Equipment

Skydivers must wear various pieces of equipment to allow them to practise the sport safely, including the parachute system, jumpsuit, boots, a helmet and altimeter. In addition to this each team member may wear additional items of equipment to aid in the display such as foot mounted smoke canisters to add visiual appeal to the display, or a jumper might trail a large White Ensign, the flag of the Royal Navy. Each additional piece of equipment adds its own extra risks to the sport. A thorough knowledge of the equipment and emergency procedures is essential.

Parachute Systems

Modern parachute systems contain a main canopy and a reserve (spare) canopy in case there is a problem when deploying the main parachute. Should anything go wrong with the main parachute at 3,000 ft, the normal main canopy deployment altitude, the Raiders have have 14 seconds to rectify the problem or deploy their reserve canopy. All team members carry Automatic Activation Devices (AADs) should all other systems fail to open the parachute in freefall.

Other Equipment

The Team regularly jump with the White Ensign, the Flag of the Royal Navy. The flag is worn in a pouch on the waist of the jumper and is deployed once the team member is under a functioning canopy. Team members will also jump with smoke canisters attached to their feet to add visual appeal to the display. The smoke is attached via a detachable strap so the hot canister can be jettisoned in the event of an emergency

Camerawork

Many people ask the Raiders how they obtain the fantastic photographs you see on this website. Some of the team can be seen regularly jumping with small video cameras mounted on thir helmets. Some even jump with SLR still photography cameras too to take mid-air photographs.

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