Wrote: Steve White (06.09.02.)

My experience in Hungary was amazing, and there’s definitely a challenge in expressing that to others adequately. I decided upon a course after meeting Istvan in Budapest last November.
Despite the incredibly cold Eastern European winter, I had decided that a tandem jump was the thill I’d been seeking whilst travelling. The bitter weather almost disagreed with u sas, ont he first day, it forze the engine of the plane we were to tumble from. A cold proof plan was required. This plan, to my amusement involved a ballon with the only equipment required being a burner that was hopefully going to blast away the sub-zero air. „Crazy” I thought one minute, „fantastic” the next.
It pretty much carried on like that all day.

We set off for Győr and after a being laughed at by the locels for ludicrous winter behaviour, the ballon lifted off gently form the snow up into the blue sky. In no time we’d reached 4000m and our first passenger leaped from the side of the basket and started her fall in the -22C temperatures. Surreal but very soothing to watch. We weresoon plummeting too with little more than the adrenalin to keep the ice at bay.

The jump was astounding and the hospitaliy of all those jumping that day was great with the language barrier not preventing much of the good spirit being bounded around. After a couple of drinks with Istvan and the other equally friendly guys in a random bar just of the middle of nowwhere (we’d actually landed int he middle sometime earlier) I decided that plummenting to earth for benefit of amusement was for me! When to go back was the only decision to be made.
The trip back earlier this year surpassed even the high expectations that I had, and it was wonderful to see Istvan and Vera again together with meeting a top clan of sky divers with vasty ranging levels of sanity. Sleeping in cabins and eating int he open air added immensely to the laid back nature and charm of experience. Istvan’s cunning resmblance to Benny Hill and matching attitude also brought many a smile to our faces. He’s one of those rare people you meet that can put a smile on anybody’s face and enjoys to do so.

Safety, which was a concern of many to whom I mentioned my adventure, was unsuprisingly far from being an issue. All those involved, whilst remaining friendly and entertaining, maintained a high degree of safety and precautication in a sport that clearly demands it.
I really can’t recommend enough doing the AFF course or even a tandem jump with Istvan and co. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience that I’m already looking forward to following it up next year… Oh yes!!! Tell Benny to get the sheep prepared and the velcro gloves out, the English boys are coming back!