Re: [stilettodude] Questions??????
Definitely go to
Blinc and read as much as you can. Mick has a great KnowledgeBASE with many informative articles. Also read as much of the BASE Board, including the archives, as you can. That will be a good start.
Basic Research &
Consolidated Rigging also have some document archives that are worth perusing. Also check out the
Australian BASE Association's website.
Do you have many experienced BASE jumpers in the area? Pick their brains and gather as much information as you can. In any event, a lot of these questions are the types of things you should be asking your mentor. You do have a mentor don't you?
To specifically address your questions...
In reply to:
Would the gear i need be decided by what type, or height of objects i would be jumping?
Yes, definitely. For example, I have 5 different pilot chutes, two containers (1 pin and 1 velcro) and two mains. And actually I'm thinking of replacing my current velcro setup with a newer one.
In reply to:
Should i keep jumping the A's before i try the B's?
As are probably the safest objects you can do. They're generally out in the middle of a wide open field, obstacles are far less prevalent and you can use a tailwind to your advantage. Bs, OTOH are about the most dangerous objects you can do... tight landing areas, lots of obstacles, wind rotors off of the B, generally low altitude with minimal to no margin for error. Oh, and generally high bust as well.
In reply to:
Where can i get info on fall rates from fixed objects?
Basic Research has some really nice height/delay/PC charts
here.
This should be enough to get you started.