Learning to Fly

Ohh, can’t wait for this book, loved the last one! Did this women make the cover? http://www.etsy.com/shop/acocc

What to do with the fools flooding into Moab, costing Grand County S&R literally millions in rescue costs when, having no clue of wind currents, they hang their BASE chutes on or fly their wingsuits into cliff faces, ride their mountain bikes past the point of no return with their dainty little water bottles and die of dehydration — killing these sports for the intelligent? Next book, perhaps — with accompanying DVD on how *not* to BASE jump, featuring Skandy’s video in which he literally has to kick the cliff face after opening his chute, to keep clear?

Thanks for the El Cap link.

I just watched a skydiving video in which an elderly woman struggling to stay in the plane nonetheless tandem jumped with obviously loose harnessing (which may have become so due to the struggle) and an incompetent tandem “trainer.” She damn near completely came out of the harness on the way down. I wouldn’t fly with an outfit that forced the unwilling, or jumped with loose harnessing. As a matter of fact, any jumper, new or experienced, ought be accorded the redundancy of one tandem-chute-equipped-*and*-while-in-freefall-tandem-harnessing-of-malfunctioning-chuted-or-flat-spin-or-tumble-unconscious-diver-trained trainer diving solo for each regular chute diver, and corresponding deployment order).
When it comes to safety, I don’t think doubled, tripled, or quadrupled, but squared, cubed, and power-of-foured.

And thanks for the thoughtful reply.

Yeah maybe they shouldn’t have forced her out. Her squatting was the reason for the harness problem. You really confused me with the power-of-four? Please explain. What outfit do you fly with Han’s Twin? Just curious:)

Thanks Jesse Yes, Fletch was my first dog, and my new book is a LOT about her. She was the best dog in the world….at least to me.

Thanks Jonny! Sorry for the confusion: the original exchange was about wingsuit base jumping, and we don’t have any of that in Moab because our cliffs are too low for wingsuit base (though perfect for subterminal base). But Skydive Moab is great and I fly my wingsuit there all the time from the Cessna. Skydive Utah, a few hours north in Tooele, is also a great DZ, a little larger with more regular loads going.

After studying the BASE fatality database, I notice a pattern of overconfidence or mistaken physics on the part of very experienced skydivers (1000+ jumps) new to BASE. Would you recommend good overhang and tailwind, and hand-held, to new BASE jumpers? Or should I wait for your book? ;}

Can’t wait! But if you were to write On Being Married to a Grown-up, I might even buy two. (The youthful bridegroom I was thirty-five years ago could have used it as a wedding gift).

Meanwhile, I must lose 50 lbs., for, while appreciating the element of randomness in life and the fact that everything, including BASE, must have lone pioneers in the beginning, I can conceive of no first-time BASE besides with a pair as cliff-side reverent as you.

we have had two tandem jumpers already who lost weight specifically to make a base jump! so maybe see you soon.