Holidays and time away from the desk, usually gives everyone the chance to relax and try something a little different – so whilst you are in Cyprus why don’t you try parachuting? Parachuting was invented by the Chinese in the 14th century who jumped using special ropes from high towers to impress their Emperors! In Europe, Leonardo da Vinci designed a parachute but it was never tried out, but in 1979 a Frenchman made the first big jump of more than 2,500 metres successfully and in 1912 this was followed by an American who jumped – and successfully landed- from a moving aircraft!

Over the years parachutes have been used for military operations and weather monitoring and nowadays primarily for pleasure.

The Cyprus parachuting scene is in Dhekelia!

Parachuting came to Cyprus in 1962 and at first was for the British Forces but the courses were soon also made available to civilians and soon gained such a following that the Cyprus Parachute Centre {CPC} was established, based at Kingsfield, the airfield situated close to the Dhekelia- Pergamos road .

Today the instructors are highly experienced members of the British Parachuting Association {BPA} and the Cyprus club does everything in the BPA way! To keep up to date with what is going on, the instructors regularly attend courses and seminars abroad - particularly in Britain. The instructors do their job purely for the love of parachuting - which is terrific….

If you are on holiday why not take up a new hobby!

Every year the Centre welcomes up to 150 people to train, and whilst many of them just enjoy doing it as a 'one off experience' there are several who enjoy it so much that it quickly becomes their hobby! At CPC there are more than twenty regular members who all thoroughly enjoy the very special comradeship.

You can book your parachuting course before you arrive in Cyprus...

The great thing is that if you are planning a holiday to Cyprus and want to try parachuting the CPC will welcome you warmly - but strongly advises you to get in touch as soon as possible so that a place can be reserved for you on the weekend of your choice for the introductory course and the paperwork completed in advance - by fax if necessary! If you do book by telephone in advance, staff can also advise you if you need to have a medical done in advance for insurance purposes. All students must take out membership of the BPA {British Parachute Association} but the necessary paperwork can be completed as soon as you arrive at the airfield, and for this, students over the age of 40 will need a medical certificate from their doctor, and those over 50 will need to have more regular medicals. At the other end of the scale, sixteen years is the minimum age allowed to parachute by the BPA. Everyone has to declare their fitness to parachute and obvious contra-indications are heart, chest or similar problems.

What is involved...

The one-jump introductory course costs £120 and of course includes the use of all the necessary equipment and tuition. The course begins on a Saturday morning with instruction about the equipment and how it works, and how to put it on and take it off comfortably. The instructor also teaches beginners how to steer the canopy, how to land correctly and how to deal calmly with any of the technical hitches that can occur. The instruction is all completed in a very logical order so although it sounds a great deal, everyone manages well! There is a written test to highlight any areas that need extra time being spent on them - after all, safety is of paramount importance throughout.

On Sunday everyone 'enjoys' an early start whilst the wind is calm. The aircraft climbs to just over 3,000 feet and then all you have to do at the right moment is jump! For extra safety a static line is attached between the aircraft and parachutist and all parachutists have a radio link with the aircraft too. The canopy opens automatically so all you have to do is steer - and enjoy a bird's eye view of Cyprus!

You can soon progress...
Of course if you are keen to try further jumps that is perfectly possible and if time is on your side you can progress from 'static line' to 'freefall' - with an increasing delay before you open the canopy - starting with a five second delay from a greater height, and slowly but surely working up to twenty seconds…and beyond! There are all sorts of manoeuvres and techniques to master which are all great fun and of course the hire of the equipment costs just a few pounds, and each jumper around a tenner so you really can have a great time for a remarkably small outlay!

If you would rather travel by tandem!

Of course, if you would rather you can try a 'tandem' parachute jump when a student can jump with the instructor firmly strapped behind them. For tandem jumps students do not have to follow the introductory course, but must attend a thorough briefing session first - the instructors are very keen that the centre's excellent safety record is maintained. {The cost for a tandem jump is £110}.

So what are you waiting for?

The club is just about to take a well-earned rest, but will be back in action in early January with the introductory courses available from February 2002 onwards. If you would like further information please telephone the club secretary Monday - Friday on 04 - 744337 and if you are planning your holiday to Cyprus, don't forget to allow plenty of time to organise your parachuting course - it will definitely give you something impressive to say on those holiday postcards!