Basejumper.com - archive

Question.

Has any military, US or otherwise, ever used BASE jumping in any way?

As far as I know, the military has not looked into the employment of "Low altitude vertical delivery specialists" yet. I can't imagine a scenario where a BASE jumper skill set would be required.

The military uses rappelling techniques that cover this area. When it's needed to insert personnel, fast roping remains the fastest method to put troops on the ground without the site analysis that goes into a BASE jump. Besides, can you imagine jumping a cliff with a combat load?

Basically it's just not practical. What if there was a situation where the "low altitude expert" was needed to jump from a cliff where the conditions were severe? In the BASE environment you would leave and jump another day. In the military (combat particularly) environment the mission comes first personal safety second, the minute bullets start flying.

It's a fun idea to kick around though... let me know if you learn different.

>Question.

>Has any military, US or otherwise, ever used BASE >jumping in any way?

This isn’t about military BASE jumping, but it does show the disconnect between BASE jumpers and everyone else . . .

When myself and some other jumpers are chased after a building jump here in San Diego I got a phone call from the Police Department the next morning. It seems a police Lieutenant wanted to know if a few of his men could learn to BASE jump and use it as a crime fighting tactic. Amazingly he figured he could station these men on downtown high rises, ready to pounce on crime they would see in the streets below, he actually used the term, “Batman like . . .”

After I explained what is involved as far as learning, and the important matter of staying very current, he realized it wasn’t practical.

Another time, Kenny Rodger’s (the singer) wife called me and said Kenny had seen BASE jumping on TV and thought it is really neat. As it is his birthday, his wife wants to buy Kenny a BASE jump. At first I thought, great, we could bag him into the water somewhere, being sure he’d write a cool song about BASE jumping. But I finally got a hold of myself, imagining the headline, “Singer Killed in Plunge from Bridge,” and told her, no, it isn’t really a good idea. I gave her the Perris phone number and suggested a skydiving tandem jump instead.

When Chuck Sweeney landed a building jump in Los Angeles, one night, he is chased and actually shot at by the Secret Service who, unknown to him, are guarding the first President Bush who is sleeping in a hotel room across the street. After it is all sorted out (we’ll forget about the jump, you forget we shot at you) the agents realized Chuck could have flown right into the President’s window carrying explosives, so now this is something they always check on, the possible launch points for terrorist BASE jumpers.

Nick
BASE 194

I can't either, but was curious if anyone has seen/heard/read about this type of application/research.

 


Okay... You got me on that one.