Page 68 - MERCIAN Eagle 2018

Adventure Training – Evans (B Coy 5 Pl)
On October 15, the 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment sent me on adventure training for 5 days in Dhekelia. I chose to do skydiving to overcome my fear of heights and battle some demons.
On Monday we set of at 0600 to start our basic parachute training course. The course was on an airfield in the middle of nowhere, so we didn’t feel pressured by any main roads or motorways in case anything was to go wrong while jumping from the plane.
The first day was long one. We were issued our kit, which was: a jumpsuit, helmet and a radio. We also learned the correct procedures on jumping out of a plane safely without endangering ourselves or anybody else. The instructors trained us how to arch our body while in the air, how to get into position by the plane door ready to jump and how to push away from the plane, giving as much distance from the plane as possible.
They also trained us how to use the parachute. We were told to count – 1000! 2000! 3000! 4000! then to expect the canopy to deploy from the bag. You had to do your checks to make sure there were no malfunctions with the canopy above your head.
Once all was clear, you were to pull the toggles out of the clasps and start the checks on turning left, right and flaring. Flaring was something you did to slow
you down in mid-air, it is also to fix some malfunctions you might have during the fall.
After lunch we were taught about the reserve canopy, how to cut away our
main canopy and how to pull our reserve parachute in case of any problems or malfunctions that might have occurred. We were also shown how to land properly on the ground and how to fall properly in case you didn’t make the landing with your feet on the ground.
The second day we were shown how to pack our parachutes safely. We were told to take our time, so we didn’t make any mistakes. There were 5 stages to packing a parachute and by the end of it, it became a tricky task due to all the lines getting tangled and the folding of the canopy due to there being a lot of material. We were checked after every stage just in case we made a mistake and had to get every stage signed off by the instructors.
On the third day the fun began. We turned up at 0600, got our kit on and
climbed into the plane. At first the initial feeling is good. The adrenaline was pumping through our bodies. It completely shut off the thought that we were about to jump out a plane at 4000ft. But when the aircraft levels out and you get told to climb into the doorway of the plane, you start feeling your stomach in your throat and your heart beating fast.
After jumping out of the plane for the first time, you start falling for about 2-4 seconds before the canopy gets pulled out by a static line. You get a sense of freedom in the sky with no worries in the world. Gliding to the ground from 4000ft doesn’t take long. You hit the ground after 4-5 minutes, remembering the drills you were taught and then it’s all over. You’re left with a feeling of wanting to do it again and again.
Overall the experience was one I will never forget, and skydiving is something
I will be aiming to do a lot more of. I recommend anybody who has a chance to jump from a plane.
Sailing – Sgt Kial Jones
Cyprus offers a multitude of sailing courses with experienced volunteer instructors catering for military personnel and dependants (8+). Courses cost up to €150.00, subsidised by SLCs. As well as club days, there are race days during the summer, and “sail away days” when sailors can sail to locations all over Cyprus.
A short return to the UK, I joined the AGC trip around the Solent/ English Channel. Typically, three crews of six sailing on 34ft Victoria
Class Service yachts, sail to ports like Guernsey, Weymouth and Poole. We practice drills, but when the yacht is keeled over at 45 degrees, with wind and adrenaline, sea water thrown over you at the same time, this becomes true adventure training. Aimed at raising interest in the sport, giving personnel the chance to gain sailing qualifications, the Army Offshore Regatta includes all level of sailors including novice sailors.
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HQ Coy – ‘The Det’ – Capt Mark Jones
As a veteran of Cyprus, when I heard
2 MERCIAN were Arms Plotting from Chester to Episkopi, I jumped at the chance to become their RAO. Despite the Bn being thrashed in the last 12 months (Afghanistan, Iraq, Falklands and S.Sudan), taking over
a junior cohort which was high in morale
on the Chester side, then inheriting a very strong senior cohort remaining in Episkopi, the combination has made probably the best Det I’ve worked with to date. Coupled with the location, this assignment offers superb opportunities.
In the first week of deployment, we lost Cpl Bundhoo to Op TORAL, but the rest of the Det embraced the opportunities. I clocked-up 10 hours of paragliding within the first couple of months of arrival as well as organising a Mountain Bike Troodos- Episkopi event. In fact, the fun has been non-stop.
The Det
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