TAIPING, Aug 25 — Jumping from a height of 4,000 metres and then having only seconds to open the parachute before landing in front of the main tent during the 2023 National Day celebrations on Aug 31, can pose a big challenge and risk to even the most experienced skydiver.
But with the necessary skills, ability and experience, six commandos from the Royal Malaysia Police VAT69 team will put on a special parachute jump performance with the Jalur Gemilang flag, making it the highlight of this year’s celebrations at Dataran Putrajaya.
The Commander of the VAT 69 Commando team SAC Hamzah Hashim said the parachute performance would be difficult for any professional diver in the country, but his team would prove its greatness, especially as the commandos are tasked to protect the country’s borders.
“If the last diving exercise we conducted last year was successful with only one or two training sessions, then, Insya Allah, the commandos will be able to perform precision landing jumps to the target set on the National Day,” he said.
“The six of them are mostly experts who can perform precision dives in addition to their constant training,” he told Bernama when met at the skydiving demonstration in Padang Tekah recently.
Hamzah said a number of factors influence the diver to perform an accurate dive, including weather, equipment and a healthy body.
He said a diver needs an altitude of 4,000 metres for a parachute jump, especially for performance purposes, and not more than that to land in time.
“At an altitude of more than 4,000 metres, the time for landing is just wasted and dragged out because we have to catch up with other programmes (National Day).
“Altitudes of 2,000 to 3,000 metres can also be used for a precise dive, but this violates the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of diving and is dangerous for other divers,” he said.
On the criteria that the VAT 69 commando team must meet to participate in parachuting, Hamzah said the individuals must have a keen eye for any weather change and be sensitive to estimate the altitude and distance to the target.
“Officers and personnel who wish to participate in skydiving must be trained and assessed by parachute trainers before they are put on a list and graded according to their respective parachute jumping level,” he said.
