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British Parachute Association
The National Governing Body for Sport Parachuting
5 Wharf Way, Glen Parva, Leicester LE2 9TF Tel 0116 278 5271 Fax 0116 247 7662 e-mail skydive@bpa.org.uk location map British Parachute Association Limited company registration information is set out at the foot of this page
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The European Skydiving League (ESL) Finals will be held from Fri 5 - Sun 7 September in Texel, Netherlands. Who will be the next European FS Champions - you? Chris Hollis, BPA FS Rep, says "AAA teams are what we need, so let's start our campaign now!"
Mathematician Laura adds a world record BPA Member Laura Kenyon (above) - who began skydiving whilst studying Mathematics at York University - has returned from Arizona a World Record Holder! The Women's Vertical World Record involves skydivers flying head down to reach speeds of over 180mph, linking in a pre-planned formation. Nearly 30 women from all walks of life and from as far afield as Japan, Israel, the USA, Argentina and Russia, registered for the event, hoping to be selected. Over three days they were put through their paces and the best went forward to the record attempt. Laura, the only Brit taking part, was one of them. On 21 March 2008, 20 women skydivers, jumping from 2 aircraft flying at 16,500 feet (some 3 miles above ground level) linked in freefall in a perfect head-down formation over the Arizona desert before deploying their parachutes. They’d done it! Laura says: "It was awesome, the atmosphere and the energy when we broke the record was the best feeling ever. Just being part of this attempt was amazing, but gaining a world record was overwhelming!" Laura has made over 1500 jumps and is a seasoned competitor who represented the UK at the World Skydiving Championships with Henry Tonnison and Richard Frame in freefly team “Hysteria”. See article with audio interview with Laura at BBC Hampshire.
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Membership Survey
Click here for the results of the BPA's first online Membership Survey. Thanks to the 372 respondents. The survey will help the Council and its Committees to plan for the sport. Members have said it's time to update the BPA website with a facility for online renewals. The Council plans to launch a new website later this year, and to phase in more online services including renewals in a four-stage programme. BPA acknowledges UKS The BPA has acknowledged www.UKSkydiver.co.uk as an unofficial, independent, external online forum for skydivers in the UK. The BPA is not responsible for the content of external websites. Adrian Bond, BPA Communication Chairman, said “There is no doubt that the UKS website is an exceptional boost to communication in our sport, one which the BPA – and our Communications Committee in particular – heartily applauds.” The UKS website is run by BPA Members Stu Ferguson and Paul McCormick.
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Team Contact page
Are you a jumper looking to find or make a team? Or a team looking to fill a vacancy? Then we've got just the thing. The Team Contact page here on the BPA website enables you to advertise. Try it today- there's no charge - it's all part of the service to members
100-way Canopy Formation World Record Skydive A new World Record was set at the Florida Skydiving Center at Lake Wales, Florida, USA on 21 November 2007. 100 parachutists linked up under canopy to form the largest parachute diamond formation ever created. The parachutists came from 14 countries - including 6 BPA Members from the UK - to participate on the record skydive. The skydivers used five aircraft, the first dropping 9 jumpers from an altitude of 20,000 feet. The second dropped the next 27 jumpers from an altitude of 18,000 feet. The third aircraft dropped jumpers from 16,000 feet and the final two aircraft dropped the remaining jumpers from 13,000 feet. The formation took approximately 11 minutes and 30 seconds to build and was held for 12 seconds. It was completed on the fifth attempt and captured on HD video by seven videographers/photographers. The formation was 290 feet (88 meters) tall and 175 feet (53 meters) wide. (The size of a football field.) The formation weighed 20,388 pounds (9,230 kilos). In comparison 6 Ford Mustangs weigh only 19,500 pounds. A 747-400 jet is only 231 feet long. The Wright Brothers' first flight was almost one third the distance as the formation is tall. Miami Air Traffic Control Center could monitor the formation on radar to keep other aircraft from coming into close proximity to the formation. |
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