Basejumper.com - archive

Would appreciate it if anyone has time to comment on the following: I am 6'7", 240 lbs (270lbs exit weight with skydiving gear) and am curious as to what size BASE canopy I would need for first BASE jump.

I have a brand new, 1998 model Raven 4 (282 sqft) which I bought for a skydiving rig that I later decided not to build and am wondering if this canopy has any potential for BASE use.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

In my opinion, BASE jumps ought to be made on real BASE gear. I don't recommend using that Raven for BASE.

The "textbook" BASE wingloading is .75 lbs/sqare foot, so at any exit weight of 270, you ought to be jumping a canopy around (270/.75 = ) 360 square feet. In other words, you're going to need the biggest BASE canopies made, and even then you'll be overloading things.

According to the Bounceproof wingloading theorem, you ought to jump a canopy around (240 +100 = ) 340 square feet. So you're still going to need the biggest thing you can lay your hands on.

As far as using that Raven for a first BASE jump? You could probably get away with it, if your first jump is done off a bridge, with either a big grassy field or some water to land in. But I definitely wouldn't expect to get into serious BASE and keep using it. That just sounds like asking for trouble.

  
I won't get into the argument of using a Raven for BASE, (I jump one ) but I definitely wouldn't recommend you jumping that Raven 4 off of anything at your wing loading.

And before you go and put that new Raven off a bridge and get it wet, P.M. me and let me know how much you want for it.

edit: corrected spelling before the cool people read it.

The largest BASE canopy that I have heard of is the FLIK 322 by Basic Research. If you look under their price list they show a FOX 315 but I have never seen one. I'm just a little guy at 6'2" and 200lbs and my two FOX 285's and my FLIK 293 all land me very well.(After I learned to fly them) My FLIK lands better than the FOX's but I still like the FOX better. I think it's more of a security blanket issue. All of them are V-Tec's with valve covers. One FOX has the fifth brake line mod.

why dont you practice flying your Raven out of planes and then get real BASE gear for BASE jumping
Its all about using the right gear for the right kind of jumping...

Thanks for that input Stefan-- I think I will do just that.

I appreciate everyone's advice and will definitely buy BASE-specific gear if I decide to try BASE.

I'm just a baby, so take my post with a grain of salt, but...

I weigh in at 260 currently, thats my weight, not exit weight. I bought the biggest thing I could find, a FLiK 322. While I only have 5 jumps on it, it seems to treat me pretty well.

Ganja