Safety Day 2024

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

safety day 2024 skydive langar

Thank you to everyone who came along to attend our Safety Day – our annual opportunity to come together as a community to reflect on what we’ve learned and learn some new things, too. Of course, every day is safety day because every day, we look out for our own and each others’ safety. The role of Safety Day as a formalised event is to give … Read More

Winter Webinar: Ewan Cowie – Flying Camera for Skydiving

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers, Freefly and Artistics

ewan cowie winter webinar

Ewan Cowie is known for his incredible skydiving photography both in the sky and on the ground. Camera flyerfor world champions ‘Airwax’, British champions ‘QFX’, world records like Project 19, the Jetman project, official photographer for the Wind Games and so, so much more. He joined Laura Hampton for a chat all about flying camera for skydiving. Watch the full interview here: Useful links http://www.kravtofly.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ewan_cowie_photography/

Winter Webinar: Elise Sharp – Freefly Bigway

Skydive LangarFreefly and Artistics

elise sharp freefly bigway

Elise is a highly accomplished skydiver with a number of championships and records under her belt. In this insightful talk, she shared an overview of what freefly bigway is, how Project 19 went and how you can get into it yourself. Thank you Elise!

Mission Impossible Stunt Award for Skydive Langar Rigger

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

karen saunders tom cruise mission impossible

We’ve been celebrating after Karen’s work in the Hollywood blockbuster Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning was recognised in the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Karen Saunders is the lead parachute rigger here at Langar and was part of the stunt team that helped Tom Cruise launch his motorbike from a cliff and deploy a parachute as part of a thrilling chase scene. Her role was to maintain Cruise’s … Read More

Winter Webinar: Ryan Garner – Becoming a Wingsuiter

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

ryan garner wingsuiting

Skydive Langar instructor and coach Ryan shares his journey to becoming an international wingsuiting competitor and gives his advice for anyone looking to get into WS or XRW. Wings of Hintonia XRW Academy Find Ryan at Skydive Langar to learn more about wingsuiting and book him for WS coaching.

Winter Webinar: Matt Cumming – Becoming a Skydiving Champion

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers, Formation Skydiving

matt cumming winter webinar

Multiple time 4 way FS medallist and 8 way FS national champion Matt Cumming shares his journey from new skydiver to representing his country at the World Championships. In this Winter Webinar, he talks about how he became a competitive skydive, what competition in skydiving means to him and why his aspired to make it to the world stage. He also gives his tips and advice … Read More

Winter Webinar: Dieter Kirsch – Getting Onto FS Bigway World Records

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers, Formation Skydiving

winter webinar dieter kirsch

World renowned bigway load organiser and world record organiser Dieter Kirsch joined us for a Winter Webinar where he explained how bigway works, how organisers plan the dives and, most importantly, how YOU can get involved. Find out what he looks for when choosing world record participants, how he suggests you can upskill yourself ready for bigway, plus other tips and advice to help you on … Read More

Winter Webinar: Andy Malchiodi – Mixed Formation Skydiving (MFS)

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers, Freefly and Artistics

andy malchiodi mfs

We welcomed 12 time US National Champion and one time World Champion Andy Malchiodi to talk to us about Mixed Formation Skydiving (MFS) – the discipline which combines all axes of flying including head up, head down, belly and back to earth. Find out why he loves it so much, why it’s so popular in the USA and how you can get into it here: In … Read More

Skydive The Expo: Mini Briefs

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

skydive the expo mini briefs

We spent this weekend at the Skydive The Expo event, where, amongst other things, we delivered 15 minute briefs for the attendees. The briefs were delivered by members of the Langar team, who shared their experiences and stories with the aim of inspiring those who listened. We recorded all of the mini briefs and you can find them all over on YouTube or embedded below. Thanks … Read More

Winter Webinar: Rich Wheatley – Normalisation of Deviance

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

Skydive Langar’s own Chief Instructor Richard Wheatley gave a talk on the topic of the normalisation of deviance – essentially, how we can keep ourselves safer in skydiving and how to celebrate positive behaviours and not be afraid to stand up against those which could make us unsafe. Check out the full recording below and take a look at our full series of Winter Webinars here.

