bo leh.
Red Lions set to wow crowds during National Day
Parade
10 July 2006 1826 hrs (SST) 1026 hrs (GMT)
SINGAPORE : One red-and-white element always sets the pulse racing
and the crowd cheering at every National Day Parade - and this year
it will be no different.
Fifteen daredevil Red Lions will freefall into the stadium on
August 9.
At 54, First Warrant Officer K Aravinder is the grandfather of the
group - in more ways than one.
He said, "My grandchildren are waiting to see their granddaddy
jump, and I hope I make a good impression on them."
But after more 1,500 jumps, he is ready to call it a day, and this
National Day Parade will be his eighth and final one before he
retires in November.
Still, his mind remains as sharp as ever, an essential quality as
he is one of three jumpers who will have to land on an exact
spot.
Said First Warrant Officer Aravinder, "Mind goes blank; I
concentrate on the 5cm disc. Don't worry about what's on your left
and right, just focus on it, control the canopy, hand and leg
movements, and just come down slide the canopy on it."
Twenty-nine-year-old Jerome Siow, doing his first NDP jump, is the
baby of the group, with just 270 jumps to his credit.
As a young boy watching the parade, he was initially interested in
other aspects of the parade, but that has changed now.
He said, "I was more interested in the parade where the guys form
up and do the gun salute. After a while, I realised whenever I wear
my blue T-shirt and walk around, they go wow."
Channel NewsAsia dropped in on the team's recent full dress
rehearsal.
But before the spectacular jumps come the safety briefing and the
double safety checks.
The Red Lion pilots say that when it comes to jumping, the
difference between doing it from a plane and a helicopter is that
there is less wind resistance with the Chinook, so you go down
immediately.
On the chopper itself, it is fairly quiet, as the team members make
final checks and strap on their smoke flares; the audience will see
swirls of coloured smoke when they emerge from the aircraft.
Big smiles from the team, and off they go - first the three
high-precision jumpers, and then the rest at split second
intervals.
A few heart-stopping moments later, the crowd breaks into loud
cheers.
And it is clear the Red Lions have done it again, winning the
hearts of the audience. - CNA /ct
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/palmnews/singaporelocalnews/view/218256/1/.html
