Sunday 3 January 2010 a group of persons answered the call to make the first round canopy jump of 2010. At 10.00 am, people assembled at a snow covered Teuge. The planes were still sitting inside and a snow plough was trying to remove the snow from the runway.

After the Christmas jumps that were cancelled due to weather conditions, it seemed this jump would also be cancelled, for fog was coming in rapidly……So we turned to the most common para habit: waiting….

 

Around noon the fog slowly started to clear and the manifest was opened, our round canopy group was manifested for the third load.

Around 13.00 pm the first load was boarding.

We made our chutes ready and donned them after the call. Alexander; Frank; John; Jasper; Robby and Willem boarded the plane. Jumpmaster was John (Opa).

Mario; Jessica and Jaspers father and Monique (she made a square jump with the first load); went to the DZ to welcome us with a cup of hot brew after landing.

After take off the plane made a wide turn to bring us to jump altitude. The odds looked good, on the ground the windsock was hanging down motion and visibility was good…..

The door opened and Alex put his legs outside, a last check from the JM and ….Go! Go! Go!

With good intervals the stick left the plane and the canopies opened without any problems.

Looking down the jumpers noticed they were drifting backwards. There was a

strong upper wind and this parted the stick. Alex, Frank and John made it on the centers side of the runway and Robby; Jasper and Willem just on the edge of the DZ on the other side. All made soft good landings and marched off the DZ. The first jump off 2010 was a fact!