Winter Webinar: Hannah Parker

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

winter webinar hannah parker

Hannah Parker presented a Winter Webinar for us, sharing stories of her career in skydiving. Learn about how she started out at the University of Nottingham skydiving club, her travels around the world, working at Skydive Spain, moving to Skydive Dubai, being part of world record jumps and more. Hannah brings a huge amount of experience as well as being among the nicest people you’ll meet … Read More

Progression Weekends in 2024

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

swoop to pin skydive langar

Progression is a core focus for us here at Langar, where we’re passionate about providing the highest standards in training and development to help everyone to enjoy our amazing sport. In 2022, we introduced our Progression School, which exists to make more, better coaching available to all. The way we’ve done that is through annual coach evaluations, coach development programmes and coach benefits packages; these have … Read More

Winter Webinars

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

WINTER WEBINARS

January marks the beginning of a new series called Winter Webinars, where we’ve invited legends from across the world of skydiving to come and share their stories to inspire, educate and entertain you throughout the winter months. Open to any fun jumpers – experienced or student, Langar locals or otherwise – these free webinars will last 20-40 minutes and also be recorded and shared afterwards. Check … Read More

British Skydiving Expo: What to Expect

Laura HamptonExperienced Skydivers

british skydiving expo

The British Skydiving Expo is takes place on 27th January at the East Midlands Conference Centre… here’s what to expect and why we think fun jumpers are going to want to stop by! Free Mini Seminars at the Skydive Langar Stand We’ll be at our stand throughout the day – find us in a corner spot for an array of goodies, the chance to chat to … Read More

Understanding Skydiving Licences

Skydive LangarUncategorised

Throughout the year, we’ve been celebrating new skydiving licences by posting photos of our jumpers with large letters A, B, C and D on our Instagram story. But what do those licences mean? And why the big letters? Allow us to tell all! Skydiving A licence The A licence is the first licence a skydiver achieves after passing their initial skydiving course. Anyone learning to skydive … Read More

Is Skydiving Safe?

Skydive LangarTandem skydive

book-tandem-skydive

Skydiving is an awesome sport that thousands of people enjoy every year, right here at Skydive Langar. With more than 50,000 descents being made in 2023 alone, we’re highly experienced in delivering exciting, memorable, safe experiences to everyone from first time jumpers to experienced hobbyists. But we also know that one of the questions you’ll be asking before your first jump is ‘is skydiving safe‘. The … Read More

Who is skydiving for?

Skydive LangarTandem skydive

Skydiving is an incredible experience and one which thousands of people come to enjoy for the first time every year here at Langar. But who is most likely to enjoy skydiving? In short, we think everyone can love our sport. To help you work out if it’s for you, here are some trends we’ve seen in people coming to skydive for the first time this year. … Read More

Why don’t tandems wear helmets but their instructors do?

Skydive LangarTandem skydive

It’s a question that comes up from time to time; why do tandem students not have to wear helmets but their instructors, and other skydivers, do? In short, there is no safety requirement for helmets on tandem students in the UK. Your instructor is primarily wearing theirs as it holds their audible altimeters and protects their head from any potential knocks, which are highly unlikely but … Read More

Langar skydiver lands on unicorn

Laura HamptonExperienced Skydivers

unicorn landing skydive langar

You may have already seen this in the news and if you haven’t… where have you been? A Skydive Langar staff member has secured nationwide fandom after landing on a unicorn – with the video being shared across news outlets and social media channels across the UK and beyond. The skydiver in question is tandem instructor Jan Zackl, who performed the feat as part of our … Read More

New British Female Head Down Skydiving Record

Skydive LangarFreefly and Artistics

British Head Down Female Record by Andrew Ford

Female skydivers have set a new British record for the largest number of women to participate in a successful head-down formation jump here at Skydive Langar. The skydive required the women to jump out of an aircraft at 14,000 feet and then fly together in a ‘head down’ position – meaning their heads were the lowest part of their body, in an ‘upside down’ manner – … Read More

Formation Skydiving and Artistics World Cup – Good Luck Everyone!

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

alola formation skydiving team

It’s that part of the season where competitive skydiving reaches its crescendo. Having recently celebrated success amongst Langar staff and fun jumpers at the British National Canopy Piloting Championships and the British National Canopy Formation Championships, and with the Wingsuiting World Championships also on this week, we are excited to wish lots of luck to our friends and colleagues at the Formation Skydiving and Artistics World … Read More

Wingsuit Performance World Cup 2023; Good luck Ryan!

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

learn to wingsuit

We’re wishing GOOD LUCK to Langar team member Ryan today as he embarks on his first FAI Wingsuit Performance World Cup, taking place this week in the Czech Republic. Ryan is representing Great Britain in the wingsuit performance advanced category in which he will be judged in three criteria – speed, distance and time. While we eagerly await the first round scores and send Ryan all … Read More

Skydiving Displays: What are they and why do we do them?

