British Parachute Drop Alltitude

TheRedBaron · #1 (**permalink**) May 17th, 2004, 11:44 PM

In all my sources on airborne drops I still cant find the recommended alltitude for jumping with the British parachute!

Can anyone help?

I have the dispersal patterns and recommended wind speeds but nothing on the alltitude from which it is best to drop.

airborne medic · #2 (**permalink**) June 3rd, 2004, 12:01 PM

During training the recommended altitude using the PX4 was 800 feet...however the relatively newly introduced ULLP allows a height of 400 feet or so.
During the war the operational jumping height was around 400 feet but I know of members of the 4th Parachute Brigade who jumped onto DZ Y Ginkel Heath on 18th September 1944 which was a hot DZ from around 250 feet. Around this height there is just enough time for the chute to deploy correctly. Remember that in those days there was no reserve. However to be strictly correct this guy did say that the DC3 started at about 400 feet but was in a dive and he was tail end charlie....

TheRedBaron · #3 (**permalink**) June 3rd, 2004, 09:18 PM

Thanks for that... May have to edit my masters now! The info I have gives 600ft as operational drop height. 400 seems more likely. 250 must have been a hard landing...

Makes the British chute comparable to the German RZ series...

Thanks matey!

Za Rodinu · #4 (**permalink**) April 12th, 2005, 11:33 AM

I was told this story by a former British Lieutenant who had been to the Falklands. This is post-WW2, the guy swears it's real but you're buying it at the same price I'm selling it

So there was this Gurkha unit on parade, and the CO was haranguing them. He went on and said : "Shortly you are going to receive instruction on jumping from an airplane at 500ft"!

At this all the troops got rather agitated, which was something very unusual for Gurkhas, and at the end of the parade they broke ranks, visibly unhappy.

So that night the CO called the senior NCO to see what was so wrong with the troops.

"Well, Sir, it's about this business of jumping from airplanes at 500ft..."

"What about it?"

"The troops would like to ask whether they could jump from 100ft instead!"

"100ft? That's impossible! The parachutes wouldn't even begin to open!"

"Oooooooh, parachutes! We hadn't understood that! All right, if we are going to have parachutes no problem with the 500ft!!"

TheRedBaron · #5 (**permalink**) April 12th, 2005, 02:05 PM

I was told that story by a Para PT sargeant...

Mahross · #6 (**permalink**) April 12th, 2005, 06:45 PM

Bit unfair on the Gurkhas considering their service with the 50th Indian Para Brigade in Burma. But funny. I think i've heard that of a mate of mine who was ex 2 Para.