Grantham aviation enthusiasts visit Langar Skydiving Centre

Members of the Grantham Aviation Society have visited Skydive Langar this week for a tour of the facility and its three Grand Caravan aircraft.

The group, led by John Carpenter, were welcomed by the centre, which is the biggest and busiest civilian skydiving operation in the country, making over 37,000 jumps in 2021 alone.

The enthusiasts – including ex-pilots and current pilots – were treated to a walk around of the centre and its historical airfield, which was once an RAF base. They visited the main hangar, where three C208b aircraft are stored, each fit to carry as many as 16 skydivers at a time, and were given a demonstration of the procedure used to prepare the plane for parachutist activity.

They also met with various of the centre’s staff and were able to watch parachutists as they came in to land.

Speaking of the visit, Josh Carratt, Operations Manager at Skydive Langar, said: “We love engaging with the local community and it’s always fun to share our love of aircraft with like minded people like the Grantham Aviation Society. Our facilities are open to the public and we welcome anyone who wants to come and see what we do and maybe give it a go for themselves.”

The aviation group isn’t the first to visit Langar Airfield, and certainly won’t be the last. The historical significance of the site, which has been operating for skydivers for over 45 years and previously used as a base for the Canadian air force, makes it a point of interest while the modern facilities of the on-site cafe make it a great place for a day out.

Earlier this year, a local scout group made the journey to Skydive Langar to learn more about aviation.

Skydive Langar is open every day except Christmas Day and does a mix of tandem skydives, teaching people to skydive, recreational skydives and competitive skydives. The current Great British 4 way and 8 way formation skydive teams, Chimera and Microclim8, train at Skydive Langar, and local university clubs including University of Nottingham and Loughborough University call it their home.

To find out more, visit www.skydivelangar.co.uk.