Skydive LangarEvents

skydiving display

Last night, members of the Skydive Langar team made a jump into local town Bingham to land in the Bingham Rugby Club. Local residents came out to watch and we were able to entertain them by flying around the skies with coloured fog and landing right in front of them, on the rugby pitch. We like to do these ‘display jumps’ from time to time, and … Read More

Understanding Skydiving Weather

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers, Tandem skydive

Skydiving is a sport dependent on certain weather conditions being fulfilled to make it safe. For us in the UK, ‘good weather’ can seem harder to find than other popular skydiving locations like the USA… but we have a lot more jumpable days here than you might think! And, being open 364 days a year (every day except Christmas Day), we’re well positioned to make the … Read More

Proper Dink Canopy Formation Boogie 2023

Skydive LangarCanopy Formation, Experienced Skydivers

The Proper Dink CF Boogie may be over, but the jorts will live on… Not sure what a Proper Dink is? Want to learn more about canopy formations? Then this post is for you! Here’s our review of the first ever Proper Dink CF Boogie. The Proper Dink Canopy Formation Boogie took place in early July here at Langar and is the first event of its … Read More

Skydivers set new British formation skydiving record at Skydive Langar

Skydive LangarFormation Skydiving

Skydivers at Langar set a new British record this week for the biggest ever sequential formation dive to take place in the UK – and then broke their own record two jumps later. 41 jumpers combined to create two consecutive shapes in the sky – the largest number of Brits ever to do so. Two jumps later, they formed three consecutive formations and in doing so, … Read More

4 Way Tips from Chimera

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers, Formation Skydiving

Guest post from Chimera 4 Way Formation Skydiving Team, the current reigning 4 way champions Thank you all for attending the Chimera Scrambles at Skydive Langar. We loved organising it and hope you had a good weekend. We have gathered some general tips and advice based on what we saw at the Scrambles and hope you’ll find all of this useful. Exits In four way, it’s … Read More

How do we communicate in freefall?

Skydive LangarAFF

Learn to Skydive - AFF Course

In-air coaching is a big part of how we teach people to skydive. So being able to communicate effectively is important. Lots of people ask us how we communicate when we’re falling at speeds of around 120mph – and how our students manage to respond in those conditions too! The aim of this post is to explain how we communicate while skydiving and hopefully whet your … Read More

Coach the Cameraflyer: How to Film for Bigway FS

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

coach the cameraflyer

During Boogie One, Pete Harries, camera flyer at Skydive Langar and videographer for national championship winning team Chimera, hosted the first Coach the Cameraflyer workshop, focusing on how to film for bigway FS. This post is a write up of that talk, and also contains a video of his presentation plus the presentation slides themselves. If you’ve got any questions, feel free to contact us or … Read More

Corporate Team Building

Skydive LangarTandem skydive

Looking for your next corporate team building event? Take your team building to new heights with a group tandem skydive experience! Skydiving is a unique activity that takes participants out of their comfort zone to do something incredible. What better way to build team camaraderie and culture than a once-in-a-lifetime shared experience? Activity duration: 2+ hours, depending on group sizeActivity group size: 1 – 40Activity location: … Read More

What Does Skydiving Feel Like?

Skydive LangarTandem skydive

Skydiving is one of the most incredible experiences you’ll ever have. And it’s unlike anything else in the world! Because skydiving is so unique, it’s difficult to explain how it feels. But lots of people want to know so we’ll do our best to explain how skydiving feels here. Is skydiving exciting? Skydiving is definitely exciting! Imagine how you’re going to feel when that plane door … Read More

Equipment requirements for tracking and freeflying

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

Ready to start your journey toward TR1 or FF1? You’ll need a coach and the right equipment. The aim of this post is to outline specifically what equipment you’ll need so that once you have it, you’ll be ready to get coaching. Remember, you can always seek advice from an instructor or coach at the drop zone and our coaches will always check over your gear … Read More

High Performance Landing Area

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

Definitions High Performance Landing – Any landing where speed is deliberately increased for landing. PLA – Parachute Landing Area – A suitable area where it is intended parachutists will land. HPLA – A landing area reserved for parachutists intending to do a final turn greater than 90° Why have a HPLA? High performance landing areas keep traffic predictable. Skydivers who have declared a landing in the … Read More

Is there a ‘best time’ to learn to skydive?

Skydive LangarAFF

Learning to skydive is, we think, one of the best things you can ever do. Not only do you learn a new skill, you also open up a whole new world of opportunity, community, excitement, personal growth and achievement that is pretty much incomparable. As a training centre of excellence, we’ve welcomed thousands of people over the years who have come to learn to skydive with … Read More

Tandem Skydive Christmas Sale: Now On!

