107 in low winds would be difficult (not even factoring in your circumstances that the rest of us are not in). So you're likely better off with a larger wing (open nose for light winds, closed nose for stronger winds). But if you're already doing some paragliding, then you've got an idea as to what's going on with Ground Launching. However, there is one thing to keep in mind. Yes we can Ground Launch using most skydiving gear, but it is not ideal and there are specialized canopies (in proto-type right now, soon to be released) which kick absolute ass when it comes to Ground Launching. They are not cheap (they use a different material than ZP and/or F-111), but they are worth their weight in gold in the Ground Launching environment. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites CanuckInUSA 0 #20 November 22, 2004 QuoteI wonder who will be the first to ground launch and land on top of all four objects? Can't see that working and ground Launching is obviously not BASE jumping. But they have the potential to both be back-country parachuting activities and thus the reason why I brought it up to begin with. There is going to be a Ground Launching boogie (with a blade running competition) out at the Ground Launch Center in CA next summer and there is talk of lauching tandems with passengers attached wearing a BASE rig, cutting away at 300-400 feet and doing their thing. It should be a good time. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites cornishe 0 #21 November 22, 2004 QuoteI wonder who will be the first to ground launch and land on top of all four objects ? I wonder who will be the first to ground launch and FLY INTO all four objects.Abbie Mashaal Skydive Idaho Snake River Skydiving TandemBASE Share this post Link to post Share on other sites QuickDraw 0 #22 November 22, 2004 Did you or russell check out Jason's link ? there is a guy with an FX doing just fine. I was sent it earlier by Mac. I won't post the link to the file, but go to the gallery and check the videos for 'Ground Launch Center'. You'll be lifting your legs up like i was... yes even you Russell. -- Hope you don't die. -- I'm fucking winning Share this post Link to post Share on other sites cornishe 0 #23 November 22, 2004 I heard of some genius out there who added a three ring cutaway to his base harness (addtional to whatever connects to his base canopy). He attached his paragliding canopy, ground launches, gets whatever altitude he wants and then chops the muthafucka and you know the rest. sounds fucking badass. i Unrelated... I attached a picture for Skin... he maybe the only one to laugh at this.Abbie Mashaal Skydive Idaho Snake River Skydiving TandemBASE Share this post Link to post Share on other sites CanuckInUSA 0 #24 November 22, 2004 QuoteI wonder who will be the first to ground launch and FLY INTO all four objects. I'm not about to do this any time soon, but look for some of us to Ground Launch off of some of these objects once more experience is gained. Buildings - absolutely doable Antennas - not practical in most cases Spans - doable with some challenges Earth - absolutely doable Once again I'm talking about lauching off of these objects in the future once some essential skills are mastered. So please keep the "you're a dead man" flames to a minimum. You won't be seeing me launch from Moab this coming weekend. But Jim and I did talk about how it could be done. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites CanuckInUSA 0 #25 November 22, 2004 QuoteDid you or russell check out Jason's link ? there is a guy with an FX doing just fine. We had guys launching Velocity and Xaos canopies this weekend. But they were larger than what they normally jump. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 Next Page 1 of 2 0
outrager 6 #9 November 22, 2004 QuoteAs to what we were doing, yes there are some similarities with paragliding (we are launching ourselves into the sky with a canopy over our heads), but we are not paragliders. On a serious note: Could you please explain what is the difference between ground launching and paragliding? What is an objective of ground launching once you are airborne? And if you need a specialized canopy why not to use a paraglider ? bsbd! Yuri. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
base428 1 #10 November 22, 2004 Ground Launching(c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted. <==For the media only Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rauk 0 #11 November 22, 2004 My Dagger has a wonderful glide ratio... hehe, what a shameless plug. So I am glad everything went well for you Steve, I have been putting in more time downtown and it paid off (in a lower way). Give me a call soon, I will let you know . Also, I am leaving for the playground on Wednesday and leaving on Monday of next week. Cya Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #12 November 22, 2004 I'm not sure I get the idea behind this either. However, it's possible there are some future benefits we don't see at this point. I think it was 1979 or 1980 when we first heard of some Swiss folks (I think) ground launching their skydiving canopies. After Parachutist Magazine ran an article about it many American skydivers found themselves bruised and battered after running and tumbling (mostly tumbling) down hills while vainly trying to launch their low aspect ratio canopies. Ten seconds in the air was a great success back then and we felt like the Wright Brothers. Years later I made a few flights on real paragliding gear and fell in love with the feeling of lift and the amount of ground that can be covered. (Jump in the park, land outside the park?) I thought right then and there we needed BASE canopies that initially open like seven cells, but then further deploy into more of a paraglider configuration. I guess the point I'm going for is, any future development in canopies, no matter what sport they comes from, may benefit us all. NickD BASE 194 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
