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In BASE, is Wing loading as much of a factor as it is in SD? I hear a lot about WL in skydiving forums, but never read anything about it in BASE forums.

If you never read anything about wingloading in BASE forums, then I wonder how much time you actually spend in them. (My search for wingloading in the BASE zone alone yielded 28 results) Wingloading is extremely important in BASE.

In my opinion it's more critical if anything since you don't have a huge open area to land in, or thousands of feet to set up for landing. Sometimes you're gonna have to set it down where you don't want to, and every square foot of canopy over you is going to make it hurt less.

Typically in BASE you want a wingloading around .7 but since there are many exits at high altitude this number can vary depending on your typical opening altitude (Above sea level.) There are also other factors.

Generally, you want a big canopy overhead for the questionable landing areas you'll find in BASE. Big, slow, and stable is the way to go here.

If you do a search here or on Blinc, you'll find countless threads pertaining to proper BASE wingloading. Or go here wingloading Hope this helps.


edited to fix typos and to add url...

I guess I rushed my question a bit... I know that wingloading is an important factor no matter what you are flying, it just seems that there is a lot of debate about safety and numbers of jumps and wingloading in skydiving. Is it that people dont try to push their limits with wingloading on BASE canopies?

Not really, we just don't like broken bones much...

(pour salt all over my post)

my understanding was that its kinda pointless to try to get a high wingloading in BASE as youre really not trying to "swoop" in any landings at all. Youre trying to get you and your gear safely down to ground. I think the downsize frenzy in skydiving is present mainly because of the acre sized landing areas. Probably if you changed that landing area into a 10 foot landing zone, then you'd have everyone flying .7 WLs.

Then again, I don't BASE jump yet, so somebody might correct me on this!

I don't know....

I saw this skydiving video one time of these European dudes swooping cows. The coolest thing I've ever seen. Well, not really. But it was awesome.

I've been trying to incorporate that into my landings lately. But those Euro cows they were swooping just stood there. These U.S. cows run like hell when they see you coming.
Maybe it's just that mean swoop sound that only a Super Raven can produce.
Disclaimer: I'm not suggesting anyone use a Super Raven for BASE. Or cow swooping, for that matter.

YeeHaw....

Rod

I think that BASE jumpers tend to push the limit other ways. In general, any experienced BASE jumper will laugh if you tell them you are going to "push your limit" by increasing your wingloading.

I once made some jumps in a mixed crew of jumpers ranging from 5 to 1000 jumps. We looked at our wingloadings and found that as experienced increased, wingloading decreased. I understand that this has been the experience of the manufacturers as well.

As a (big) generalization: More experience = More nylon. Just the reverse of skydiving.

You don’t hear wing loading addressed in BASE jumping much because the talk is more about aspect ratio.

We learned long ago boxy is better for a canopy in terms of openings. That’s why a canopy called a Strato Star is popular in BASE jumping for a while. They opened with the reliability of a round, as they had only five cells and those big overhung cells gulped in the sub terminal air like today’s vented canopies. You really had do something drastically wrong to get an off heading opening on one. The only problem with these canopies is you’d always take a pasting in the parking lot.

The final determination on wing loading is easily solved while standing on the roof of your local Flatiron Building at night. Looking down into the big gulp you see a lot of pointy tipped stuff staring right back at you. If the slightest thing goes wrong, your ability to come straight down, at a favorable decent rate, while still maintaining a full canopy over your head, is what’s gonna have you drinking a beer later.

In the early days we went too big sometimes, to the extreme that some very light people ended up swing stalling to impact. So you don’t hear much about wing loading in, let’s say a conversation about a BASE incident, no one asks because it’s a given it’s already in an acceptable range for BASE jumping.

Something else went wrong . . .

Nick
BASE 194
World BASE Fatality List
http://juliabell.home.att.net/