Skydive LangarTandem skydive

You can now get 10% off all of our tandem skydiving gift vouchers*! Give your loved ones the gift they’ll never forget this Christmas with a tandem skydiving gift voucher. They’ll experience the ultimate thrill as they jump out of a plane and descend from 14,000 feet, first at speeds upwards of 120mph in freefall and then gliding back down to earth under their parachute. Choose … Read More

FS1: The Key to Jumping With Your Friends

Skydive LangarAFF, Experienced Skydivers, Static line

3 way skydive fs

FS1 stands for formation skydiving 1 and is the first qualification you’ll aim to get after your A licence. While formation skydiving is a whole discipline in itself, the name FS1 for this qualification is a little misleading, because that’s not really what it’s about. Instead, think of FS1 as your gateway to jumping with other people. Because you can’t jump with anyone other than a … Read More

Buying your first gear

Skydive LangarAFF, Static line

AFF Level 1 Skydive

You’ve just qualified and gained your British Skydiving A Licence. Well done! The good news is that jump tickets get a whole load cheaper, the bad news is that you’ll have to shell out for some kit of your own. This can be a daunting process, there are a lot of options from a lot of different manufacturers, so here’s some guidance to getting on the … Read More

Skydiving World Championships 2022: Langar Teams Represent GB

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

The Skydiving World Championships are taking place right now in Arizona, USA, where skydivers from across the world compete across various disciplines to be named the very best on the planet. It’s especially exciting for us because there are a number of Skydive Langar staff, sponsored teams and fun jumpers in attendance. We’re really proud of all of our skydivers who are representing Great Britain; the … Read More

How to stay warm when skydiving in winter

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers, Tandem skydive

Winter Tandem Over Langar

Skydiving is an all-year sport. In fact, we skydive every day except Christmas Day (weather permitting). The main difference between jumping in the warmer summer months and the cooler winter months is the temperature, and the aim of this post is to share our top tips on how to stay warm as we move into winter. Should I skydive in the winter? Yes! Absolutely! There’s no … Read More

We’re hiring! Jobs at Skydive Langar

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

Carex TV Skydiving Project

We’re looking for full time and freelance staff for the 2023 summer season. Could you be part of the Langar team next year? Currently seeking: Tandem Instructor – full time and freelance Packer – full time (negotiable) If you are interested in applying for either of these roles, please email ops@skydivelangar.co.uk letting us know which role you’re applying for and any relevant experience you have. Tandem … Read More

How to get the most out of your tandem skydive video

Skydive LangarTandem skydive

Many tandem skydivers choose to add the skydive video and photo package to their jump – and it’s easy to see why! Whether it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, or the start of a new and incredible journey, having your skydive captured on video and photos means you can treasure – and share – the memories forever. Here are our tips for getting the most out of your … Read More

Tips for Putting Together a Freefly Team for Nationals

Chris CookExperienced Skydivers, Freefly and Artistics

Skydive Langar is proudly hosting the Artistic Skydiving Nationals for the first time ever at the end of September, and so we thought it would be a good idea to take some time and explain what ‘Artistics’ actually means, and why all Langar’s freeflyers should think about taking part. Freefly and Freestyle Essentially the difference between the disciplines boils down to the number of performers. Freestyle … Read More

What is CF? Your guide to Canopy Formation

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

canopy formation jump by max holmes

Skydive Langar is proud to be hosting the British National Canopy Formation Championships for 2022. To mark the occasion, the aim of this post is to tell you all you need to know about CF (also known as CRW, or Canopy Relative Work) and how CF jumpers compete. What is Canopy Formation and who can do it? Canopy Formation, or CF, is the discipline of building … Read More

How to Become a TR Coach – Top Tips

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

tracking-at-langar

With tracking growing in popularity, there is even more demand than ever for TR coaches. The aim of this post is to outline the general steps you can take to become a TR coach; it’s worth noting that every coach’s personal journey is different, but this should help you plan your own route. If you’ve got any questions on becoming a coach and coaching at Langar, … Read More

What is Wingsuiting?

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers, Freefly and Artistics

wingsuit

Wingsuiting is something a lot of our students ask us about. Sometimes referred to as ‘squirrel suits’, wingsuits are jumpsuits that allow skydivers to fly for longer in the sky using their ‘wings’. Skydive Langar is home of the British Wingsuiting National Championships for 2022, taking place this weekend. The purpose of this post is to give you an introduction to the discipline and tell you … Read More

Do I have to wear a jumpsuit to skydive?

