skypuppy

Happens to me all different times of the day.... Although Error and Bug Reports Forum usually works ok. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I'm still having troubles with this too, as in my thread 'website not responding' below. I'm just not checking the site as much as I used to. If I miss a day or two I don't worry about it. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

So, as I understand it, an application for a permit is pretty much useless unless it contains a Experience level of jumper making application b Dates for proposed jumps c Reasons d processing fee? and offer to post bond e perhaps some indication of other people included with names and addresses and experiences, or at least a statement of minimum experience required to participate? Maybe we should cut and paste some of this info into a summary and make it into a sticky, or is politics an accepted use of dz.com? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Was better for a few weeks, now it's doing it again - and I see Johnny Gates has the same problem.... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

No doubt! Lets hear it. I would like to hear more on the subject. I would also like to see if you have more to add to the artical that I have read. Sounds like crappy weather and high water ended bridge day. Permits didn't come through. I believe this was the first year that NPS had aquired the land under the bridge. So there was a second plan to move the exit over the rail way. The owners of the rail road were not having it. They were lieniant in previous years because there was only a few landings here and there on the tracks. How ever they don't want everyone landing there. So the let the BD staff know that they will have rail police down there to ticket anyone landing on the tracks. _________________________________________________ Actually the permits did come through - Jean made the decision not to jump and gave the permit back to NPS,,, NPS always owned the landing area as far as I know - at least they did in '84 and again in '86 when a buddy and I jumped off the Winnebago going home... Railway police were also a constant threat every year - it's just that they would usually get tired and end up taking off by noon or so, but if you did land there there was always the chance you'd get a ticket and lose your gear.... The biggest mess came when Jean admitted to the jumpers that she was giving the permit back and then started hedging on giving refunds, citing money that had already been spent on travel, transport, etc. etc.... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I knew a guy that used one - he got wrapped up really low (below 1000') and spun in, landing on a slab of bedrock and breaking at least one femur (compound fracture_ a small distance from the dz. He thought he might bleed to death and cut some lines off the main he was wrapped in to make a tourniquet to place around his leg(s). He could have made the tourniquet without cutting the lines, probably but they would have ended up cutting them before transporting him anyway... Another guy I know went feet first into the grill of a (closed) chip wagon landing after a building jump. His main dropped over the van. Ground crew used the hook knife to cut a couple of lines in order to get the canopy off quickly before the cops got there.. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Actually on Kittinger's record jump (Excelsior III), although the main chute was deployed by an AAD simply due to the system they were using and reasons for the tests, he had control of an override and could have deployed it himself without problem - it was the jump he made from Excelsior I where he had all the problems, lost consciousness, had a double mal (while unconscious) and then woke up on the desert floor after the main broke away and allowed the reserve to deploy.... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Some of those guys look pretty old to be in college.... Have a couple of ringers on that team? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I can see that you have resolved the problem, things are working normally again.... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

And finally: are night jumps possible during the summer months? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, as well as during the winter months. The moon helps, but the truth is that the road lights on top do an ok job of lighting the landing area, as long as you land far enough down to be out of the shadow of the bridge. __________________________________________________ Are night jumps approved by the authorities? I asked about it when I was there and the general consensus seemed to be it was not a good idea. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I don't know if it's just me but the last week or so almost 50% of the time that I try to go from the main forum index to an individual forum, ie, general skydiving discussion, I end up with a time out and 'web site not responding' message. Maybe it's my computer, but I wondered if anyone else had noticed this? I have a dial-up connection. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Well, I got new gear (half-price), still about 4K. I paid for a new AAD. (about 1K) I paid for my tandem course (about 2K) A road trip, Eastern Conference Cup expenses, lost free bag and pc for my 3rd rig (still haven't replaced it). On the other hand I did just less than a hundred tandems since I got the rating. All told I'm down about 3K, but hopefully I'll make it up this year... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

He's a chihuahua 1 year old, he don't mind wind. Is it crule to take him on a on a base jump in england ,hes got a tadem type harnest witch goes on the chest strap.should i or not.?????????????or ------------------------------------------------------------ I suppose it depends on how confident and experienced a BASE jumper you are without a dog tied to your chest? Personally I have too much to deal with whilst preparing to jump to worry about a pet secured to me. __________________________________________________ Sounds like another possible job for RAY AND SPENCE'S BOUNCEPROOF SCHOOL OF BASEJUMPING111 If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I believe conspiracy to commit illegal aerial delivery would be a felony, even if the underlying charge was a misdemeanor. __________________________________________________ Didn't Clint have a thread where he said he was charged with having a parachute in his possession 'with intent of committing aerial delivery' into NPS lands? Mind you he was hiking around looking for an exit point when caught, I think.... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

You could teach a monky to jump a bridge and throw. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a very dangerous, and false, statement. BASE ain't that simple. __________________________________________________ I believe this first statement is true (as long as you can keep the monkey from trying to climb back up the lines and collapwsing the parachute on the way down). I actually made this statement about 18 years ago on the way to the bridge. It's all in what you're planning to do after. If you're planning to do a few jumps and then turn them loose on the world, that;s bad, but if the goal is to do a bunch of jumps off one or two or three relatively safe bridges with easy landing areas, then maybe going on to controlled (coached/supervised) jumps off other relatively open objects after proving your skills on the bridge jumps, it is relatively safe. Of course it has to be the right student, but I think we;re being a bit elitist here, assuming we're the only ones that are 'up to the job'. It may be a job for Ray and Spence's BOUNCE-PROOF BASEJUMPING SCHOOL. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Its hard to imagine how many more jumps could have been made in the last 2 days To compete at any skydiving meet you must be at least 18 years old. At least USPA and world meets. __________________________________________________ Not true. USPA maybe.... Irregardless of the age for competition my point is that an 18 year old doesn't just show up at a world meet having done thousands of jumps since their last birthday. In many Eastern European countries and those such as China, etc., people start skydiving and training (and certainly national competition) at the ages of 16 or even 14 on a regular basis. With proper coaching they are totally able to focus and perform at a championship level... They aren't just given a first jump course and then told to go of on their own and train... Thus I believe with proper coaching some teenagers can be, physically and mentally, good candidates... As to the first part of your rebuttal, it wouldn't be unusual to do 10 jumps over a 2-day weekend... That would be an increase of over 15%... Irregardless, it's not like she'd be making the decision to BASE jump and then going out on her lunch break to do it... Presumably there would be some period of preparation... This would allow an open-ended, to-be-determined # of jumpsin order to prepare for the FJC. If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

