NDP 2019: Practice makes perfect for Red Lions' 3,048m free-fall
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Cara Wong
Free-falling 3,048m in the air is already no easy feat.
But for the Red Lions, the Singapore Army's parachutists and a crowd favourite at every National Day Parade, the difficulty is compounded every time they perform at the Padang.
Surrounding the space are trees, high-rise buildings and tall floodlights around the performance grounds. The nearby St Andrew's Cathedral is less than 100m away when they are in the air.
Buffeted by the winds coming at them from many directions, the Red Lions must always make judgment calls to decide how they should steer themselves and use the winds to their advantage, said the Red Lions team leader, First Warrant Officer (1WO) Melvin Ho.
The good news is that every Red Lion is a seasoned parachutist and has reached a stage where "the feel and assessment (of the jump) is much like driving", said Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Low, one of the team members.
And, like every sport, all it takes is practice to execute the perfect landing, added 1WO Ho.