Skydive LangarAFF, Experienced Skydivers, Tandem skydive

In short, the answer is no, you do not have to wear a jumpsuit to skydive. But there are many reasons to choose to do so anyway. The aim of this post is to explore some of those so you can make better informed decisions about what to wear on your next jump. Do I have to wear a jumpsuit for a tandem skydive? If you’re … Read More

Skydiving Currency: What it means and why it’s so important

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

Skydiving is often compared to skiing; it’s high adrenaline, weather dependent and typically comes with an epic community of awesome people. But unlike skiing or snowboarding, skydiving currency is an incredibly important part of our safety. While you might go skiing one Christmas and then not visit the slopes again for another couple of years and still be fine, if you’re getting into skydiving, you need … Read More

B Licence to C Licence: What’s Next?

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

tracking-over-skydive-langar

You’ve got your B licence and you’re absolutely rocking that full face helmet! But what’s next? British Skydiving’s guidelines provide a good pathway for B licence jumpers to take, and the aim of this post is to explore those in more detail and also to consider the many other ways you can enjoy this part of your skydiving journey. As always, if you have any queries … Read More

Load Organising at Langar: What to expect and how to become an LO

Laura HamptonExperienced Skydivers

Load organising is the term used to describe group skydives which are planned, briefed and debriefed by a load organiser, or ‘LO’. Load organising happens across disciplines and here at Langar, we regularly host ‘invitational’ load organising (where participants receive an invite to join) and ‘walk up’ load organising, which is where you simply turn up on the day and join in. It’s a great way … Read More

Father’s Day Gift Idea: Skydiving Gift Vouchers!

Skydive LangarTandem skydive

Father’s Day is just around the corner and with many of us still wondering what to buy, Skydive Langar has you covered with tandem skydiving vouchers – the perfect Father’s Day gift. We know how hard it can be to find a present that shows your dad just how special he is, so why not give him a once in a lifetime, completely unique experience? How … Read More

3 Way FS Dive Pool

Skydive LangarFormation Skydiving

3 way formation skydive

The recent changes to FS1 mean that 2 and 3 way formation skydives are becoming much more commonplace as people build their experience and confidence ahead of achieving their 4 way endorsement. But did you know that even before the changes, which were brought in by British Skydiving in February 2022, 2 and 3 way jumps and even 3 way competitions were popular in helping people … Read More

How to become a Progression School Coach – FS, FF and TR

Laura HamptonExperienced Skydivers

fs evaluation skydive langar progression school

Our Progression School was created to make more, better coaching available to our jumpers. Since its launch, we’ve welcomed an array of new coaches across FS, FF and TR, and we plan to look in more detail at disciplines like CF and WS in the future. The aim of this post is to describe the process of becoming a Progression School Coach and unlocking the benefits … Read More

A Licence to B Licence: What can you do?

Skydive LangarAFF, Experienced Skydivers, Static line

The journey from first jump to A licence is clearly defined. You decide you want to skydive, you book onto either an AFF or a Category Systems course and you progress through the levels until you reach A licence status somewhere between 18 and 25 jumps later. Once you have your A licence, you’ll want to start working toward your B licence. The aim of this … Read More

Sky Games 2022: 20 Way Formations

Laura HamptonFormation Skydiving

The Sky Games are back for 2022 and this time our formations are even more challenging! We’re pushing the boundaries of what’s technically possible, using the skills of some of Langar’s best FS jumpers to make it happen! And we’re sharing all of the formations here, should anyone want to use them for inspiration, or to flat out copy them from us. If you do use … Read More

4 Way Formation Skydiving (FS) Dive Pool

Skydive LangarFormation Skydiving

Fancy trying your hand at 4 way FS? Whether you’re in a team getting ready to compete, or just having some fun with friends, the 4 way dive pool gives you loads formation skydives to try. You can find the full dive pool, drawn by Pete Harries and checked for accuracy by FS judge Lucy Westgarth, here (last updated May 2022): 4 way randoms 4 way … Read More

How long does a skydive last?

Skydive LangarTandem skydive

Skydiving is probably one of the most exciting things you’ll do in your lifetime. But while you can be certain of a great time, there are other things about our sport that you might be wondering about – like, for example, how long a skydive lasts for, how long you’ll be falling in freefall and how long it takes to fly the parachute to the ground. … Read More

What to Wear to Go Skydiving

Skydive LangarAFF, Static line, Tandem skydive

We’re often asked ‘what should I wear for my skydive?’. Well, here’s your answer! In short, you should wear something comfortable that you can move easily in. Most people choose to wear something like joggers or leggings with a jumper, plus trainers. If you have that, that’ll work. Here are a few more things to consider… What clothes to wear to skydive The clothing you wear … Read More

How to use instructional tools to benefit your coaching briefs

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

British Skydiving has provided British Skydiving instructors with a number of frameworks designed to help us to be more effective instructors. These frameworks apply to coaching, too – and with our Progression School, we aim to upskill our coaches to be able to make better use of these tools that we as instructors already use to teach our students. You can find another blog post on … Read More

What is a Skydiving Boogie?

