Paratroopers

Yes count me in, from a static balloon when you step of in to space it is just like standing still and every thing comes up to meet you, The thing that always struck me was the silence when you did these jumps. When you jumped from the plane every thing moves that much quicker because of the slip stream inflating your chute a lot quicker. Combat drops we went in at about 400 feet and we where in the air for just 6 seconds before we hit the ground. You just had time to release your weapons container and brace for landing. Night jumps where fun as well, you stepped out into blackness and waited to hit the ground. We where also trained for jungle work and as you hit the canopy of the trees you put one arm between your legs to cover your orifice with your fore arm and with your hand you held firmly on to your family jewels as some of those branches could be worse than bayonets. Jumping into water made you very careful, on this you would sit sit back into the webbing that went under your bottom and released the rest of your connections so that you were just sitting on that strap so that you could get free of the chute straight away and not become entangled. The thing was not to come out of the chute before your feet hit the water as it was difficult to judge your height because of the flat surface and people;e who did try to drop out of there chutes to early often fell from quite a height injuring them selfs in the process. High winds could also make things very exciting as you got dragged over the ground at high speed.

There are some pictures on the web link below
1cc721f5.jpg
[/img]
 
I think there was a line in BAND OF BROTHERS that went

"Only a true nutcase would jump out of a perfectly good aircraft" :D :D


Still, all the histories I read the airborne guys had guts...
 
mmarsh said:
"Only a true nutcase would jump out of a perfectly good aircraft" :D :D
Click to expand...

Yes, but only a fool would count on the pilot being able to land a plane built by the lowest bidder. :D

A few thousand jumps, and I still get jitters before exit.

Some fellas love it, and look for any opportunity, some of us just do it because it was the only way to get to work.

I enjoy free fall more than static.
 
I took my Basic Airborne training just over 40 years ago, but I can remember that it was the best time of my life! The training was so superb that on my first jump I couldn't remember anything after the point when I sounded off for equipment check until I looked up to see my chute opened above me, everything was so automatic.
The rush you get each time you jump can't be duplicated in anything else.
Because weather conditions, I never got to go off the 100 foot tall free fall towers so we got extra time on the 34 foot towers doing PLFs (Parachute Landing Falls). I was in the best shape of my life after Airborne school. I will never regret my choice to go Airborne. I remember we had several sailors in our class who were going to be SEALs and had just finished UDT school, for them it was a picnic, physically speaking, while the air force types in the class were really hurting.
;)
 
Myth or fact...

I have heard an airbourne mate say to me that military parrachutes fall approx. three times faster than the civilian ones. I thought jumping would be great fun, but he assured me you hit the ground fast, and your not in the air for long.... Anyone know if it is close to three times faster?
 
Re: Myth or fact...

mahon said:
I have heard an airbourne mate say to me that military parrachutes fall approx. three times faster than the civilian ones. I thought jumping would be great fun, but he assured me you hit the ground fast, and your not in the air for long.... Anyone know if it is close to three times faster?
Click to expand...

The parachutes that are used in the Australian Military are the T10B-D (round chute) they have a rate of descent of 4.6 to 6.4 metres per second. Civies dont jump round chutes as much anymore. The military also use MC5 (FF) which are a Ramair square chute they have a rate of descent of 4.3 to 4.9 metres per second this is a big chute comming in at 370sq feet most civies jump smaller rigs as they are doing it for fun. I dont know the rate of descent for some of the civi chutes but it would be hard to make a comparison between the two as one has a purpose and the other is for fun.
 
I went to Airborne school down at Ft Benning this summer, I did not get my wings on the 3rd jump I fractured my right tibia and got med dropped from the course. I am currently healing and can't not wait to go back to that school. While I was there it was awesome and if you enjoy running like me you will have a awesome time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top