Page 64 - The Wish Stream Year of 2022

Exercise CLOUDY CADET
OCdt Hayward
After the disappointment of the pandemic halting any plans of a skiing trip to Nor- way, we looked for an equally exciting proposition on home soil and decided that paragliding was a thrilling option. As we all know, the British weather is never the most predictable in April, and this proved to be a problem, especially as beginners can’t fly when there is rain or thermals. To maximise flying time, we went with a company that uses a winch to launch the paraglider. The benefit of a winch over a hilltop is that it is manoeu- vrable so that you can adjust it to take off into the wind. The aim by the end of the week was to have completed the elementary pilot’s course, which would enable us to progress to the next level of qualification.
On the first day, the six of us assembled at South Cerney airfield for our first paragliding experience. By lunch we were making our first solo hops. In the evening we moved into our lovely self-catering accommodation in central Cirencester. Over the course of the week, we made some fantastic progress with flying under the brilliant instruction of Mr Cox and Mr Bligh. By Wednesday, we all felt very con- fident, setting off on 10-minute fights around the airfield; yet OCdt Hayward was still able to exhibit his ability to tangle the paraglider on landing. During the week we all showed off our culinary skills, most notably with the Easter roast. Cirencester was a lovely place to be based, with shops and other services that OCdts like close at hand.
A fantastic week and a lovely way to wind down after a busy term, but plenty of things learnt at the same time.
62 SANDHURST
Exercise FIRST SKY
OCdt Shaw
Having arrived on Sunday evening, we had an early start on the Bank Holiday Monday morning. Filled with anticipation for the day
ahead, we walked over to the training hangar from the portacabins in which we were staying. It was a glorious day for skydiving, with clear skies and little wind, and the public were clearly out in force to make the most of the day. For us, how- ever, Monday was to be a busy day of training, theory, and safety briefs.
The inside of the training hangar was a hive of activity; apart from the four of us doing Advanced Free Fall, there were the Juniors’ AT Static Line trip, display teams, civilian hobbyists, and army personnel all making the most of the weather to hone their skills. Throughout the day, we were expertly taught by Major Denning, who himself has more than 2000 jumps under his belt. Les- sons were not only delivered by presentation but were supported by practices of drills with kit on. This included running through the exit sequence in a mock-up of the aircraft door, the freefall sequence on a rotating platform in front of a mir- ror, and the canopy sequence hanging in a sus- pended harness.
By the end of the day, all four of us felt ready and prepared to fall 14,000ft out of an aircraft and