Skydive LangarEvents, Experienced Skydivers

boogie bigway

If you’ve spent any time on the drop zone, it’s likely you’ve heard excited voices talking about Boogies… but what exactly is a Boogie? Here’s everything you need to know. What happens at a Boogie? A Boogie is essentially a skydiving festival. A Boogie typically has even more jumping with even more organised jumps, too. There are usually more parties and more social activities going on … Read More

Methods of Instruction for Instructors and Coaches

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

Everyone from budding coaches to fully fledged and experienced instructors will know that there is a set of methods of instruction intended to guide our coaching and instructional techniques. Those techniques are most commonly taught as part of the methods of instruction brief needed to start on your coaching journey. But their power lies not in that initial introduction, but in the way they are practically … Read More

Skydiving Jumpsuits: What Should I Buy?

Skydive LangarAFF, Experienced Skydivers, Static line

New to skydiving and wondering what jumpsuit to buy? This blog post is for you! Your choice of jumpsuit is influenced by a number of factors. While we’re not going to recommend any specific manufacturer (there are lots, each have their benefits), we will share insight into the considerations you need to take when choosing what to buy. This post is intended mainly for those of … Read More

You’ve got your A licence…. what now?

Skydive LangarAFF, Experienced Skydivers, Static line

Congratulations, you’ve achieved your skydiving A licence! A whole world of new experiences, new people and new fun in the sky awaits… And while your journey from novice to A licence holder has been pretty well defined, what comes next is relatively open. The purpose of this blog post is to help you understand what happens once you’ve achieved your British Skydiving A Licence. If you … Read More

What’s New with FS1?

Laura HamptonExperienced Skydivers, Formation Skydiving

British Skydiving has changed the way we award FS1 (the qualification needed to jump with other people, usually obtained just after A licence). The change to the rules is a fairly simple one but it does have a knock on effect to the way we award the qualification – and what you can subsequently do in the sky – so the purpose of this post is … Read More

Introducing the Progression School

Laura HamptonExperienced Skydivers

One of the best things about our sport is that there are so many different routes for progression! You really can never get bored. Whether it’s working toward your FS1 straight after getting your A licence, learning to fly like a plane with WS, getting to grips with all the angles through FF and TR, developing your canopy knowledge with CT, or learning to capture the … Read More

Is a Tandem Skydive a Good Christmas Gift?

Laura HamptonTandem skydive

Is tandem skydiving a good Christmas gift? The short answer, as you might expect coming from a skydiving centre, is YES! Absolutely! Tandem skydives – available in the form of gift vouchers – are a fantastic gift. But we also know you want to make sure you’re buying the best possible present for your loved one, so the purpose of this post is to explore the … Read More

How to Use the Wind Tunnel as a Tool for Skydiving

Laura HamptonExperienced Skydivers

Wind tunnels are great fun. Pitched as “indoor skydiving simulators”, they offer skydivers and non-skydivers an opportunity to try body flight in a different environment, and have been popping up across the UK since 2005, most recently at the Bear Grylls Adventure in Birmingham. While we believe that no experience can ever come even close to that of a real life skydive, we do recognise that … Read More

British Freefly and Freestyle National Championships 2021: Results

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers, Freefly and Artistics

We are very proud to have hosted the 2021 British Freefly and Freestyle (Artistics) National Championships. Here are the final scores. Thank you so much to everyone who attended and who helped to make the event great. Fancy joining in next time? Check out Chris Cook’s blog post explaining the rules and some top tips to put together your freefly / freestyle team. Freefly A Team … Read More

UPT Sky Games 2021: 20 Way Formation Skydives

Laura HamptonExperienced Skydivers, Formation Skydiving

We’re very excited to be hosting the first ever UPT Sky Games during Boogie 2. Having watched events like the Arizona Challenge and the Power Games in awe, we wanted to create something of our own to push the boundaries of bigway skydiving, and to have a lot of Boogie fun! The event is invitational and is being run by Chimera with support from UPT. The … Read More

