Broad smiles and a lot of enthusiasm can be seen on the faces of the members of Skydive Hoogeveen. Not because of jumping out of a plane, but because the expansion of the clubhouse is finished. An expansion that also required a lot of work from the members themselves.
“The hangar was originally built in 1984. I heard that they slept in the canteen here in the winter at -15 degrees, while there was no glass in the windows yet. The extension did not get that far, but all terraces and some other work were carried out and paid for by the volunteers,” explains chairman Peter Tak.
It is pleasantly busy in the hangar. One group of people is preparing to jump, while another group has just returned from the jump and is folding their parachute again. Peter Smit (63) also walks between the parachutes. “We feel that the clubhouse has become twenty times as large. We are very happy with that, because we do all kinds of things here.”
Thirza Annema (22) is one of the people who is folding parachutes. It’s her job. “More space was gradually needed. Every year it becomes a bit busier, especially with events, that extra space is nice.”
Chairman Tak is pleased that membership numbers are on the rise. According to him, the social aspect of the association is particularly good, so skydiving is not the most standard hobby. “People are here all weekend. And the entire airport here in Hoogveen is also bustling with activity, I would say.”
In addition to the ‘paras’, there is, among other things, a (gliding) flying club, catering and construction. Something that doesn’t happen at many airports. “The airport is actually flourishing,” said André Snippe, board member of the Hoogeveen Airport Foundation (SVH).
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