ParaDemo Expert Bob Draijer Cited by NOS on BASE Jumping

Bob Draijer as Expert on Dutch National News

When a man jumped from an apartment building with a parachute in the Utrecht neighbourhood of Overvecht in early 2025, Dutch national broadcaster NOS immediately reached out to Bob Draijer of ParaDemo. That was no coincidence. With over 40 years of experience in professional skydiving, Bob is one of the few people in the Netherlands who can explain both the technical and legal aspects of such jumps.

In the NOS article about the BASE jump in Utrecht, Bob explains why these jumps are so dangerous. A building of 40 to 50 metres provides barely enough time to deploy a parachute. During a regular skydive, you jump from 4,000 metres and have over a minute of freefall. During a BASE jump from a building, you have three seconds at most. That difference is literally the difference between life and death.

What Makes BASE Jumping So Different from Skydiving?

Bob emphasises in the article that BASE jumping and regular skydiving are two completely different sports. In skydiving, you always have a reserve parachute and an automatic activation device as backup. In BASE jumping, that luxury simply does not exist. You have one parachute and it has to work, because there is no plan B.

This also explains why BASE jumping is illegal in the Netherlands without specific permits. The risks are simply too high, especially in urban areas where bystanders could be injured. Bob has jumped in over 50 countries throughout his career, from helicopters, hot air balloons and aircraft. He knows the limits of the sport like no one else and understands exactly where the line falls between a calculated risk and recklessness.

The NOS citation underscores something important: when it comes to skydiving and aerial sports in the Netherlands, ParaDemo is the organisation that journalists and media turn to for reliable expertise. That trust is not built through marketing, but through decades of experience, a flawless safety record and the willingness to be honest about the risks of the sport.

Can you just jump from a building with a parachute? No, BASE jumping from buildings is illegal in the Netherlands. You need specific permits and most municipalities do not grant them for jumps in residential areas.

How dangerous is BASE jumping compared to skydiving? BASE jumping is many times more dangerous. During a regular skydive, you have a reserve parachute and an automatic activation device. In BASE jumping, you have neither and the altitude is minimal.

Why was Bob Draijer consulted as an expert? Bob Draijer has over 40 years of experience as a professional skydiver and instructor. He is internationally recognised as an expert and is regularly consulted by Dutch media on aerial sports matters.