And you thought riding was exciting!?

Vaughn <vbrandt RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear Santa,
>
> Please bring one of these, and a round trip ticket to Chile or Peru.
>
> http://www.biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=4262
>
> Wow. Just wow.
>

What is it? I'm on dialup, and don't want to download it unless it is worth
it.

- Kurt
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!? 

on 12/13/07 1:30 PM, Vaughn wrote:

> Dear Santa,
>
> Please bring one of these, and a round trip ticket to Chile or Peru.
>
> http://www.biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=4262
>
> Wow. Just wow.
>
> -V

Norway is where a lot of this stuff takes place.

Kurt, worth the effort if you haven't seen this stuff before.

--
Jamin
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!? 

> What is it? I'm on dialup, and don't want to download it unless it is
> worth
> it.
>
> - Kurt

worth it.
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!? 

"~kurt" <actinouranium.RemoveThis@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:13m3q564k9ui071@corp.supernews.com...
> Vaughn <vbrandt.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Dear Santa,
>>
>> Please bring one of these, and a round trip ticket to Chile or Peru.
>>
>> http://www.biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=4262
>>
>> Wow. Just wow.
>>
>
> What is it? I'm on dialup, and don't want to download it unless it is
> worth
> it.
>
> - Kurt

Here's a small pic of what these guys are doing:
http://tinyurl.com/2eokpo
Freaking nuts, IYAM.
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!? 

bsr3997.DeleteThis@my-deja.com <bsr3997.DeleteThis@my-deja.com> wrote:

> You've seen Rocky the flying squirrel? Do you know what base jumping
> is?

I'll download it - I just read an article on this the other day. There is
a race to see who will be the first one to be able to land (in one piece)
without a parachute. Something like that is really going to be tough unless
you have a lot of surface area (like a hang glider, but that obviously doesn't
count). Lifting bodies do it, but they have landing gear, and come in with
a very high lateral speed. I read one guy has millions in funding, and
is attempting to build a huge ramp on the ground that he is going to glide
into.

- Kurt
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!? 

bsr3997 DeleteThis @my-deja.com <bsr3997 DeleteThis @my-deja.com> wrote:
>
> I tried indoor skydiving this past spring.
>
> http://www.flyawayindoorskydiving.com/
>
> It was fun but now I want to try the real thing.

The summer before last, I did a tandem, and then I went back and did
the first level of the AFF. The tandem is nice because it only takes
30 minutes of training, and you can enjoy the entire free fall. I highly
recommend it to anyone with any interest in skydiving. For the first AFF
(Accelerated Free Fall) jump, you train for a good 6 hours, and jump
out with two other instructors who help you out on the way down. You
are busy the entire time doing drills and stuff so you can't enjoy the
free fall as much, but I found it much more rewarding not being attached
to anyone, and being responsible for doing everything.

With either jump, I'd recommend going with an outfit that uses a twin
turbo of some kind. They will typically go up to 13500 feet, instead
of just the 10,500 feet that the single engine aircraft typically go up
to. They bigger aircraft are also a little easier to jump out of (especially
when doing the AFF where three people are jumping at the same time).

- Kurt
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!? 

On Dec 15, 1:17 am, ~kurt <actinouran... RemoveThis @earthlink.net> wrote:
> bsr3... RemoveThis @my-deja.com <bsr3... RemoveThis @my-deja.com> wrote:
>
> > I tried indoor skydiving this past spring.
>
> >http://www.flyawayindoorskydiving.com/
>
> > It was fun but now I want to try the real thing.
>
> The summer before last, I did a tandem, and then I went back and did
> the first level of the AFF. The tandem is nice because it only takes
> 30 minutes of training, and you can enjoy the entire free fall. I highly
> recommend it to anyone with any interest in skydiving. For the first AFF
> (Accelerated Free Fall) jump, you train for a good 6 hours, and jump
> out with two other instructors who help you out on the way down. You
> are busy the entire time doing drills and stuff so you can't enjoy the
> free fall as much, but I found it much more rewarding not being attached
> to anyone, and being responsible for doing everything.
>
> With either jump, I'd recommend going with an outfit that uses a twin
> turbo of some kind. They will typically go up to 13500 feet, instead
> of just the 10,500 feet that the single engine aircraft typically go up
> to. They bigger aircraft are also a little easier to jump out of (especially
> when doing the AFF where three people are jumping at the same time).
>
> - Kurt

I've done a few skydives, too. Learning how to pack your chute and
jumping on your own is really worthwhile. The free fall is great, but
the deboarding, throwing the pilot chute, and then landing a flying
wing style chute are the parts that most interested me.

