Sky’s the limit

10:20am Saturday 19th July 2008

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DURING a 12-year spell in the RAF, he clocked up more than 4,000 hours in the air but he’s never jumped out of a perfectly good aircraft before.

Now 73-year-old David Taylor has finally decided to take the plunge after spotting an appeal in The Press which called for people to take part in a charity parachute jump.

The father-of-one, from Clementhorpe, York, is now planning to take part in a skydive planned for later this year, with all the proceeds going to Yorkshire Cancer Research.

“Maybe it’s a young person’s game but I don’t see why that should stop older people joining in,” said David, a former instrument fitter who flew in famous aircraft such as Lancasters when he served in the RAF between 1952 and 1964.

“People jump out of planes every day, so although there’s a risk, I think it’s pretty small. And there’s always a risk in everything. When I was in the RAF, I had the chance to do a parachute jump, but I didn’t do anything about it until it was too late. I’m not thinking about going skydiving more than once but you never know!” David isn’t daunted by the nerve-shredding challenge which lies ahead of him.

“You’ve just got to get up there and then jump,” he said.

“I’m quite adventurous and I felt this would be a new phase for me a chance to do something different. I certainly don’t feel nervous at the moment, although I might be when the plane takes off.” David hopes to take part in a tandem skydive with a qualified parachutist, and chose Yorkshire Cancer Research as the cause he wants to help after The Press published a call for backing from the charity earlier this year.

“I think they do a wonderful job and they don't get enough support, so I want to do what I can,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Yorkshire Cancer Research said: “We are always looking for adrenaline-seekers to take part in a parachute jump and raise money for us, and we would therefore be delighted if David chose to raise money for us. Money raised through events such as this enable us to continue to fund internationally recognised research across Yorkshire, into the cause and cure of cancer.”