How to Catch Tandems

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

In mid to high winds a 300-400 sqft Tandem Canopy will act like a sail and drag the Tandem Student and Instructor. For the instructor this can be difficult to stop whilst attached to the student. It’s very useful to have “catchers” assistants who help collapse the canopy after landing. We’re always happy for anyone to help with this. It’s a great way to help out … Read More

Thinking about Nationals? Tips for putting together a last minute 4 way team…

Laura HamptonExperienced Skydivers, Formation Skydiving

The British Skydiving National Championships are just around the corner. Whether you have a team ready, or you’re thinking about whether or not to throw one together, this blog post is for you! Skydive Langar proudly sponsors Chimera, the top ranked open FS team in the UK, and Chimera have put together all their advice for FS jumpers in the run up to Nationals here. Tips … Read More

Guiness World Record Skydive: Most High Fives in Freefall!

Laura HamptonUncategorised

skydive high five world record

The media are calling them “daredevils”, but we know them as Josh and Emily… the Guiness World Record holders for the most high and low fives done in one skydive! Let’s face it, for those of us who know them, it should come as no surprise that skydive instructors Emily and Josh are great at high fiving. But now they are officially the best in the … Read More

Bingham Cub Scouts Visit Skydive Langar

Laura HamptonUncategorised

Cubs looking at Aircraft

Cub Scouts from Bingham have been enjoying a glimpse into skydiving life, with a special event hosted by Skydive Langar. We invited the Cubs, who ranged from 8 to 10 years of age, to come and learn more about skydiving, as the skills and behaviours we use in our sport mirror many of the values of the Scouts. We had a lot of fun walking 8 … Read More

Out Of My Comfort Zone and Onto The Drop Zone

Laura HamptonAFF, Charity skydives

nino aff skydive

Over the years, we’ve welcomed hundreds of new skydivers who experience the thrill of the jump as a tandem skydive and then come back to learn to jump alone through our AFF skydiving course. One thing that every one of those individuals has in common is an absolute love for the sport of skydiving. Whether that love is derived from a long term ambition to jump, … Read More

Getting the most out of your consols

Skydive LangarAFF

Dive Exit

Consolidation jumps are a chance to practice the skills you’ve learnt during your AFF Course levels and also learn some extra skills. To achieve your A licence you’ll need to complete 10 consolidation jump and your Level 8 (Hop and Pop) after the 7 Level Skydiving Course. After your A licence you’ll probably want to start learning how to jump with other people, this is the … Read More

“PANIC!” – What happened to CH1?

Richard WheatleyExperienced Skydivers

I’ve seen and heard a lot of rumour and speculation recently about the proposed changes to the canopy system used in the UK. There seems to be a great disturbance in the Force with much worry about what the Dark Side are trying to impose. I was not part of the working group but I am, as a Chief Instructor, a member of Safety and Training … Read More

Fitness Inspiration for the Skydiving Season

Chris CookExperienced Skydivers

Good news! It looks like we aren’t too far from skydiving in the UK starting up again. The bad news? Given the winter lock-down following on from Christmas, most of us haven’t felt the inspiration to keep our fitness at a decent level for sports. Last year, we found that once jumping started after the first lock-down, a lot of experienced skydivers were reporting niggling injuries … Read More

Langar Zoogie!

Laura HamptonEvents, Experienced Skydivers, Formation Skydiving

langar zoogie

Lockdown regulations may have kept us at home for a while, but that didn’t stop us bringing together a few hundred of our skydiving friends for an all day (and all night!) online Boogie – the Zoogie! Check out all the videos from the day, plus some extra resources, here: Ally Milne: A Beginner’s Guide to the Basics of Tracking Ally has been skydiving and instructing … Read More

Parachuting vs Skydiving – What’s the difference?

Skydive LangarCharity skydives, Static line, Tandem skydive

skydiving vs parachuting

One of the most common questions for first time jumpers is “what’s the difference between a parachute jump and a skydive?”. Well really they’re the same thing. At the end of a skydive we deploy the parachute and safely glide back to earth. All skydives involve a parachute, so skydiving is also parachuting, and a skydive is also a parachute jump. The History of Parachute Jumps … Read More

Chimera Book of Bigway Skydiving Formations

Laura HamptonExperienced Skydivers, Formation Skydiving

Are you looking for inspiration for your next bigway skydive? Perhaps you’re load organising and in need of some new ideas? Or just jumping with your friends and want something new to do? Bigway skydiving is so much fun, but working out which formations to build and how to transition between them can be tough. Even if you’re the most experienced bigway organiser, sometimes you just … Read More

We’re Open!

