Page 39 - QARANC Vol 14 No 11 2015

THE GAZETTE QARANC 37
Parachute Championship 2015
Still high on the success from the 2014 Champs, a team of 10 plucky young medics, lead by Cpl Biggadyke, packed their rigs and headed to Netheravon, the home of Army Parachuting, eager to taste victory once more at this years Armed Forces Parachuting Championship.
The unlikely grouping (consisting of a dog handler, CMT’s and a gaggle of MO’s) assembled from across the country to enter a 4 Way Formation skydiving team and a Canopy Control Accuracy team. For those new to the sport (which includes myself by the way...) ‘4 Way Formation Skydiving’ is where a team of 4 link arms and launch themselves out of a plane at 10,000 ft. They then have approximately 35 seconds to re-orientate themselves into as many predestinated shapes as possible while hurtling towards the ground at 120 miles per hour. At 4000 feet (hopefully) one team member will signal that time is up allowing each person just enough time to spin around, track across the sky in opposite directions and deploy their canopies before gracefully floating down the final 3000 feet to earth.
Unlike what you may have seen in the movies “Point Break” or “Kingsmen” freefall time is not unlimited and when dropping at a rate of 1000 feet every 5 seconds there is minimal time to stomach the adrenalin hit, let alone conduct a set of orchestrated maneuvers!
In summary Formation Skydiving is rather like synchronized swimming, on steroids, with sharks closing in on you.
The AMS team, appropriately named Team Gamophobia (the fear of commitment) consisted of Maj. Vargha (GP), Maj. Campbell (Anaesthetist), Sgt. Kotze (CMT), L/Cpl. Cartwright (CMT) and substitute Tom Eliasz (medical student).
Although entering a Rookie category, the competition was steep from the first jump and unfortunately the team failed to secure any points in the first 3 rounds. Thankfully scoring picked up, but the damage from the first half had taken its toll and the team sadly could not hold onto the Bronze medal they secured in 2014.
That meant the pressure was on for the Accuracy competition. Unlike formation skydiving, accuracy is open to all ability levels including student jumpers. The aim is to land ones canopy as close to the centre of a 25m bull’s eye, (that has been created on the dropzone) as possible. Jumpers score fewer points the closer they are to the centre, and 0 points if
they land on a tiny 1x1 ft centre pad. They are also penalized an additional 10 points if they ‘stack’ their landing (ie fall over). The winner is the pilot with the least points after 6 jumps.
With unpredictable wind conditions this poses more of a challenge then one might anticipate. The parachute canopy is affected by minute changes in wind speed and direction, meaning that the parachutist must try to read the conditions and tweak their approaches accordingly. Pilots can also alter their trajectory by adjusting the glide angle and cadence of the canopy by pulling on the cords that connect them to the fabric wing. By doing this they can extend or reduce their range of flight. And so with practice, understanding and precision adjustments all parachutists can learn to control their canopy meticulously and thus direct their landing within the bull’s eye to score well in the accuracy competition. All, that is, except for Capt. Milne (GDMO), who unceremoniously picked up the wooden spoon in the Rookie Accuracy competition after failing to hit to bull’s eye once and stacking all but 2 of his landings! Thankfully though the rest of the AMS Accuracy team were on top form, with L/Cpl. Van Evelingen taking a couple of bull’s eyes and Maj. Campbell consistently demonstrating that his aim with a parachute is as good as his aim with a laryngoscope and bougie by securing the individuals silver medal. Overall the Rookie accuracy team finished in 2nd place, once again proving that medics really are a multitalented bunch!
More important then the new AMS bling, each competitor had each improved their freefall and canopy control skills and developed as a team. Parachuting embodies the ethos of military Adventure Training by developing individual courage and leadership skills through controlled exposure to risk in a challenging outdoor environment. The whole team owes a special thanks to Cpl David Biggadyke for organising our entry and his consistent coaching throughout.
The AMS Sports Parachute Association is open to all personnel in the AMS and encourages new members at any level to join. If you are interested in parachuting why not start your journey by attending next years (zero to hero) 2 week training camp held in California? For more information about the AMSSPA or California please contact: Maj Anna Hicks: annajlea@hotmail.com or join the facebook group: AMSSPA Capt G Milne RAMC 16 Med Regt
AMS EX SKIES CALL 2015
When questioned at customs for my reasons to visit Los Angeles I didn’t think skydiving would have ever being my answer. As a Combat Medical Technician (CMT) based in Colchester with 16 Medical Regiment I was partaking in the annual skydiving expedition that the Army Medical Services (AMS) run. A mixture of CMT’s, nurses, and clinicians embarked on a two week Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) progression course in Lake Elsinore, California, to be let loose in the sky.
Successful completion of eight training jumps followed by ten consolidation jumps qualify the student to hold an “A license”. The training jumps follow a natural progression of being supported in the air by two instructors, to then learning to turn, back flip and eventually swooping across the sky (tracking). The progression for some, definitely in my case, was slower than others. The instructors were all military and very experienced.
As a mid point reward for our efforts on the course some
R and R was in order. Taking full advantage of the long weekend we split into groups, hired some ford Mustangs and bomb-bursted across California ending up in San Diego, pacific beaches or Las Vegas. Towards the end of the two weeks the majority had completed the full AFF qualification, a few needed to finish consolidation jumps back in the UK due to some bad weather.
Students enjoyed the expedition and had being put through their paces in terms of self-development that is a vital part of adventurous training within the British Army. Overall the expedition had achieved it’s goal to qualify AMS personal as A-License skydivers as well as develop AMS personnel skills that will enhance operational capability. LCpl S Cartwright RAMC 16 Med Regt.
For more information about the AMSSPA or to come on next years Expedition to California please contact: Maj Anna Hicks: annajlea@hotmail.com or join the facebook group: AMSSPA