ANTHONY NEARLY DIED – SO NOW HE JUMPS OUT OF PLANES
And he’s taking part in a record attempt
AFTER almost losing his life in a horrific accident a decade ago, Anthony Andrews decided to jump out of aeroplanes for a liv- ing.
Now the 31-year-old is one of Wales’ elite skydivers.
“Long story short I had a near-death experience,” said Anthony. “I went under a lorry in my car.
“I remember waking up from surgery and thought after that I may as well do something really stupid like throw myself out of an aeroplane.
“I began jumping out of planes just over nine years ago and, coming from Aberdare, I used to jump down in Swansea.
“I found I was a little bit skilled so decided to do it as a career rather than a hobby.
“I wasn’t the most well-behaved of young men.
“That’s why I still do it, because it gave me some purpose and the drive to do something in life.”
He quickly realised, however, hobby which cost money.
“Dentists and bankers can afford to do it. At the time I was working in a factory.
“I had to help pack parachutes to afford it but I have been dedicated since my first jump.”
To date Anthony has done 1,728 jumps and has been falling for 20 hours 58 minutes.
He works as an instructor at an indoor wind tunnel and is about to take part in a huge record attempt.
He said: “I have been through a selection process recently and have been successfully accepted onto a group of European skydivers who are attempting to break a record for the largest formation in Europe.”
From June 21 he will head to Spain to try to break the world record for a formation in Europe.
A formation is the total number of skydivers holding hands at the same time. “We are aiming for 45,” said Anthony. “What it involves is three or four planes it was a full of people and they all jump out at the same time and hold hands.
“There is a bit of science behind it. It is not very sturdy to do it as one big circle.
“We have done a lot of practice and engineering to try different shapes to see which is the strongest and what we have discovered is a hexagon/honeycomb is the strongest shape.
“A friend of mine said that I will actually be the first ever Welshman to hold a skydiving record.
“If we get more than 45 it could potentially be a world record but we need 21 for a European one.”
Anthony, who travels all over Europe in an old ambulance he converted into a camper van, is excited for the challenge. “There are risks and challenges,” he said. “To put it in perspective it is difficult enough to get one person to fly.
“What we are attempting is to fly and to get everyone in the same place as we fall.
“If you have a lapse in concentration the chances are you’re going to mess it up for everyone. “It 90% a mental challenge. “With the physical element the main part is called hypoxia, which is a posh word for altitude sickness.
“As you go up in an aircraft you are at a different pressure so there is less oxygen in the blood.
“You don’t realise it is happening so you think you are at peak performance but you could be close to passing out.”
When you have spent almost an entire day of your life in freefall you are bound to have some near-misses.
There have actually been four occasions when Anthony’s parachute has failed to open. He said: “I have had some close calls. “By the law of averages you will have but, because you train and practise very regularly, you are well equipped to deal with it.
“In the last seven years I have had four malfunctions, which is when your parachute doesn’t open or when it does it hasn’t been packed in correctly.
“You always carry a back-up. It is good knowing that it is there for when it does happen.
A failure, he says, can feel like a couple of hours of panic “which in reality is a tenth of a second”.
He added: “Then your autopilot kicks in and before you know it you’re on the ground having a beer with your friends and thanking the person who packed your parachute.
“It requires a high physical skill level and it is a mental state of mind.
“The feeling of flying is one of the most peaceful experiences. It is loud, very loud, but you don’t hear it.
“You need the skill to be able to do it. As an instructor it’s my passion to share the experience with other people. That is why I still get the same feelings all those years later.
“In the last 12 months my career has really started to take off and this will be the pinnacle.”