macelena 1,070 Posted January 22, 2015 After a week of hitting my ass in the ground, and 6 jumps in three days, i graduated as a paratrooper yesterday. Never been that scared. Our class became known as the "patrol of death" because we had an statistically unheard incident rate due to our goofiness, including me headbutting my own plane and another guy hanging from another aircraft because...i don´t really know how did he manage to do it. Also against statistics we were the first course to jump three time in a morning and the first class in wich nobody chickened out. 87 out of 87 walked out with our jump wings bragging and wearing rights certified despite the best efforts of our airforce pilots and jumpmasters. A very humbling experience, despite making us very proud. It is weird when you see the biggest, most gung-ho and macho guy in your company asking you to hold his hand when attached to the static line because half an hour before he had pulled the cord of his reserve chute in another jump. "I could not see you, and i thought i was dropping too fast". So, will be back to Light Infantry training, including a charming week-long exercise on one of the nicest snowy mountain ranges we could ever call a shithole. After that, we will join our units and be the tip of the di..spear 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snailman 517 Posted January 22, 2015 Good luck)) You have chosen the best arm, I think. For me the second jump wast the most scary. At first you are curious and excited... but the second time you already know what is it to jump out) We did not have problem when jumping, we had problems with landing) One girl had a candle (closed canopy) opened reserve and landed in a soft ploughed field. Not scared at all.. huh. She did count 10 waiting if the canopy opens, only then opened reserve, at about 200m!! I landed with a double roll losing my helmet in the process. Has sore neck for three days. Wind was too strong, and they miscalculated the drop. Two years before us there was a double water landing, one guy suffocated, because the fishermen nearby did not help him out. Low altitude drops are the worst, however, when you are dropped from 150m with high speed, reduced para gear (no internal sack that could slow down the opening process) the canopy opens horizontally and tears you out of the plane. When you turn vertical, you are almost on the ground... Hi alt drops with minimal gear are good -- you can fly, and even make photos, but there's a greater danger of missing the target. If you have a big wing (over your weight limit, usually 270-290squarefeet), you can even glide on thermals. just be prepared for a numb ass, by the time you land 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+acesfakia 1,198 Posted January 22, 2015 ...i was ...young ...and make only 36 ....jump's.....from a c-130h...... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ghost029 1 Posted January 22, 2015 I have skydived once as a civilian. I went submarines after that when I served. You deserve all the respect in the world. Good luck to you. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fallenphoenix1986 603 Posted January 22, 2015 No military jumps here but a couple hundred sport jumps - welcome to the club Craig Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GunnySonics 127 Posted January 22, 2015 i was submarines too 23 years, alot more planes at the bottom of the sea than there are submarines in the sky, credit too airborne guys, balls the size of water mellons!!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+daddyairplanes 10,117 Posted January 22, 2015 Congrats. Not stationed there but still in the area so lemme know if you ever go to Ft Bragg for training ( the home of the US Army's airborne) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Typhoid 231 Posted January 24, 2015 I could never fathom jumping out of a perfectly good airplane........ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
