What a place to do a free jump from...!
Just not me, thats all...
I did a parachute jump once, back in '84, from 800ft higher than that tower... it was a weekend course with the Royal Marines and Royal Navy Sport Parachute Asscoiation in Devon... when I did my jump we were taken up in an old high wing Cessna (a 162 iirc) with no side door and only the pilots seat 3rd jumper in at the back went in first, then the second jumper, then the Jump Master (one of their team) facing backwards in the co-pilots slot, then me, knealing down by the open door (I elected to jump first)... the procedure was as follows - when we reached height (2,600ft) attach the tether to the door frame, I then had to dangle my legs out the door whilst sitting on the edge, then when the pilot throttled back I had to place my left foot on a specially mounted plate above the wheel then grab the wing strut with my left hand, reach out to grab the strut with my right hand, then step out and let my right leg trail in the wind, then pull myself towards the strut, look in at the jump master and say "Ready"... he then would say "GO!" and I pushed myself away forming a star shape - only 6 seconds of freefall before the tether pulled the chute, and then came the sudden jolt (and an appreciation for carefully positioned straps
) and the silence of the wind - we had to aim for an x on the ground which I went for but at the very end I steered slightly away as I preffered the idea of landing on grass rather than concrete for a first jump...
I failed in 2 tasks... I was told just before jumping...
"You will be asked 'What is written on the underside of the fuselage?' when you get back to the Commander..." (FLY NAVY) and I was supposed to shout out
"1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005, 1006, CHECK CANOPY...!" (I got "ONE-THOU..." before it stopped...) but passed the course successfully...
I still have the certificate for the jump and the shirts they only allowed to be purchased if you jumped...
I never made a second jump as they stopped running individual courses and nowhere local to me ran such things with their exemplary safety record... a couple of weeks after the jump the same guys I'd been working with and drinking with over the weekend set a new Worlkd Record for the most people linked together in a line with parachutes open...
I have been told that the second jump is the worst, as you know what to expect then...
I'm also a bit on the heavy side for jumping these days although I'd love to do freefall...
The pics ain't brilliant but the weekend is a wonderful memory - on the Friday night we went back from the bar in a borrowed armoured troop carrier with a bunch of drunken "fish-heads", straight across the runway in total darkness, with only moonlight to see by... but to tell you how serious the course was, we were reported for being seen drinking from a plastic cider bottle during the first day, even though it just contained water - perfectly understandable - these guys were from the British Military Elite...
Nearly forgot... the blue Cessna (in the shot above) was registered as G-ASHB and affecionately known as "The Gash Bucket..."
Anyone here done any REAL freefall stuff or any tethered jumps from height...?
Their site...
http://www.skydivenavy.com/