I'd definitely like to try the mtn. wingsuit in the right place and
company. We'll see if that sort of thing catches on, and what the
technology will do for us. Super cool to see mankind flying
unassisted!
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!? 

on 12/16/07 9:23 PM, Vaughn wrote:

> I'd definitely like to try the mtn. wingsuit in the right place and
> company. We'll see if that sort of thing catches on, and what the
> technology will do for us. Super cool to see mankind flying
> unassisted!

The assist is gravity. Try that without a tall cliff to help and you won't
get very far.

--
Jamin
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!? 

On Dec 17, 3:59 am, Jamin <no....DeleteThis@notmymail.com> wrote:
> on 12/16/07 9:23 PM, Vaughn wrote:
>
> > I'd definitely like to try the mtn. wingsuit in the right place and
> > company. We'll see if that sort of thing catches on, and what the
> > technology will do for us. Super cool to see mankind flying
> > unassisted!
>
> The assist is gravity. Try that without a tall cliff to help and you won't
> get very far.
>
> --
> Jamin

True 'dat... It ain't no Jet Pack. But gravity being an earthly
constant, I kinda like the idea of not running under any other source
of power.

Paragliding would be the other cool option, which I have observed in
switzerland, around Interlaken, and it seemed like on a windy day they
would spend a few hours up there riding drafts.

I wonder if some super small electric motor of the future will enhance
this sort of experience? The technology keeps on moving, and I love
seeing the recreational applications. The song "Learning to Fly" by
pink floyd just started playing in my head....


Into the distance, a ribbon of black
Stretched to the point of no turning back
A flight of fancy on a windswept field
Standing alone my senses reeled
A fatal attraction is holding me fast
How can I escape this irresistible grasp?

Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earthbound misfit, I

Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything
No navigator to find my way home
Unladen, empty and turned to stone

My sole intention, it's learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earthbound misfit, I

Above the planet on a wing and a prayer,
My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night

There's no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation, a state of bliss
Can't keep my mind from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earthbound misfit, I
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!? 

Due to my fear of heights I'd prefer to keep something closer to the
ground..........this dude and his rollerblade suit is pretty cool. he's
got quite a few vids. on the internet.


http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1772849
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!? 

on 12/17/07 11:34 AM, Vaughn wrote:

> True 'dat... It ain't no Jet Pack. But gravity being an earthly
> constant, I kinda like the idea of not running under any other source
> of power.
>
> Paragliding would be the other cool option, which I have observed in
> switzerland, around Interlaken, and it seemed like on a windy day they
> would spend a few hours up there riding drafts.
>
> I wonder if some super small electric motor of the future will enhance
> this sort of experience? The technology keeps on moving, and I love
> seeing the recreational applications. The song "Learning to Fly" by
> pink floyd just started playing in my head....

I think it's interesting that people are doing stuff that nuts and often
living to do it again. If something went bad in any of those situations, it
would go REALLY bad in a hurry.

--
Jamin
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fLOgMQon7c&feature=related


first one to actually fly (increase altitude)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dST-a5IU_h4&feature=related
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!? 

Vaughn <vbrandt.DeleteThis@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I've done a few skydives, too. Learning how to pack your chute and
> jumping on your own is really worthwhile. The free fall is great, but

Yea, the next time I go jumping, it will be the beginning of me working
towards the full license.

> the deboarding, throwing the pilot chute, and then landing a flying
> wing style chute are the parts that most interested me.

Interesting. Yea, I enjoy the jumping out part, but for me it is all
about the free fall. Gliding the parachute down doesn't do much for me,
although the landing is a blast (although I'm not sure how much fun
landings would be with either old, or military chutes where you have to
PLF in).

- Kurt
 >> Stay informed about: And you thought riding was exciting!?