Parachute course

[Traumagod]

Does anyone have any info about the DF para course??

Namely;

Selection criteria

Fitness grade

Contacts per bde

Availibility to RDF pers

Dates etc.

Has any RDF pers here done it? (Remember, the Irish one now, not the one in Holland)


Cheers.

[Docman]

Does anyone have any info about the DF para course??

Namely;

Selection criteria

Fitness grade

Contacts per bde

Availibility to RDF pers

Dates etc.

Has any RDF pers here done it? (Remember, the Irish one now, not the one in Holland)


Cheers.

Most of this info is RESTRICTED. RDF can do the course although having previous parachute experience is a major help in getting a place. Quite a few RDF have done it already. Fitness Grade is 3 (if I remember)

There is a course coming up soon. Details should be available in your Coy office. HOWEVER as I have learned from experience, there is no point using official military channels for anything. Only way to actually get on the course is to contact the RDF personnel who make up part of the training staff and organisers (Yes, there are RDF instructors).
They will ensure you at least have a chance of getting on the course. However, if you have no parachute Experience, they will likely ignore you.

[GoneToTheCanner]

"if you have no parachute experience, they will ignore you" Kind of makes a statement about it all doesn't it?! If you're not one of us, you can't get in. Doesn't exactly sound welcoming to newbies, does it? I used to rig the Cessnas for the parachute dropping task in Baldonnel and even I couldn't get on the DF course, despite being on first-name terms with the pilots! Traumagod, I suggest you vote with your feet to Ernagh(Skydive) or Clonbulloge(IPC) where, to no-one's surprise, you will find plenty of PDF/RDF parachutists, including many of the same instructors! You might even meet me!
regards
GttC

[donner]

I'll back up GTTC here. I tried to get on that course on numerous occasions when i was in helis and never got a sniff. I still don't know whos ass you had to sniff to get on it. Although looking back at some of the bad injuries some personnel got on it maybe i was better off

[Bosco]

Before I say anything else I am completly biased on this matter.

If you wanna try civvie skydiving, give www.skydiveireland.ie a whirl. They were brilliant when we set up the skydiving club in UL. I dont know if you are in uni or school or working but they are very decent people and gave us the most support out of any of the skydiving clubs in Ireland plus they were only 20 minutes out the road from uni

[DeV]

search this board for freefall university

[ming]

All of the relevant information for the upcoming course is contained in the joining instructions that have already been issued by DDFT and will also feature in next months connect magazine. The opening paragraph about selection criteria might surprise some of you on this board.

There is one simple route towards ensuring a place on any military parachuting course and thus, membership of PCM:

qualify in your own time and at your own expense.

ALL of the instructors and the majortity of PCM jumpers have spent literally tens of thousands of their own money in order to achieve their experience and qualifications. As a result, they are now fortunate enough to jump with the military from time to time. The majority of jumps made by PCM members this year will be made on civilian dropzones.

PCM is a small organisation that tries to do the best it can with scarce resources, it needs people that have an active interest in skydiving and will be in a position to give something back to the club and the DF.

[Viking]

I don't want to open up this old chestnut again, but I recently an RDF officer wearing Dutch wings on his DPMs. Is this legit?

[concussion]

Yes, provided they were on the right-hand side of the shirt/smock.

[madmark]

not the issue of wearing dutch wings again i thought this issue was but to bed the last time it reared its ugly head

[DeV]

There are RDF personnel on the "Black Knights" DF parachute display team.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi there
The idea that a person should have prior parachute experience before getting the DF para course is biased in favour of persons already in the sport and goes against the ethos of what the original point of the course was; ie, a taster of parachuting for anyone interested and a means to expand the utility of the Cessnas, as well as catering for the needs of official DF parachute activities. It was once the custom in Gormo that the techies who serviced the Cessnas would get a few jumps in. When you think about it, why would anyone bother to bust their balls trying to get to jump out of a Don 172 when they can go to the civvie jump sites and use professional jump organisations and better aircraft, especially aircraft that are not subject to the needs of the DF? It negates the need for DF sport jumping, if it only caters for the already-qualified.
regards
GttC

[dclimk]

lads if ye really want to jump, go do it private, i don't see why people who readily spend money on kit they will never get issued worry so much about courses you can't get, just do the same and get your own.

[Craghopper]

The Course is up on notices boards and as was mentioned you must have prior experience or its a no-go.

[dclimk]

is that just the basic course only or all courses run including advanced canopy etc???

seems to me that anyone with any jump experience will gain nothing by doing 5
static line jumps,( other than the holy grail of wings.....???don't think i need the ornaments, i've got trophy's for my input into skydiving)

seems going on this course is more of a regression for anyone with any " experience" or is having done a tandem on oz/south africa/usa while on holidays also experience

on the texel note, thats where i did my first jumps, loved it great craic,great experience money well spent..ish..

headin back there this year for some big ways if anyone is interested