Basejumper.com - archive

I want to base jump but don't know anyone who does it. I have bungee jumped and the highest cliff I've dove off was about 75ft. I want to go to the next level skydiving, base jumping and hang gliding.

If you live in Central Cal, from LA to Sacramento and the bay area and you base jump or sky dive please hit me up and help get me started!!!!

Getting Into BASE

You need a starting point; that point can be found by CLICKING HERE. When you have a few hundred skydives and can safely fly a parachute CLICK HERE.

Thanks I guess... I get the sense that you guys are impatient with newbies as opposed to actually being helpful. Especially after being referred to the very site I'm posting to now, but only after 300+ skydives. Obviously I'm not going to be going to a skydiving school or center to do those 300+ jumps at $100-$175 each (that would cost me a minimum of $30,000).

What I am looking for is people who skydive and base jump who live in Cen Cal that I can go skydiving and eventually base jumping with. I don't know if I have to get a license before skydiving out of a private plane or if I can just buy the equipment and go with some experienced people who jump privately? I'm going on my first jump at a skydiving center in Modesto or Lodi within the next week. I'm considering the AFF coarse afterwards but not sure if it is necessary if I meet with experienced divers who could teach me all the same things?

In other words, I'm not looking for links to articles on why not to base jump or websites with general information on skydiving and base jumping. I want to meet divers and start diving on a regular basis some other way than paying a center $100-175 each dive. Even if I have to do a minimum number of jumps at a center and then get a license before I can do private jumps I want to know that.

Jay is such a mean bastard. Go to Lodi, tell the old guy named Bill who owns the place you want to skydive. Do a tandem, if you dont poop your pants, take a first jump course. When you are a licensed jumper, tickets at Lodi cost exactly $13 a jump, but id be glad to charge you $30,000 for 300 jumps. Thats a start, and youll figure it out from there. Many licenses to be obtained, and many ways to kill yourself.

Airplanes cost a lot of money, and very few skydivers own their own airplane to jump out of. Seriously going to dropzone.com and reading up on how skydiving works is the first thing to do. People get quickly agrivated because it would be the equivalent of a random guy asking a doctor, hey do i need some kind of special training to do what you do, cause it seems fun and not that hard, can I just start now?

Thanks for your helpful reply!!!

I didn't realize that they dropped the price that much after getting licensed. That would make having your own Cesna pointless unless you have other intentions beyond just skydiving.

I'm going to go to either the dropzone at Lodi or Skydive Madera and take that first jump. I know I will love it so I will most certainly take the jump coarse and hopefully progress on to getting licensed.

I understand the frustration that can arise from questions such as mine. Questions such as mine come from a misunderstanding of skydiving (basically that dropzones are for first timers and training but once you've "graduated" skydivers typically do private jumps).

Thanks again! I guess base jumping will be in the distant future, but now I know what to do to get started in that direction!

you'll find that the number one answer, when folks ask how to get into base, is "use the search function". that is a valid answer. i say that for a few reasons.

first, the way you asked the question shows you didn't do any research before starting this thread. this is the type of sport where you need to be pro-active just to get in. what i mean is this, you're not going to find anyone who's going to hold your hand and beg you to go out jumping. you need to show an effort. posting a two sentence paragraph isn't the type of effort i'm talking about. right on the home page of this website is a very good article written by tom a. it will answer most of your questions READ THIS.

second, it's obvious that you haven't even looked into skydiving. i say that because once qualified, it doesn't cost $100+ per jump. it's going to range from 15-25 per. is that something you will have to do in order to base jump? no. you may find someone who will take you out without having a single jump. then again, i'm going to bet that you will not. more importantly the canopy skills you gain will save your life. most first jump courses will require that you have around 200-300 jumps before you can attend their course.

at the end of the day, all i can offer is this. a very wise man told me once "you've got twice as many eyes and ears as you do mouths. so look and listen twice as much as you talk." you'll find that lurking for a while is a good thing. just hang and read the threads. it'll help you out.

1. i agree

2. you act like you get some kind of specialized training in that doctor school of yours.

3. i've got to get off here...i need to take out my appendix.

Just go talk directly to Ed from Lodi or come see me in Byron and we'll get you set up. As much as I'd like to take you, it's probably more cost effective in lodi.

Ed will take you on a couple learning tandems then AFF you for a few jumps.

The short description of Aff is: You wear your own parachute. You jump with 1 or 2 instructors who hold your harness for the early on jumps then release you as you learn to be stable and perform certain maneuvers.

After that, go jump a bunch and become a good skydiver. Become proficient at canopy control. Learn basic or even advanced rigging skills. If you still wish to BASE jump there are options to choose from at that point.

If you're actually serious, here's Ed's username on drop zone dot com. He's good. bodypilot1

Hookit,

I am extremely serious!!! I will be skydiving within the next two weeks without a doubt (unless I unexpectedly die in the meantime). Thank you for Ed's info I will contact him.

I can't wait to go Skydiving! I've always wanted to do it but never have cause I don't know anyone who does and didn't take the initiative myself. Now I'm taking that initiative, even if I'm guilty of opening this thread before reading online about it.

One thing about forums... look through them a little. They're all the same for the most part. People will slam you for no good reason

All questions have generally been asked but who cares. It's just not the same to the new guy if he's not involved.

Good luck. Tell Ed I referred you. He'll appreciate it. I'm an instructor as well and really ought to coerce you to fly with me but given your intended goal, this is probably easier for you.

Well no. You're going to go through a student program for $1000-$3000 (the former will require travelling to some place in the midwest where land and therefore private airports are cheap; the later may be a package deal which gets you to an A-license with some tunnel time), make a few jumps on rental equipment for $15-$50 a pop, buy a rig for $1000-$7000 (I paid $700 for an airworthy Javelin and reserve made in the late eighties and could add a main for $300 with some shopping; $7000 gets you a brand new custom made setup in your colors with super comfy padding, stainless steel hardware, and all the options; and $3K gets you something nice but used), and then $14 (Lodi, block of 50) - $26 a jump (expensive places in the US) * 300 jumps.

$6200 - $18,000

You can defray that cost by packing parachutes at $6 a pop at the rate of up to 10 an hour for $60/hour total I doubt there's a better paying business based on semi-skilled labor that's neither illegal nor controlled by unions.



The FAA requires you to use an approved single harness dual container system with an approved reserve which was packed by a certificated rigger in the last 180 days.

They don't care if you get training. It will be useful to survive though.


It's 7 or 8 jumps to be cleared for self supervision (minimum - you can't kick your feet like a little girl and spin in circles until the instructor dumps you), 25 jumps total to jump with people other than coaches, instructors, and D-license holders, and they threw in some coach jumps in the middle because too many people were killing themselves under fully functioning canopies.