Over Sarajevo for the first time

They made history, for it was the first time since WWII that Hungarian parachutists jumped in an operational area. It was also the first time Hungarian parachutists opened their canopies over Sarajevo. The helicopter was also a ’premiere’ because it was the first occasion they jumped from a Sikorsky S-70A-42 Blackhawk. The ten soldiers and policemen landed without any problem in the designated area by the helicopter landing site of Camp Butmir. The morning jump was necessary in order to practice because both the terrain and the helicopter were unknown to the team.

The Saturday premiere was successful, the parachutists also brought a present with themselves: they handed over a bottle of wine with signatures to Brig. Gen. Tibor Nagy. In the opinion of the jumpers, landing was not easy and the organisers also had to work a lot to usher the excited children and their parents out. The soil is also the ’adhering’ type, for the old rubber surface immediately caught the boots of landing parachutists. Despite the difficulties success was unavoidable: the host of children ’besieging’ them, and the smile and handshake of Susanne Prahl, the festival director made them forget about their problems and the tropical heat.

The following people participated in the pioneering venture: retired Major Sándor Méhész, retired Captain Tamás Molnár, Captain Tibor Lázár, First Lieutenant Gábor Kollár, Warrant Officer Sándor Bánfi from the Hungarian Defence Forces; and Major György Kiss, Lieutenant Tamás Váradi, Senior Warrant Officer Dr. László Gedõ, Warrant Officer László Környei, and Sergeant First Class István Figlár from the Hungarian Police.