Sport skydiving started in the mid-fifties and static line training has been around since then. Needless to say, it is a tried, trusted and proven method of teaching people to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft!

A static line jump involves having a parachute on your back, with a strong line attached to your parachute on one end and hooked into the aircraft on the other end.

As you exit the aircraft the line extends and automatically opens your parachute. From that point onwards, you fly and land the parachute by yourself.

Training is always conducted on Saturdays and takes a full day. The morning consists of all the theory required to execute a safe parachute jump, while the afternoon consists of evaluation where candidates are put through their paces with simulated emergency situations on the ground.

This is followed by the first jump which normally takes place around 16h00, after which you receive your certificate and the beers start flowing freely!

The candidate must do a minimum of 8 static line jumps before being permitted to progress to freefall.