Irish Parachute Club
Encyclopedia
The Irish Parachute Club (IPC) is located in Clonbullogue, County Offaly
, in Ireland
. It was founded in 1956 by wartime paratrooper
Freddie Bond and began operations at Weston airfield
in Leixlip
, training several teams for international competition. During the harsh winter of 1962, the IPC parachute
d emergency supplies to snowbound farms in the Wicklow Mountains
.
The club later operated from a number of locations before establishing a drop zone
in 1974 at Tokn Grass, west of Edenderry
. The first club aircraft, a Cessna 172
, was bought in the same year. In 1983, a Cessna 206 was bought and, in 1988, the club moved to its current location at Clonbullogue Airfield.
There have been important developments more recently including the construction of hangar
s and other buildings, the purchase of a Pilatus PC-6 Porter turbine aircraft, and the setting of several Irish skydiving records including a 51 person formation
in July 2008. The IPC operates on weekends and bank holiday
s, and offers tandem skydiving
, accelerated freefall
, and static line
parachuting
training programmes.
has one grass strip runway running east-west which is 770 m long and 18 m wide.
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It was founded in 1956 by wartime paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
Freddie Bond and began operations at Weston airfield
Weston Airport
Weston Airport or Aerfort Weston in Irish, is a publicly licensed executive airport located on the R403 regional road at Leixlip, County Kildare west of Dublin, in Ireland...
in Leixlip
Leixlip
-Politics:Since 1988 Leixlip has had a nine member Town Council , headed by a Cathaoirleach , which has control over many local matters, although it is limited in that it is not also a planning authority...
, training several teams for international competition. During the harsh winter of 1962, the IPC parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
d emergency supplies to snowbound farms in the Wicklow Mountains
Wicklow Mountains
The Wicklow Mountains form the largest continuous upland area in Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into Counties Carlow, Wexford and Dublin. Where the mountains extend into County Dublin, they are known locally as the Dublin Mountains...
.
The club later operated from a number of locations before establishing a drop zone
Drop zone
A drop zone is a place where parachutists or parachuted supplies land. It can be an area targeted for landing by paratroopers, or a base from which recreational parachutists and skydivers take off in aircraft and land under parachutes...
in 1974 at Tokn Grass, west of Edenderry
Edenderry, County Offaly
Edenderry is a town in the north of County Offaly, Ireland. It is near the borders with Counties Kildare, Meath and Westmeath. The Grand Canal passes immediately south of the town through the Bog of Allen and there is a short spur to the town centre....
. The first club aircraft, a Cessna 172
Cessna 172
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.-Design and development:...
, was bought in the same year. In 1983, a Cessna 206 was bought and, in 1988, the club moved to its current location at Clonbullogue Airfield.
There have been important developments more recently including the construction of hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
s and other buildings, the purchase of a Pilatus PC-6 Porter turbine aircraft, and the setting of several Irish skydiving records including a 51 person formation
Formation skydiving
Formation skydiving is the art of building formations in free-fall with multiple people gripping each others' limbs or specially built "grippers" on their jumpsuits....
in July 2008. The IPC operates on weekends and bank holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
s, and offers tandem skydiving
Tandem skydiving
Tandem skydiving or tandem parachuting refers to a type of skydiving where a student skydiver is connected via a harness to a tandem instructor. The instructor guides the student through the whole jump from exit through freefall, piloting the canopy, and landing. The student needs only minimal...
, accelerated freefall
Accelerated Freefall
Accelerated freefall is a method of skydiving training. This method of skydiving training is called "accelerated" because the progression is the fastest way to experience solo freefall, normally from 10,000 to 15,000 feet "Above Ground Level"...
, and static line
Static line
A static line is a fixed cord attached to a large, stable object. It is used for safety in construction andto open parachutes automatically for paratroopers and novice parachutists.-Use in parachuting:...
parachuting
Parachuting
Parachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...
training programmes.
Airfield
Clonbullogue AirfieldClonbullogue Aerodrome
Clonbullogue Airfield is a small Irish airport located about west of Clonbollogue and south of Edenderry in County Offaly, Ireland. It is owned and operated by the Irish Parachute Club which is based at the field. The airfield has one grass runway running east-west which is...
has one grass strip runway running east-west which is 770 m long and 18 m wide.
