The following are a set of guidelines that are STRONGLY recommended to help keep everyone safe at Bridge Day. This is not a joke, and should not be ignored! This information page is compiled by seasoned BASE jumpers. The jumpers that have contributed to this information have learned many things that will help those without experience to avoid going home in a cast.
- *Minimum 200 ram air parachute flights.
This recommendation is to ensure that everyone has the experience to land on a small rocky beach line in very erratic weather conditions. Almost every injury in BASE Jumping is due to landing. There are several exercises that you can perform while skydiving, to prepare you for BASE jumping.
- * 7-cell F1-11 canopy.
- This
recommendation is in place because the nature of landing in congested
areas. All 9-cell, experimental, high performance and Zero Porosity
canopies are not advised for BASE Jumping under any circumstance! They
have very touchy flight characteristics and have caused several very
serious injuries in the past. When attempting any BASE Jump, a docile
7-cell F1-11 canopy in good flying condition should be the only choice.
By using this type of canopy, you give yourself a far better chance to
land without getting hurt. For example, if you are flying a "Sabre 170"
at Bridge day. I does not matter that you are intending to land in the
water if something goes wrong. If you exit, then deploy, and have a
canopy with line twists, you will be flying a very erratic pattern
until you get out of the line twists. Then you may find yourself over
the railroad tracks and the electrical power lines when you regain
control of the canopy. Now you try to make some toggle inputs to avoid
the power lines and not get electrocuted. By doing so, you are swinging
at about 50 degrees in each direction of toggle input. Now the ground
is "right there" while you were trying to turn to avoid the power
lines. You find yourself moving twice the speed of the 7-cell you where
suppose to use and at a 50 degree angle with the ground. You have no
ability to PLF or make any attempt to land safely. So you take a full
body impact with one railroad track and all the grapefruit sized rocks
that surround the tracks. You will not walk away from such a landing.
You may even be flown to the hospital because of this. This entire
situation is avoidable by using the proper gear and packing techniques.
- * Protective Gear.
- BASE-Jumping
landings are far more demanding than Skydiving. There can be any type
of weather change from second to second. You may be forced to land in
extremely constrictive areas that make for some hard landings. Hard
helmets, knee pads, sturdy shoes, pants and long-sleeve shirts should
be a minimum. Elbow pads, wrist guards, and ankle protection is also
recommended. We also suggest the use of a Parachute Landing Fall (PLF)
to help with these more demanding landings. The example given in the
previous section could also benefit from such protective gear,
especially ankle and head protection.
- * Packing Techniques.
- You
should use an approved BASE Packing technique for BASE-Jumping from
such a low bridge (876'). This is far different than a 3000'+ skydive.
Your canopy must open quicker because of the low altitude and should
open as on heading as possible.