Basejumper.com - archive

With that said, has anyone ever written up a comparison of all the courses? It'd be nice to see a matrix that shows teaching methods, length of course, cost, and maybe even some first hand reviews and experiences.

Maybe I should start making a bunch of calls and start putting one of those together.

Lou

I've got some of that in the next edition of my "getting into BASE" article. I have course lengths, a description (provided by the instructors) and costs. I don't have any first hand reviews, but if you check out the BLiNC reviews section, there are several there.

As far as teaching methods? Hmmm. Maybe I'll try to add something like that in. What kinds of things are you wanting to compare? First jump deployment method (PCA or hand held) would be good, but I think almost everyone is doing a first jump PCA. Pendulator use? Since as far as I know, I'm the only one to teach a course in Idaho using a pendulator that might look a bit self serving. What other data are you looking for?

Unfortunately, I don't really know what I should be looking for. Since I don't BASE jump yet, and haven't taken a course yet, I'm not really sure what to ask.

I'm thinking that a teaching methods section might include the order of preparation (packing, exit technique, maybe even site selection), then other rigging methods (knots, static lines, slider stowing, etc.), then maybe actually go do some jumps. Or do they just show you a quick packjob, and shove you off the bridge, then go back to the classroom at night to teach more rigging stuff. Do they go over any canopy control stuff, or just mainly teach rigging? When they finally do push you off, do they do SL first, or just an instructor-held PCA? Does the student ever get to the point where they freefall during the course? Go stowed?

You mentioned the pendulator you use at "the bridge", which brings up other points. Does any one still use bungee jumps for exit practice? (By the way, did you build that yourself? I thought the only pendulator in use was over in Norway.)

Maybe these courses are more freeform and there's not really a syllabus that's followed since each student is different and will progress and different rates.

Just kind of rambling here, but those are the questions I'd probably ask the first couple FJCs I called, and then I'd probably start narrowing my list of questions down once I started to hear the same answers.

Lou

I've split this off of "I want BASE".

Sounds good.


Site selection is very theoretical in FJC's, because the site is pre-selected. I've lately thought we need an intermediate course that covers some of that sort of thing (and maybe even advanced, and instructor courses, eventually).


Depends on the course, I think. Personally, I think the student ought to be given one thing at a time to focus on, which means that I cover packing after the first few jumps, so that the first jump doesn't combine the worry about "what is this BASE stuff?" with the worry about "will my first pack job work?".




Sounds like more good stuff to include. In general, the student's progression is going to depend on the particular student, as well as environmental factors (are conditions good to jump the whole time during the course). If it all works out well, I believe that most FJC's progress from PCA to hand held to stowed by the end of the course.

Usually, the instructor holds the PC, because the highway engineer at the legal span has asked that nothing be attached to the bridge. Also, from a technical standpoint, an instructor held PC will usually yield a better opening, because the instructor can judge when to release the PC, which a piece of brake cord cannot.


Yep. I put a temporary one together for my course. But we expect to have a permanent one built by this summer.

Didn't some Aussies (inc. DW) offer that on a European road trip some time back? (including introduction to aerials if wanted)

I wonder what the response was and if they got enough punters.

Slim and Dwain offered a course, but I think they ended up cancelling it after protests from the Europeans whose sites they wanted to visit. And that was despite a 50 jump minimun for the course.

Dwain did offer an aerial seminar held at a diving facility with a professional diving coach, followed up by a weekend at the legal span. If I recall correctly there were about five participants (I was one of them). Despite requests for a follow up, I don't think he ever ran another one, because it was a tremendous amount of work for him, and he wasn't charging anything for his time and effort (all the payments went to facilities and diving coach time). I wonder if we could drag Ron out to Idaho to teach an aerial seminar--I can arrange pool time, and probably rig up a belt system on the pendulator.

I'd be curious to hear what kinds of intermediate and advanced topics people would like to see courses on.

roof door penetration 101

 

>>Hey Tom, are you starting your own FJC, or mentoring certain people? Could time be rented on the pendulator for practicing dead-air launches?