Kerala - Kochi   

Taking wings at 13,000 feet

KOCHI: On Saturday, three officers and 22 cadets at the naval base here will get their ‘wings,’ marking their entry to the exclusive club of skydivers.

By then, they would have completed the two-week basic skydiving course for trainee officers of the Naval Academy and Naval Engineering College. Along with them, five Army officers and two lady officers will qualify the advanced course in skydiving.

All the personnel qualified with jumps from 12,000 to 13,000 feet, achieving terminal velocities of 210 to 240 km per hour over Kochi before reaching for the parachute strings at only about 3,000 feet above the ground.

Sydiving is basically about a free fall for about 50 seconds. The Indian Navy is promoting skydiving as part of its effort to foster a spirit of adventure among its personnel.

The Indian Naval Sky Diving Training Team was formed in 2004. The basic training was done in Australia, from where the personnel – the first skydivers from India – went on to become instructors in the accelerated free fall training programme. They also underwent intensive training under international coaches at Perris, California. The team then participated in the World Military Parachuting Championship in Russia and the U.S. National Championships in 2006 and 2007. Topping it all, the team has the distinction of being the first and only one to conduct an AFF training jump in Antarctica.

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