Fundamentals of BASE

Course Outline

Day 0: Check in

Check in and Orientation Meet and Greet: Students and instructors meet at the school from 5:00 to 7:00pm

Day 1: Ground School

Course Outline and Philosophy of Learning BASE, 20 minutes

Packing Practice, 2 hours. Students are expected to review video and practice before the course, but not to have a fully jumpable pack job. Students arriving early can arrange for access to the school facilities to practice packing before the course begins.

PC Selection, Evaluation and Attachment: Lecture, 1 hour. Review of various PC construction methods and vent arrangements on the market

Riser/Toggle Systems: Lecture, 20 minutes. Demonstration of various line release toggles

Exit Theory: Discussion and video, 1 hour

Post Opening Priorities: Lecture, 1 hour. Lecture on decision making process for canopy opening and flight. Discussion of riser v. toggle turns and advantages of each. Discussion of canopy flight strategies for BASE. Additional packing practice (as necessary and as time allows)

Risks of BASE: Lecture, 1 hour. Exercise: Letter to family, 30 minutes

Day 2: PCA and Hand Held Jumps (5 jumps)

Exit Practice: Exit practice with pendulator launch simulator, 2 hours Time includes set up, and varies depending on student aptitude

PCA Technique Proper PCA technique and alternative PCA methods. Practice climb over with PCA.

Flight Pattern and Landing Area Review PCA Jumps (2 or more), 2 hours

Wind Effect on Jumps: Lecture, 30 minutes Wind effect on exit, PC deployment, canopy inflation, flight and landing, difference between groundspeed and airspeed

Turbulence: Lecture, 30 minutes Mechanical turbulence, convective turbulence, strategies for dealing with turbulence Packing (as necessary)

Hand Held Deployment: Lecture, discussion and practice Different folding methods, practice climb overs with PC in hand, 1 hour

Hand Held Jumps (approximately 4), Go and throw, short delay, 2 second delay, 4 hours

Wind Considerations for Objects: Lecture, 30 minutes General wind effets on Span, Antenna, Building, and Earth Packing (as necessary)

Day 3: Stowed Jumps (5 Jumps)

Gear Check: Process for gear checking all modern BASE rigs (velcro, 2 pin and 1 pin).

Warm up Jump: Repeat last jump from previous day)

Stowed Deployment: Lecture and practice pitches, 30 minutes Discussion of pitch technique, differences from skydiving pitch, and possible hazards of poor pitch. Practice of good PC throw.

Stowed Jumps (approximately 4): Go and throw, short delay, 2 second delay, 4 hours.

Group Solo Jump: Students make a jump together as a group while instructors observe and film from a distance. Packing (as necessary)

Unsupervised Packing: 90 minutes Students need an unsupervised pack job for the solo jump

Fingertrapping, Tailgate Construction, Static Line carry on rigging: Lecture and practice, 90 minutes

Accident Review: Video and discussion, 90 minutes

Day 4: Slider Up, Static Line and Solo Jumps (3-5 jumps)

Night Jump Static Line Jump Solo Jump: Students walk out and jump alone, emphasis on letting the student make their own jump plan and decisions

Progression: Lecture, 90 minutes Discussion of BASE skills progression, learning by doing one new thing at a time and focusing on development of safety skills

Gear Selection: Lecture, 90 minutes (for students who want to purchase gear, discussion of options and placing orders)

BASE Ethics: Lecture and video, 40 minutes ‘Contact the locals’ and site access issues

Slider Up Packing and rigging: Lecture and packing practice, 90 minutes.

Slider Up Jump (optional) Additional packing and jumps as time allows

Topics are frequently presented in other orders, especially when responding to weather conditions to take advantage of jumping windows.