Tag Archives: Parachute

94 Year Old War Veteran To Parachute Over Normandy

Those of you who have parachuted from 10,000 feet from a plane will be aware of the dangers of the activity. A number of things can potentially go wrong but the majority of parachutists make a safe landing suffering no injuries and thoroughly enjoy the experience.

However, there are very few people in their 90s who would dare take to the skies in a plane, jump from it at several thousand feet, free fall for a considerable distance before parachuting to the ground. Well that is exactly what a 94 year old second world war veteran intends to do on the 6th June 2019 to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landing.

Harry Read is a very brave gentleman. Back on the 6th June 1944, whilst the Second World War was in progress, he was a young wireless operator. On that day which was the day of the D-Day landing he took to the skies and was parachuted into Normandy in France. Unlike many of his colleagues, he survived not only the landing but also the war. He later went on to head up the Salvation Army for a period of time.

Last year, in preparation for his forthcoming jump, he parachuted from several thousand feet here in the UK raising money for the Salvation Army.

All of use here at AIB Insurance wish Harry Read good fortune on the 6th June when he makes his parachute descent and hope that he makes a safe landing.

If you take part in parachuting on a regular basis then you may be interested to read that we specialise in arranging suitable cover. In this respect, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a member of our team who will be happy to discuss your requirements and arrange a competitive quotation without any obligation. We look forward to hearing from you.

BASE Jumper Parachutes From The Shard

BASE JumpingThose of you that participate in parachuting or skydiving will no doubt be aware that there are a number of experienced parachutists that also enjoy the thrill of BASE jumping from a fixed structure. Needless to say, this later form of decent is even more dangerous than parachuting from a fixed wing aircraft with one reason being that the height of the drop is frequently considerably less than from many thousands of feet from an aircraft.

The fixed structures that people drop from are building, antenna, span and earth – hence the term “BASE”.

Well, you may be interested to read that it is believed a man has recently BASE jumped from the highest building not only in the UK but also in the European Union. The building in question is called The Shard. It is located close to London Bridge. It is 87 storeys tall reaching a height of almost 310 metres. There are spectacular views from the glass-covered building that also incorporates various offices, a hotel and a number of restaurants.

BASE JumpingApparently, the BASE jumper is believed to have parachuted down shortly after 10 am on Saturday 12th March landing in a street close by. The individual in question who is thought to have landed safely did not hang around and made a quick exit with the parachute. The police have not been able to find out who made the jump.

There are very few places that you can legally BASE jump with The Shard no doubt not being one of them! One of the locations where you can legally carry out this activity is from the Perrine Bridge that is situated in Twin Falls, Idaho in the USA. It is almost 500 feet in height above the Snake River. In fact, a Guinness World record is held by someone who carried out 201 BASE jumps in a period of 21 hours back in 2006.

Old Film Footage Of Parachuting Beavers Unearthed

For those of our clients that enjoy parachuting we thought that you might be interested to read about a film that has been discovered dating back to around 1950 showing beavers being relocated using parachutes in the wilderness of Idaho in the United States of America.

Parachuting BeaversBack in the 1940s, it was felt by the Fish and Game state department that there were just too many beavers in certain locations. So someone came up with the unusual idea of capturing these animals and certain other rodents and placing them in wooden boxes. Then, small parachutes were attached to the boxes that were loaded onto a plane which flew over the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness at which point the boxes were then pushed from the plane with the parachutes opening and the boxes then floated to the ground. Upon landing on the ground, the boxes opened and the beavers were able to get out to take up occupancy in their new home.

It is believed that all the beavers that were transported in this way had a safe landing which we are sure you will agree is good news.

Apparently, this film has only recently been discovered by a historian as it had been filed in the wrong place. The Idaho Historical Society together with the Fish and Game department has reproduced the film footage.

Parachuting BeaversOf course, here at AIB Insurance, we have never been asked to arrange insurance to cover anything like the above. However, we are renowned for being able to obtain competitively priced insurance for those of you that participate in parachuting. So, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351and speak to an experienced member of our team and he or she will gladly discuss your requirements and obtain a free, no obligation quotation for your consideration.