If you want to jump out of planes....

[Worthers Original]

.... are the Paras really the best place for it?

May seem like a daft question (probably is) but I am curious if the Paras actually get to do much parachuting. Apart from the RedDevils do the rest of the Paras spend much time in the air or is it mainly spent getting heli'ed in or tabbing in? I'm curious because I wonder how many people list the opportunity to jump out of planes as a motivating factor for joining them and then find that they hardly get to jump and the few jumps they do get are "fixed line" (is that the term for having your parachute deployed for you on exiting the aircraft?). Do other units have a better chance of jumping, ie there own skydiving club or whatever?

[got1]

Firstly, there is no comparison in sky diving and static line miitary parachuting. You might as well draw the comparison between a sub aqua course at the local baths and the divng course at Marchwood.[if it is still going]. You can pay some money and go sky diving anywhere. They don't strap 100lbs of gear round your leg,35lbs on your back,and 15lbs on your chest stick you in middle of a sym 30, and throw you out between 8oo&1200ft. If you want do freefall in a military roll, go SF or Pathfinders, they carry all the gear,and more.
In 22yrs I couldn't tell you how many jumps I did, probably over 150.
I have done eight in a day[Wessex] and gone 20 months without doing any{Berlin]. The lads now still have the capability to do this and a lot more, they have done P Coy, got the beret, got the wings. and if asked would jump into action tomorrow, that is what training is all about.

[Guest]

Doesn't everyone with their wings have to do 8 jumps a year to keep them? Apart from if they are on a tour of duty.

[old scaly back]

I may be mistaken,but i think you have to do so many jumps a year to keep your jump pay.(extra pay for being able to parachute)
Once you have gained your wings thats it,they cant take them off you.
If you transfer to another regt the wings go with you.So you can wear them if S.O.P.s allow it.

[got1]

There used to be a black book which they kept a check on your last jump.
If you go to long without jumping you can get sent on a recourse, just the parachuting side. There could be many reason for not parachuting for a while, I don't know how many times jumps have been cancelled because of weather, u/s aircraft, pilot suffering from hangover etc. also there are not going to call you off a tour somewhere just to do a jump.

[Tab]

Well I never saw or heard of any black book that recorded the number jumps that you made while you where in the Regiment. They roughly new when the companies had done a jump and that was that. Some times you could for ages between jumps and at other times you were up and down like a fiddlers elbow, I was at one time doing about five a day for display and testing, yet another time went about nine months with out making one at all, mind you we were mainly on anti terrorist patrols in the mountains at the time.

[got1]

[quote="old scaly back"]I may be mistaken,but i think you have to do so many jumps a year to keep your jump pay.(extra pay for being able to parachute)

The only time you lose your para pay is if your down graded[medically] and unable to jump. Thats in the regiment I don't no what happens if you are attached arms and back with your parent unit.