Introduction of Accelerated Free Fall in South Africa by Recces

In South African skydiving circles, AFF, or Accelerated Freefall training, remains the fastest and most effective form of skydive training, and there are numerous occasions during which AFF was attemp

In South African skydiving circles, AFF, or Accelerated Freefall training, remains the fastest and most effective form of skydive training, and there are numerous occasions during which AFF was attempted on a short term basis in civilian skydiving.

A visit from UK instructor / examiner Pete Allem in the late 80’s resulted in a group from the Cape, Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg being certified under the UK AFF certification, a few full-time AFF schools began to operate.

The real truth of the matter however, is that the civvies were way behind the 8-ball.

The first AFF in the country, was run by South African Special Force Operators, members of the unit that was formerly known as1 Recce Commando,based at the Bluff in Durban.

Operator Frans Van Dyk tells the story, taken with permission from the April newsletter of the South African Special Forces Association ‘Fort Outeniqua’ branch.

“During 1977 WO2 Koos Moorcroft was deployed in Rhodesia with the Selous Scouts. There he met an American, John Urley, who served with the Selous Scouts. Urley told Koos about a technique they used at the US Marines to speed-up freefall training.

Moorcroft realised the potential of this kind of training, and he request permission from Cmdt Jakes Swart to try it out. Permission was granted.

A freefall course was scheduled to try out this new technique, called accelerated freefall. The methodology of this is that the freefall students started jumping at 10 000 feet from the first jump. This is where the harness-jumps come in. Experienced freefall instructors do a harness-jump with the students during the first 2-4 jumps whereafter students go solo.

During the harness-jumps the instructors hold -on to the parachute harness of the jumper and ensure that he falls stable and that he is aware of his surroundings. At approximately 3500 feet the instructor indicates to the jumper that he must pull the ripcord to deploy his parachute. This technique worked well, and the student progressed much faster in executing various manoeuvres in the air before deploying his parachute.

At 1 Parachute Battalion the freefall instructors were very sceptical about this kind of freefall training. WO1 Johnny Kieser the RSM of 1 Parachute Battalion and a highly experienced parachutist did not like the accelerated freefall way of training.

Koos Moorcroft arranged for Kieser to do a standard freefall course parallel to an accelerated freefall course. The training took place at 1 Recce.

Johnny Kieser and his course were still busy doing static line freefall jumps while Moorcroft and his jumpers advanced quickly and executing various freefall manoeuvres. On completion of the training Johnny Kieser admits that accelerated freefall is the way to go. However, the Parachute Battalion never accepted accelerated freefall.

This group of Recce jumpers were trained by using the accelerated freefall technique and progressed to high altitude freefall jumps. For years to come the Recce freefall instructors used this technique to train high altitude jumpers.” – Frans Van Dyk.

Frans Van Dyk, Jimmy Oberholzer, Koos Moorcroft and many of the Recce operator’s became great friends of the Pietermaritzburg Parachute Club, and other SA clubs, and many top civilian skydivers developed bonds of friendship with the recce’s.

Nothing was ever spoken about the first AFF, and it remains a testament to the unit’s secrecy during the bush war era, that the true birth of AFF was kept so silent, even whilst taking place right under our noses!

Pic below –

Standing L-R: Harry Botha (2 Recce), Frans van Dyk, Koos Moorcroft,
Jimmy Oberholzer. Kneeling L-R: Spik Botha and Ralph (The Rat) Moore (all 1 Recce).

Large group with Herc was the 1 Recce basic freefall course from 1978, the year I started skydiving.
~ Jeff Ayliffe

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