Re: [AdD] Jumps from ascending parachutes using base gear
In reply to:
Obviously not quite base jumping, but I wondered if anyone here had released themselves from a parasail type ascending system and done a skydive or base style jump? Also does anyone know the highest altitude achieved by a parasail?
We had a parascending club in Saudi Arabia back in the mid 80’s, towing a 290 sq ft 7 cell canopy behind a 4x4. It was set up specifically for ascending canopies with a tensiometer (monitoring lbs/sq ft) on the tow rope, an in-line drag canopy at the ascending canopy. This brought the tow line down in an orderly fashion when we’d release from the tow. Finally, an ascending harness with a special yoke and quick release was important.
With 500m of 10mm tow rope, we’d get to 1400 ft or so, allowing pretty cheap and easy accuracy “jumps”. Getting higher was not simply a matter of adding more tow line for a corresponding climb in altitude. After 500m, the weight of any additional line made it all less efficient as far as extra altitude was concerned.
But two of us were determined to make a free fall from the ascending canopy, so we could put Saudi in our skydiving log books.
So we ended up with 1000m of tow rope getting us close to 2000’.
Wearing a skydiving rig over top of the ascending harness, we would take off, climb to max, signal the tow vehicle to stop, tow rope tension lowered, release, turn away from descending tow rope, throw yoke over riser connector (to get it above and out of the way), cutaway, 5 or 6 second freefall, deploy normal skydive canopy for a fun jump. In our log book, aircraft type was “Chevrolet Blazer”.
Of course, with a base rig, the 1000m tow rope could be drastically shortened.
Blue Skies,
fergs
