A group of fifteen Officer Cadets from Bristol University Officer Training Corps have just returned from a 2 week skydiving expedition to Skydive Pujaut in the South of France. Ten of the group were complete novices, having never taken to the skies before, so tackling an Accelerated Freefall (AFF) course was a daunting prospect. The course takes new skydivers to the sport from 'zero to hero' in just 18 jumps, and gives them their Féderation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI - the World Air Sports Federation) 'A Licence', qualifying them to skydive solo anywhere in the world. There are no tandem jumps involved here either; from the outset the students are in charge of pulling their own parachutes, under the watchful eye of two instructors, then one-to-one, before the final ten jumps are entirely on their own.
Bristol UOTC arrived in Skydive Pujaut near Avignon, after a long night driving through France, early on 3 September, and the novice skydivers launched straight into ground school with their instructors. This involves learning all the drills for pulling the parachutes, becoming altitude aware, trying different body positions by 'dirt diving', and practising exiting the plane by using mock-ups of the aircraft doors. Two days later they were ready for the skies, kitted up, and the first load went up above the French countryside in the drop zone's Cessna Caravan C208 plane, which seats just 14 people. For most of the OCdts, a plane this small was an experience in itself.
We were lucky enough to have four fantastic instructors who gave even the most tentative students confidence, and soon plane loads were going up every half an hour and Bristol UOTC parachutes could be seen touching down all over the large landing area. Before they were allowed to go it alone the students had to pass seven levels, and demonstrate such skills as 360 degree turns, back flips, and tracking (moving forward through the air at speed). This all had to be achieved within 55 seconds of free fall, at speeds of up to 135mph, whilst falling from a staggering 13,000ft. Once they had passed level seven they were ready to take on a simulated aircraft emergency. This involves exiting the plane just 4000ft above the ground, and deploying the parachute immediately. Overcoming a few failed levels, and some very nervous plane flights, all the OCdts passed the course, and thoroughly enjoyed what was certainly a real challenge. All have expressed an interest in continuing to skydive in the future, and several purchased extra jumps once they had qualified in order to get the maximum experience from such a fantastic opportunity.
The five OCdts who had previously gained their licences used their time to further their freefly, formation and canopy handling skills together. Formation skydiving involves real teamwork and trust, and the group formed a strong bond through working together, performing complex exits and formations. The highlight was a jump which they practiced hard for: taking the BUOTC flag 13,000ft above France and flying it in free fall. Two gained their parachute packing certificates and FAI B Licences, and found out skydiving is certainly given an even more dramatic twist when you know you have packed the canopy yourself! A further two OCdts were able to gain the currency they needed in order to book onto a wing suiting course which they are immensely looking forward to. All the OCdts especially improved their canopy handling skills when negotiating some difficult wind conditions - only a few ended up accidentally sampling the vineyards surrounding the dropzone as an alternative parachute landing area.
The Bristol UOTC Skydiving expedition participants could not be more grateful to the Ulysses Trust; without their support the expedition would simply not have been viable
All fifteen OCdts agreed they had a incredible experience; the requirement to absorb a large amount of detailed and technical information at every AFF level and then put it into practice in freefall, sometimes as soon as 20 minutes later, nurtures receptive, intelligent individuals, and asks for considerable trust combined with moral and physical courage. The trip undoubtedly fostered the conviction and strength of personality to enable OCdts to master their fears, as well as a strong team camaraderie. Memories of an incredible two weeks will certainly remain with the OCdts throughout their military or civilian careers, and for that they owe a huge gratitude to the Ulysses Trust's generosity.