Skydive LangarAFF, Experienced Skydivers, Static line, Tandem skydive

COVID-19 Advice Poster

UPDATE: As of 1st August, Advanced booking is no longer mandatory for qualified jumpers. Visitors to the airfield agree to having their temperature checked and will need to sign a symptom declaration upon arrival. Social distancing will be maintained at all times and protective equipment will be worn by staff and visitors when necessary. Hand sanitising stations have been added around the DZ. Tandem Skydives We … Read More

COVID-19 Staff Training

Skydive LangarAFF, Experienced Skydivers, Tandem skydive

This week we completed a staff training programme to trial skydiving again under new social distancing measures. We aren’t yet at the point of being able to resume operations, but it’s a step in the right direction! The situation changes day to day and we’re watching closely ready for when we can open. Below are some of the new procedures that have been introduced. Arriving at … Read More

A Safe Return to Swooping

Chris CookExperienced Skydivers

Team Landing On Valkyries

This is a weird situation for me.  I haven’t gone over a month without at least one skydive since 2010.  When we do get back jumping this is going to provide me with challenges that I have never had to deal with before. The one that concerns me the most is not being current under my parachute. Most people know what it is like to feel … Read More

Does your first skydive have to be a Tandem?

Skydive LangarAFF, Static line, Tandem skydive

Tandem skydive over nottingham

The most common start to a licenced skydiver’s journey is with a tandem skydive thinking it would be a one off then they end up loving it so much they go on to become licensed skydivers themselves. A Tandem Skydive is where you are harnessed to the front of a fully qualified tandem skydive instructor jumping from 14000ft. Experiencing adrenaline packed freefall reaching 120mph, followed by … Read More

Why should you skydive? 5 reasons that will make you want to leap out that plane!

Skydive LangarTandem skydive

Tandem skydive smiles

1. Skydiving is a bucket list favourite So, do you want to jump out a aeroplane? How many people do you know who have said their tandem skydive was “indescribable”, “lost for words”, “cant describe it”? Its a major bucket list contender that brings a feeling that you could never experience through videos, books or a blog. 2. Awesome instructors You are bound to be nervous, … Read More

Meet the Team – Gary “Swoop”

Skydive LangarMeet the Team

Meet the Team - Gary - Tandem Skydive Instructor

How and when did you start jumping? RAPS at Halfpenny Green – 1993. Had wanted to jump since I was 10 and finally did when I had some money doing a summer job. Didn’t tell my folks until I got onto freefall. I came to Langar in 1994, after Halfpenny Green shut – Dean dispatched me on my cat 8 jump! How many jumps do you … Read More

How to Jumpmaster

Skydive LangarExperienced Skydivers

Jumpmaster Spotting Skydivers

The role of the jumpmaster (JM) is to organise and take care of the skydivers on board the aircraft. This job starts on the ground by making sure everybody has been checked on the flightline, and spans all the way to ensuring that everyone exits from the correct spot, with several other elements along the way. There are many aspects involved in being JM and often … Read More

5 Pro Tips for your First Skydive

Skydive LangarTandem skydive

Smiling tandem skydiver

Skydiving’s an awesome experience that’ll give you a whole new outlook on life. Here’s our top 5 tips to make sure you have the best time ever on your first skydive. 1. Dress for Success We’ll provide you with a jumpsuit to protect your clothes, here’s some advice for what clothes you should wear. Shoes – Trainers or tennis shoes are best. Flip flops or other … Read More

Meet the Team – Richard Wheatley

Skydive LangarMeet the Team

Richard Wheatley - Meet the Team

How and when did you start jumping? I did ground school on the 25th June 1989, trained partially by newly rated Potential Instructor Tony Danbury (now we call them Basic Instructors) followed by my first jump (static line round) from the islander on Thursday 29th June – flown by Angela, dispatched by Dave Hickling. How many jumps do you have? 11200 give or take a few. … Read More

4 Way Tips: From FS1 to The Podium, by Chimera

Laura HamptonFormation Skydiving

4 way formation skydiving is one of the most popular ways to get into competing in our sport. Combining speed with technical detail and flowing performance, 4 way is accessible to anyone from the point you gain your FS1 qualification. Recently, I hosted a live webinar for Skydive Langar where I shared my tips for 4 way FS, based on my experience as a 4 way … Read More

Formation Skydiving: How to Become an FS Jumper

Skydive LangarFormation Skydiving

Formation skydiving is one of the most popular disciplines in modern skydiving. That’s because it’s the first one you’ll learn after gaining your A licence, and the one which gives you the skills and ability to jump with others. And, after all, sharing the sky with your friends is what this is all about! Here, we’ll outline the steps you need to take to gain your … Read More