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I am trying BASE jumping again. I have a 7 cell Interceptor 200 (I weigh 175) with dacron lines. If I have a tail pocket installed would it make a good BASE canopy? I really appreciate any advise. Money is tight and if possible,I would like to use this canopy. Thanks!

Tailpocket is a lot different then a tailgate. My Base instructor will not let me think of a base jump with out a tailgate. I'm thinking that you would'nt want that canopy anyways for base since from all I've read its roo small for your size.

Thats more of a wingloading than I would ever be willing to do base with . I would say wait until you can afford a base specific canopy .

My best advice: Don't do it! Wait until you can afford real BASE gear.


Body weight of 175 makes probable exit weight 195 (with rig, pads, clothes, etc). That puts your wingloading at .975. That's way too high for a beginner (or any other) BASE jumper. Plus, as a CRW canopy, I bet an Interceptor would land pretty hard (I don't really know that, as I've never flown one).

I did meet a jumper a few years ago who was using an Interceptor for BASE. As I recall, he had to move the bridle attachment point (does that sound right to anyone who is familiar with the canopy?), since it was in some funky CRW location, and was generating weird spins on the way to line stretch (and consequently off-heading openings).

All in all, it sounds like a pretty bad idea to me. If you're dead set on it, be sure to send the canopy in to a BASE manufacturer, and have them inspect it and make the necessary modifications. I bet that's all going to be pricey enough that you'd be better off just buying a used BASE canopy, though.

BASE Gear Classifieds

...tail pocket AND tailgate are necessary

In short, no.
I have about 15 jumps on an Interceptor somewhere around the 220sf range. Your wingloading on this canopy is way too high for a beginner. On the one I jumped, opening heading was pretty inconsistent, and being a crew canopy it has a noticably steeper angle of attack. It might be a good canopy to jump at the perrine for an EXPERIENCED jumper, but a beginner canopy it is NOT.
I believe the last time that particular canopy was used for a BASE jump, It was landed in a talus field and the jumper spent a couple of very long days crawling out of the area.
don't do it.
huck

please reconsider a larger, base specific design canopy.

i.e. a 245 troll, mojo, fox, etc......

be very selective with your choice of base instructor/mentor and equipment.


sincerely,

dan<><>
atair aerodynamics
www.extremefly.com

I second the opinion that an interceptor is not for BASE. I started on one, and ditched it as quickly as I could. The first thing I did was buy myself a BASE specific canopy. And my openings improved, my landings improved, and my confidence level improved.
I had around 10-15 jumps on this interceptor, and only half the time could I stand up my landings. not because I wasn't flaring, but because there was nothing there when I hit the toggles.
I skydived this canopy first, and stood up my landing. So, I thought it would be acceptable to BASE with. well, technically it was. I lived through it at least. but, all S jumps, and I did have a 180 or 2. so, my best thought is that if you are new to the sport, buy new gear, and BASE specific gear.
and if money is an issue, maybe this sport is not for you. Think about how much hospital bills cost compared to the price of a rig. I can tell you from my experiences, that of the hospital bills I incurred from my stupidity, I could have bought countless rigs. of course, getting the insurance company to pay for parachutes is much tougher than having them pay for hospital bills.
my .02
Peace,
Thomas

The first commercial BASE canopies were still a few years away in 1988 when I bought a brand new Interceptor for BASE jumping. I think in those days the largest concern wasn't so much in-flight performance and landings as it was having something that wouldn’t blow up.

By that time finding a decent closet queen, a Unit, Fury or Pegasus with 100 jumps on it for three hundred bucks is waning. We kept it quiet, for a while, but word eventually got out that these canopies had found new life in BASE jumping and were valuable.

The timing was also right for that generation of BASE jumper as all they'd ever jumped were various sized 7-cell canopies at the drop zone. And, in those days, either at the DZ or down at the Flat Iron building, it didn’t matter how hard you creamed in for landing. If you got up and walked/ran it was a good one. It was right about this time the skydiving canopy manufacturers began including a line in their manuals to the effect of, "Fixed object jumping with this canopy voids everything and we never heard of you."

My Interceptor was 225 sqft and I was 155 pounds. I put a tailpocket on it and whatever the latest pin type toggles were at the time. It all went into an early BR Velcro closed BASE container. This was the container BR would later call the "Classic" but when I had one it was just called the latest.

That Interceptor flew all right and was easy to pack neatly and I did about forty building jumps with it before I broke both my legs jumping a bridge with it in New Zealand. Even though that was probably more my own fault you can talk about wing loading, plane form, aspect ratio, trim, and whatever else but, in the end, it's all about balance. And that canopy, at least in my case, didn’t have enough of it. These older skydiving canopies are meant for lazy Sunday afternoons at the DZ with a steady 10 blowing. BASE canopies are meant for when you're crapping your pants, a toggle is stuck, and you're facing the wrong way . . .

There's a lot I could say about the interceptor but here's the condensed version. I weigh in at about 150 without gear and have a bunch of jumps on a 225 Interceptor. You are going to pound in if you use a 200 at your weight. It is ground hungry and has a weak flare.

A 260 something is more appropriate.

Good luck.

I just noticed the original question was posted Nov 14, 2002, 5:31 PM.

haha...good old days!!!

So the question is, did he survive?

A tail pocket is on the tail of the canopy for stowing the lines. A tailgate is on the inside D line used to hold the inside C & D lines with the brakelines when you're not using a slider, to avoid a lineover.