Basejumper.com - archive

About eight months ago I started communication with the owners of an 1163' tower on 37 acres of cleared land. The tower had been unused by maintained for almost five years. It was originally designed and built with an internal elevator that was removed decades ago, but meets all the stress load requirements to return to service as a full fledged transmitter. However, instead of the load and stress of a transmitter, a jump platform and an external elevator of a faster variety than the original, OSHA limiting to 200'/minute with person's on board could be installed.
I talked to the station managers and engineers and than the corporate office that owns the land and tower then started negotiations.
They have been difficult to work with but slowly had become interested in selling. This was when I thought I might stay in this area and financial backing from a second investor was to cover half of the purchase and all of the site modifications. After seven months of delays, she grew tired and walked away when the price was stepping up from what I could cover on my end.
Currently, the price is set at 1.2 million due to the usability of the tower and the commercial value of the land. In addition, it will cost up to 800k to retrofit the tower with an elevator and platform, as well as, renovating the 2500 sq' office building at its base, upgrading security and constructing at least one building for transient packing, classrooms and other storage needs.
I never invisioned this as a jumper supported site.
I had proposed a few other businesses to cover Most of the costs of purchase. They include leasing of facilities for training of tower construction personnel, teaming with a local computer science lab specializing in robotics and A.I. for low cost parachute testing and data analysis among other defense oriented projects, and teaming with local and state emergency management groups to lease a small amount of space for training rescue and law enforcement personnel (Its better to make friends of them in this area). There are a few smaller uses of the site, also, that I will pass to anyone that is interested and able to pick up this project.
This brings me to where it stands today. I am leaving for Norway in a week and will be on the road until then. In early August I will be returning the states and preparing to move back to New Orleans and far away from this location. At that time, any interested and capable parties can contact me directly. If you are truly able to take on this project I will pass on everything I know about the site, contacts with the other business aspects of its use and all legal information gathered.
Any serious inquiries can contact me directly. If you don't know me or how to reach me, you will find a way to do so I am sure.
I will not respond to simple inquiries from persons not capable of taking on this project as discussion of that nature is better suited to this BASEBoard.
Thank you and good evening,
Nathan Blaesing

yeah ok dude....

In my opinion, I think if someone had that much money they would probably just build their own tower instead of buying one that needed a ton of work done to it. But that's just me..

Last I heard there were phones in Norway....

Why can't you phone conference and still take care of business. People do it all over the world for business every day. I’d think you could do the same.

Coco

Edit: Too expensive? Use Email.

I have contacts and a location with anchor points already built to allow the "erections" of a 1100 foot tower for less than $150k, with an external deisel powered elevator. Just rent space at 300 feet to 500 feet for cell phones and the tower will pay for itself.

I think creating your own tower is an awesome idea.....having people addicted to cell phones paying for it is even better -- Kudos!!! I have a dream to create a balloon powered personal launch thing (see jpeg attached).

However, I had the feeling that many BASE jumpers shy'd away from the idea of a legal tower. Not sure of the thread name and don't care to search for it but my recollection was that the question was posed: "What would you pay to access a legal tower with safe, grassy landing area and zero bust factor?" to which most replies were: "Why pay for something I can get for free?"

I know my BASE knowledge is about zero but in my opinion the ability to jump when we want for as little money as possible is part of the common allure.

[reply][green]I think creating your own tower is an awesome idea.....having people addicted to cell phones paying for it is even better -- Kudos!!! I have a dream to create a balloon powered personal launch thing (see jpeg attached).

However, I had the feeling that many BASE jumpers shy'd away from the idea of a legal tower. Not sure of the thread name and don't care to search for it but my recollection was that the question was posed: "What would you pay to access a legal tower with safe, grassy landing area and zero bust factor?" to which most replies were: "Why pay for something I can get for free?"

I know my BASE knowledge is about zero but in my opinion the ability to jump when we want for as little money as possible is part of the common allure.[/reply]

Same concept applies to bridges but the Perrine is extremely popular. Towers generally require night jumping due to legal issues. Legalities get old after a short period IMHO.

The regulatory hurdles of putting up a tower have already been cleared. This is one of the biggest pains when it comes to stuff like this.

The legal hurdles are not as large as the hurdles of physical construction and funding based on the American Tower personel that I've spoken too extensively, which is good news IMHO.

they use the same basic balloon idea to launch their Airborne troops in Korea. it has a platform for (i think) 6 jumpers and is controlled by a winch.

it avoids costly aircraft maintenance and large DZs. i could've sworn i saw a similar set up for sale here in the classifieds a year or so ago, as well.

good luck with yours!

460, Will or Chris, whatever your name may be,
I am assuming I've spoken with the same person as you formerly with American Tower. A friend of mine from there has been involved with this project from the beginning. His position, as is mine, being that any tower that can be reasonably purchased already standing blows away the ordeal and costs of any tower proposed for construction.
The actual erecting cost of a 1000' tower is a minimum of a million dollars, if the tower steel is donated. Then you have to get the steel transported from North Carolina or New York or wherever to TX or wherever in the largest pieces you can manage because anything disassembled requires new steel, labor and materials to reassemble.
Also, you have the additional cost of land purchase, anchor points and any additional engineering/construction costs you throw in for modification of the donated steel and addition of the external elevator. As well as, the costs of land clearing, though some of these could be recouped if you are able to sell any of the lumber cleared.
Of course if you intend to use the site at all, you construction costs of any additional buildings to be used for business or packing, landscaping/drainage as well as land use, zoning compliance, and permit costs as required for whatever location you want to use and you have to file for registration with the FCC.
Then, you have to petition through the FAA with all airspace users in the area proposed, giving each of them the time and opportunity to challenge the construction, its purpose and chosen location.
As far as placing cellular antennas on the tower. No cellular company will touch a tower used for jumping. The liability and potential disruption of service for them is unreasonable high, no matter how little you charge.