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What was your first experience of parachuting like?
Just wondering and could have some laughs too.

Was a static line jump with the Freds when I was in Depot Para, aged 17.

Was crapping myself! Got despatched by a guy who would later be my Pl Sgt in the PF, who I obviously didn't know at the time. On my para record card (which I still have after 18 years), he wrote that my exit was, "a bit flat but OK". I was just chuffed that my parachute opened OK and I landed without injury. Was my first of over 2000 so far.

Static line civvie jump from the tiniest Cessna ever made, also age 17. Instructor had me sitting on the edge of the door for so long (ie half a buttcheek actually in contact with plane) with the wind trying very hard to pull me off, that I actually wanted to jump when the command came!

Apparently I did the whole 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 routine fine, but all I remember was:



***** SERVICE WILL BE RESTORED PRESENTLY ******



Deploy!

All good.

Im getting a Static Line jump for Christmas . Was going to do it for my Birthday but that did'nt work out . Are you thinking of doing one mate?

I remember my first time, I wasn't really sure if I was going to do it or not though. I was standing next to the window looking out, and I only had one other smaller guy infront of me. When we had to jump the person infront of me wouldn't, so I pushed him and watched him fall a lot faster then I thought he would. It turned out tieing a tescos plastic bag to an action man does fark all when you throw him out the window. We had to abort the mission as I had no parachute at all. Action man fortunaly lived (somehow ) untill I ripped his head, arms and legs off and gave it back to my 2 year younger brother who started crying.

Maybe I will have the real thing some day...

Excellent Stinky

!st jump was from a balloon at 800 ft. If my chute hadn't opened, I don't think I would have known a lot about it.
2nd was from a balloon as well, scarier, knew what was going to happen.
That was through the hole in the floor.
Next was out of a Hastings, that was the first time I had flown in a plane.

Jumping out of a ballon sounds great!

First jump was when i was 16. 3500 ft from a tiny plane, static line. One of the "one cheek in the plane, one out" jobby's.

Had the worst exit imaginable, knees bent so i went forward and got a fair bit of whiplash when the chute opened! It was a square canopy so i tried to be ally and flare and land standing up. Obviously being a jobag first-timer i minced it big time and flared too early, resulting in a bruised coccyx!

2000 jumps GR...not bad! I can still count the number of jumps i have done on both hands. 8 training jumps at brize, 1 as mentioned above before i joined the army, and a 12,000ft tandem with some geezer who goes by the name greenronnie (or doesnt that count ).

You would have thought someone who joined the PARACHUTE regiment would do a few more than 8 jumps in 2 years.

My first was out of the legendary skyvan! First man out, I don't remember being too scared to be honest, pants landing though!

How many times Ronnie jumpes you in the heads is nobody`s business but yours mate
He can`t get you pregnant

mine was a skyvan, think bin wagon with wings. 1st man out and creased it when the ramp went down red on. Had real bad twist but didnt help by trying to kick out of it wrong way... doh. perfect landing though.

Paratrooper01 wrote: You would have thought someone who joined the PARACHUTE regiment would do a few more than 8 jumps in 2 years.

I thought you had to do so many a year to stay qualified?

Skeav

My first jump [Parachute]
this was on cold icy morning in January more that 50 years ago, the air was crisp, the ground like concrete, and only the merest trace of a breeze.
We were all standing around stamping our feet trying to keep warm as we got ready for the first of our two balloon jumps. I had edged my towards the front so that i could grab one of the first slots going and so it was. It was strange going up in that gondolier, and what you noticed more than any thing was the silence. You rose above the earth at a fair speed and and every one was quite mainly trying to take every thing in. It was not long before the balloon had stopped and you hooked up and the bar on the gate was removed when your you were called you stepped forward took up the position and then got the go. You stepped forward and found that there was no falling sensation at all, as I fell in noticed my feet gradually rose up and i was admiring the polish on my toe caps, then suddenly my feet went down and looked up the chute had opened. Well the training took over and it was hands up on the front lift webs elbows in, feet together knees bent slightly then you looked at the ground. Again i surprised that I was not falling but the earth was slowly coming up towards me and the closer I got the quicker it came at me, seconds later I had hit the ground and did a very nice roll got up gave the release box a twist and hit it and got out of the harness, I then rolled up the chute and handed it in and grabbed another to join the queue again, and i was hooked I loved it.

Skeav wrote: I thought you had to do so many a year to stay qualified?

Skeav

I dont think anyone cares anymore. I cant see anyone taking wings from people if they havn't done the number of jumps in 2 years. I think its something like, if you dont jump for 2 years you need to go to Brize and do a refresher course. Within 2 years you do a buckshee jump to keep in date.