While the things people are saying about maturity are in a way correct, another thing to think about is that many kids at, say, 15-18 are at their physical peak, they're in great shape, they're attuned to their bodies and have great reaction time! There are people competing (and doing well) at world meets who are 17-18 and have thousands of skydives because they approach their disciplines with seriousness and good coaching.... I have a suspicion your daughter may be one of these, and I would say there is really no reason why she could not begin BASE jumping on Spans with the proper instruction, to get a taste of what the sport is like. It's not like she will go backwards, she may have done more skydives now since your original post... She is only going to get more experienced as she goes along. By the time an opportunity arises for a legal span jump she may have many more jumps in already.... She might be a great student for Tom (you should go out too)! Meanwhile she should be practising accuracy approaches on lightly loaded f-111 seven-cells.... Good luck - and enjoy! I envy you to be able to do something like this with someone you love.... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I think the people in this sport that have dealt with a friend dying and are still involved in the sport is a testament to their character. I think this is a good thread for those experienced people to share what kept them going in the tough times. __________________________________________________ While losing friends jumping did lead me to some questions of behavior modification during skydiving, it simply never did nor would have occurred that I even consider giving up the jumping itself... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[ And while I've never met Scotty Carbone, I've heard enough stories to know I'd enjoy sharing the DZ with him. Just hide your girlfriend... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

The post man tramped through about 1 1/2 feet of snow to deliver mine today. Thanks, man - Ill Vision Rock! Skypuppy BASE 92 If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Thanks Murray. I knew he didn't get jail for the crime, but I thought he might have spent time in the slammer for contempt before the trial because he wouldn't identify the pilot.... If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

I know it wasn't a base jump, but didn't sergio go to jail for jumping into the world series? How long? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

As Sir Winston Churchill said, "War is horrible. But not as horrible as slavery." __________________________________________________ Yeah, and winston liked to drink... Once a lady said to him 'If you were my husband I'd give you poison...' And Winston replied ' Madam, if you were my wife, I'd drink it..." If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

Um, you might want to check with Jean on that first.... Right, Nick? If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

_________________________________________________ To begin with, the round parachute was invented pretty much around 1780's for sure, in the years after the Civil war it was modified to be non-rigid, foldable, ostensibly by Thomas Baldwin but possibly by several others about the same time.... There were lots of BASE jumps made between the late 1800's and the time when Carl filmed the first El Cap jumps... There was even.... After Thomas Baldwin's parachuting displays in London in the 1880's, there was a monkey who would do parachute descents INSIDE LONDON"S ROYAL AQUARIUM (+/- 100') under the stage name of 'The Baldwin Monkey'.... There are several early BASE jumps in the archives of skydivingmovies.com, dating from the 19-teens and 20's. In 1912 a jump was made from the Statue of Liberty by Frederick Rodman Law, who also jumped a building and a bridge in New York.... Law worked for the Army as a rigger at the same airport where Irvin and the boys experimented on parachutes, before he died of cancer in the early '20's.... There are documented jumps made in (I believe) 1917 by Major Orde-Lees (of Shackleton expedition fame) and a Lt. Bowen from Tower Bridge in London to demonstrate the use of the Guardian Angel parachute and the ability of a downed airman to exit the twist and punch original harness once in the water. I had an article in May 2002 Skydiving magazine detailing jumps made in 1908 from the Rainbow bridge in Niagara Falls (Bobby Leach), and again in 1927 by Australian Vincent Taylor. (This bridge was since replaced in a new site). Irvin test jumper John Tranum (early '30's) made a name for himself doing high altitude AND low altitude jumps, the latter off the 154-ft Pasadena bridge. He also describes how Shorty Osbourne rode a Motorbike off the cliffs near Santa Monica and landed in hydro wires after the pilot chute caught on the bike's mudguard.... (This (attempted) jump is also available at skydivingmovies.com). Tranum later made a similar jump off a higher cliff (1000') in Colorado (I believe this may be the one at the beginning of an old Norman Kent film).... Other then the motorcycle jumps, most of these were static-line jumps. Then in the 50's a dentist made a well documented jump in the Alps doing several seconds of delay off a cliff. Then the two round jumpers at Yosemite in '66, and later Rick Sylvester jumped el cap on skies (1972). (He later repeated the jump somewhere on Baffin Island for a James Bond movie (the one where Roger Moore opens up a Union Jack paracommander). This is by no means comprehensive list, but parachutes were around long before aircraft, and for a reason.... They were originally thought of as a means of exiting burning buildings but...It was the use of balloonists as observers during the civil and crimean wars that got a bunch of people into ballooning as means of making a living, and they went on to develop parachuting to the point where airplanes came along and after that too (the last of the true 'smoke jumpers' performed up until the mid-late 60's). If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone