A highlight of the year for the Lower Sixth Cadets is the annual trip to Netheravon, home of the Army Parachute Association, to undertake the Static Line Parachute Course.
On Friday, we travelled down and settled into our accommodation before Major Money gave the Cadets a tour of the drop zone. Watching experienced performance skydivers land with precision brought the experience to life and made the challenge ahead feel very real.
Saturday morning saw us back at the hangar to meet our instructors and begin the training course. Despite the high spirits, weather conditions were uncertain, with low clouds and strong winds threatening to halt progress.
The training covered the full theory of canopy control: how to steer, judge wind direction, follow a correct landing pattern, and — most crucially — how to respond in the event of a malfunction. From nuisance factors to emergency drills like cutting away and deploying the reserve, the Cadets were thoroughly briefed and drilled.
Major Money and Russ, the Chief Instructor, kept a close watch on wind speeds and cloud cover throughout the day. At one point, there was a glimmer of hope as conditions briefly improved, prompting a collective effort across the drop zone to prepare parachutes and ready the aircraft. Unfortunately, the weather closed in again just before take-off and we were forced to stand down.
That evening, spirits remained high as the group headed out for a well-earned pizza before turning in for some much-needed rest.
Sunday brought stronger winds but another opportunity to reinforce learning with a refresher session and extra tips from the instructors. Safety, as always, remains the top priority, and although the jumps could not take place this time, plans are already in place to return and complete them — hopefully joined by Mrs Price, who is preparing to tandem jump with the Red Devils!