K763 0 #13 November 22, 2004 Hi Yuri, Hi ALL! Todd gave me the following explanation of the difference between ground launching and paragliding, as explained to him by Jim Slaton: In paragliding you're normally in a seated harness, and are attemping to get lift and stay aloft as long as possible. In ground launching you're not in a seated harness, and you're attempting to glide down the slope as long as possible, as seen in "blade running" events, rather than trying to get lift and stay up there forever. Ground launching sounds really fun! There's this great rock in the mountains east of me that is just shy of being BASE jumpable, but could definitely be a location for ground launching. The only thing that makes me nervous is how many TREES there are on mountain slopes. You know, me and trees don't get along very well when a parachute is involved... See y'all in Moab! Remember, bring food for the feast! K Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pBASEtobe 0 #14 November 22, 2004 I'm curious how you actually launch something with a wing loading between 1.2-1.5. To ground launch you have to get the wing flying first. If you have a wing loaded at 1.5 I'm sure the stall speed of the thing is in the 20's (mph that is). How do you get it flying? Do you just need a good upslope breeze to get the right airspeed but have a slow enough ground speed to run that fast? I'd love to see some video of a launch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #15 November 22, 2004 Russel, Are you telling me you can't keep that wheelchair going straight downhill unitl achieving 20 MPH? NickD BASE 194 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #16 November 22, 2004 QuoteI'm curious how you actually launch something with a wing loading between 1.2-1.5. To ground launch you have to get the wing flying first. If you have a wing loaded at 1.5 I'm sure the stall speed of the thing is in the 20's (mph that is). How do you get it flying? Do you just need a good upslope breeze to get the right airspeed but have a slow enough ground speed to run that fast? I'd love to see some video of a launch. Preferably the best way to launch is to launch with some sort of breeze (8-10 mph is probably optimal). You start by reverse launching the canopy, kite it for however long you want to, turn around and run down the hill (your launch will depend on the wind, wing type and loading, nose type, slope angle, etc, etc, etc). But if there is no wind or very light winds, then you will need to forward launch your canopy. And of course in your situation, hmmm ... we could build you a little ski jump contraption. But it's probably not a good idea. Unfortunately my camera malfunctioned on this trip and I did not get video. But here is a short video of some Ground Launching at the GLC in CA. Of course this sport is still in it's infancy and the potential for it is still not 100% known. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pBASEtobe 0 #17 November 22, 2004 It's paragliding for speed junkies. I do a lot of paragliding myself and have always complained about how slow our wings fly. Now this looks like fun. Maybe I'll try my Sabre 107 off our little training hill we have at our local flying site. Do Sabre's have a decent enough glide ratio to ground launch? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
QuickDraw 0 #18 November 22, 2004 Maybe a new BASE catagory in the making here.. Rex Green ? I wonder who will be the first to ground launch and land on top of all four objects ? BASE regression .. for fat lazy fucker in your life. -- Hope you don't die. -- I'm fucking winning Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #19 November 22, 2004 QuoteDo Sabre's have a decent enough glide ratio to ground launch? First off I am no Ground Launching expert. So any thing I say here is based on the experience I gained this last weekend at the Ground Launching Camp and may not be 100% correct. Anyway, you're a fairly small guy, so launching a Sabre 107 in wind might be doable. But I'd be willing to bet that launching your 107 in low winds would be difficult (not even factoring in your circumstances that the rest of us are not in). So you're likely better off with a larger wing (open nose for light winds, closed nose for stronger winds). But if you're already doing some paragliding, then you've got an idea as to what's going on with Ground Launching. However, there is one thing to keep in mind. Yes we can Ground Launch using most skydiving gear, but it is not ideal and there are specialized canopies (in proto-type right now, soon to be released) which kick absolute ass when it comes to Ground Launching. They are not cheap (they use a different material than ZP and/or F-111), but they are worth their weight in gold in the Ground Launching environment. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #20 November 22, 2004 QuoteI wonder who will be the first to ground launch and land on top of all four objects? Can't see that working and ground Launching is obviously not BASE jumping. But they have the potential to both be back-country parachuting activities and thus the reason why I brought it up to begin with. There is going to be a Ground Launching boogie (with a blade running competition) out at the Ground Launch Center in CA next summer and there is talk of lauching tandems with passengers attached wearing a BASE rig, cutting away at 300-400 feet and doing their thing. It should be a good time. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cornishe 0 #21 November 22, 2004 QuoteI wonder who will be the first to ground launch and land on top of all four objects ? I wonder who will be the first to ground launch and FLY INTO all four objects.Abbie Mashaal Skydive Idaho Snake River Skydiving TandemBASE Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
QuickDraw 0 #22 November 22, 2004 Did you or russell check out Jason's link ? there is a guy with an FX doing just fine. I was sent it earlier by Mac. I won't post the link to the file, but go to the gallery and check the videos for 'Ground Launch Center'. You'll be lifting your legs up like i was... yes even you Russell. -- Hope you don't die. -- I'm fucking winning Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cornishe 0 #23 November 22, 2004 I heard of some genius out there who added a three ring cutaway to his base harness (addtional to whatever connects to his base canopy). He attached his paragliding canopy, ground launches, gets whatever altitude he wants and then chops the muthafucka and you know the rest. sounds fucking badass. i Unrelated... I attached a picture for Skin... he maybe the only one to laugh at this.Abbie Mashaal Skydive Idaho Snake River Skydiving TandemBASE Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #24 November 22, 2004 QuoteI wonder who will be the first to ground launch and FLY INTO all four objects. I'm not about to do this any time soon, but look for some of us to Ground Launch off of some of these objects once more experience is gained. Buildings - absolutely doable Antennas - not practical in most cases Spans - doable with some challenges Earth - absolutely doable Once again I'm talking about lauching off of these objects in the future once some essential skills are mastered. So please keep the "you're a dead man" flames to a minimum. You won't be seeing me launch from Moab this coming weekend. But Jim and I did talk about how it could be done. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #25 November 22, 2004 QuoteDid you or russell check out Jason's link ? there is a guy with an FX doing just fine. We had guys launching Velocity and Xaos canopies this weekend. But they were larger than what they normally jump. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
