1. Before we discuss your time working at Hibaldstow, how did you get into skydiving?
I started at Sunderland Parachute Centre in the late 1970's on army surplus round parachutes. The dropzone closed down sadly because they built a Nissan car factory on the airfield. I then moved to Topcliff where I first met Steve Swallow who was involved in the running of the club. My favourite type of jumping was canopy formations and that was at the dawn of that discipline with square parachute appearing on the scene.
In the early 1980's, I first took my basic instructor ratings and then eventually after moving to Topcliff, I took my first role as Chief Centre Instructor (CCI) there.
2. What brings you back to Hibaldstow this weekend then?
I came down for the Open Day a couple of weekends ago and I was happy to be back on the dropzone again seeing people I knew.
Coming back this weekend, I knew I would have the opportunity to see even more old friends. Noel Purcell the present CCI also asked me to come along to help out.
3. When were you CCI of Skydive Hibaldstow and what was the dropzone like back then?
I was CCI from about 1996 to 2002 and the dropzone has changed completely since that. Back then, the dropzone only had one Dornier, there were hoards of university students and regular jumpers. The old bar was called the Titty Twister believe it or not and we used to have some amazing parties, it was really still a club atmosphere.
During my tenure, the dropzone was moving from a place of being a smallish operation to one of the biggest dropzones in the UK. Arguably now I think it has one of the best facilities in Europe.
4. How do you feel the challenges of the CCI roll have changed since you left?
It has changed so much now, because of the size of the operation. Back then, there was still the traditional AFF, tandems and static line; but the level of training on basic courses has improved so much. You could see then that it was onwards and upwards.
5. What were the National Championships like when you were Meet Director?
I remember all the disciplines being present including the Classics such as accuracy and style. The event was run over a whole week. I saw new disciplines being introducing such as Freefly, Freestyle and Skysurfing appearing on the scene.
It was an exciting time to see such change, and coming back to Hibaldstow it appears that is still the case. I can also remember being Meet Director for the first time, it was a lot of responsbility. John Hitchen who had done the roll before and was National Coach trained me how to take on the job.
5. Have you ever been a competitor in a skydiving competition yourself?
I regularly used to attend accuracy competitions at a dropzone called Duck End Farm which was near to St Neots. The first accuracy competition I took part in, I wasn't qualified yet for square jumping, so I had jump on an old school Para Commander. We had to do down wind approaches to gravel pit. If we faced into wind, we didn't go anywhere!
I thoroughly enjoyed my competitions and although I never won anything, they were some of my first experiences of meeting other jumpers from other dropzones. I think the community is one of the things which makes the sport of skydiving and parachuting so special, and it still appears to be so now. The camaraderie amongst competitors here is also just as strong.
6. Do you have any funny stories to tell?
At one accuracy competition, I remember coming into land and being a bit short of the gravel pit. Unfortunately for me, my accuracy was good enough that I landed on the end of a garden rake which came up to hit me in the head. The rake was used back then to make the gravel pit even and soft. You couldn't repeat it if you tried again. If there had been video and the YouTube around, it would have gone viral and been a runaway success.
I started at Sunderland Parachute Centre in the late 1970's on army surplus round parachutes. The dropzone closed down sadly because they built a Nissan car factory on the airfield. I then moved to Topcliff where I first met Steve Swallow who was involved in the running of the club. My favourite type of jumping was canopy formations and that was at the dawn of that discipline with square parachute appearing on the scene.
In the early 1980's, I first took my basic instructor ratings and then eventually after moving to Topcliff, I took my first role as Chief Centre Instructor (CCI) there.
2. What brings you back to Hibaldstow this weekend then?
I came down for the Open Day a couple of weekends ago and I was happy to be back on the dropzone again seeing people I knew.
Coming back this weekend, I knew I would have the opportunity to see even more old friends. Noel Purcell the present CCI also asked me to come along to help out.
3. When were you CCI of Skydive Hibaldstow and what was the dropzone like back then?
I was CCI from about 1996 to 2002 and the dropzone has changed completely since that. Back then, the dropzone only had one Dornier, there were hoards of university students and regular jumpers. The old bar was called the Titty Twister believe it or not and we used to have some amazing parties, it was really still a club atmosphere.
During my tenure, the dropzone was moving from a place of being a smallish operation to one of the biggest dropzones in the UK. Arguably now I think it has one of the best facilities in Europe.
4. How do you feel the challenges of the CCI roll have changed since you left?
It has changed so much now, because of the size of the operation. Back then, there was still the traditional AFF, tandems and static line; but the level of training on basic courses has improved so much. You could see then that it was onwards and upwards.
5. What were the National Championships like when you were Meet Director?
I remember all the disciplines being present including the Classics such as accuracy and style. The event was run over a whole week. I saw new disciplines being introducing such as Freefly, Freestyle and Skysurfing appearing on the scene.
It was an exciting time to see such change, and coming back to Hibaldstow it appears that is still the case. I can also remember being Meet Director for the first time, it was a lot of responsbility. John Hitchen who had done the roll before and was National Coach trained me how to take on the job.
5. Have you ever been a competitor in a skydiving competition yourself?
I regularly used to attend accuracy competitions at a dropzone called Duck End Farm which was near to St Neots. The first accuracy competition I took part in, I wasn't qualified yet for square jumping, so I had jump on an old school Para Commander. We had to do down wind approaches to gravel pit. If we faced into wind, we didn't go anywhere!
I thoroughly enjoyed my competitions and although I never won anything, they were some of my first experiences of meeting other jumpers from other dropzones. I think the community is one of the things which makes the sport of skydiving and parachuting so special, and it still appears to be so now. The camaraderie amongst competitors here is also just as strong.
6. Do you have any funny stories to tell?
At one accuracy competition, I remember coming into land and being a bit short of the gravel pit. Unfortunately for me, my accuracy was good enough that I landed on the end of a garden rake which came up to hit me in the head. The rake was used back then to make the gravel pit even and soft. You couldn't repeat it if you tried again. If there had been video and the YouTube around, it would have gone viral and been a runaway success.
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