Was Airborne School a factor in deciding to learn skydiving?

[nightjumps 1]

I'm just curious if my fellow Airborne graduates feel like their time at Benning gave them the thoughts and/or confidence to take up skydiving.

There's times I wonder if I would have ever had any introduction to this wonderful sport if it wasn't for Airborne School.

[flyangel2 2]

Keith,
Does growing up with a father that was a pilot in the Air Force count. When I was young I would watch the guys jump and decided right then and there that I was going to do that. My dad would just pat me on the head and say "Now, now, little girls don't grow up and become proper ladies doing those kinds of things." He's still shaking his head wondering why I skydive.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

My dad was an E7 SF guy with over 1000 jumps when I was born. I had about 100 jumps when I went to jump school as a SP4 in 1984.. I would say, as a long-time instructor at the green beret parachute club, that what brings people in the military into skydiving is exposure to the sport . Back in the day, every jump shool student got to see the Silver Wings jump either into the welcome greeting or graduation (in front of building 4). Another key factor is whether or not they came in contact with skydivers when they got to their first assignment after jump school. I worked down there one time for three months, TDY, and directly after that, plenty of people came around the club. Others heard from them, thus keeping the pool of new jumpers replenished. Advertising and "tooting your own horn" really brings potential students out of the woodwork.

Chuck

[LouDiamond 1]

Being around it as much as skyone and I were on a constant basis it becomes extremly familiar. Being I started out in the deuce and doing mass tacs in the middle of the night with all that shit strapped on you made it seem like a cake walk when it came to doing anything in the dark. To this day,I don't see what freaks people out about doing night jumps, either on rounds or squares. Again, being exposed to it in HALO school with all the added shit that comes with it I found it to be pure gravy doing it in civvy gear. As you know the Army can take the fun out of anything to include skydiving but it was definately the Army that got me into this. Plus is it noice getting paid to skydive

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[Zenister 0]

well i have to say i wanted to jump WAAY before i decided to join the army so going airborne was a no brainer..unfortunately i couldnt afford (the time or the money) to start the sport while i was in the army and the feeling had faded by the time i got out..luckly my roommate convinced me to wander down to Eloy on an off weekend..

i have to say i wasnt worried about landing the canopy at all on AFF1, but i really didnt want to, being able to really steer made me realize exactly how much fun the army take out of jumping out of perfectly good airplanes..

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[Amazon 7]

AS someone who was having to train those USAF pilots egress procedures....ie.. to use and trust their C-9 parachutes rather than the malfunctioning aircraft that had the glide ratio of a lead brick when the fire went out. I was really happy to get the training at Ft Benning.( It was kind of a credibility thing) The only dissappointment was there was no freefall and I always figured that if someone I was training had to punch out... they would have to freefall and I wanted that experience as well. ( Sorta. Most ejections are low.. really low and are psuedo-dope ropes in that seat-pilot separation thing happens fairly rapidly). I had a lot of fun going to Jump School, all that personal attention from the Army instructors for a SGT from the Air Force. Too bad that whole drop for 10 thing was so funny... I did love the running everywhere part too. Then again at that age I was really into that sort of thing, there should have been more....
Amazon

[steve1 5]

When I was a youngster the thought of jumping out of a plane scared the crap out of me. In High School I read a book about Smoke Jumping in Montana. That got my interest up. In Alaska I met some people who skydived up their and almost started training, but I was about to be drafted into the military, so I came back to Montana and joined a S.F. Guard unit their. I have to say I liked jump school at Benning. I know people say that the military takes the fun out of jumping, but not for me, I really enjoyed military jumping. I almost bought a guys rig in the Green Beret parachute club bar. He was headed for Nam and didn't have a use for it anymore. I hadn't skydived yet, but knew it was something I had to do. Even though I skydive now I miss military jumping. I loved jump mastering loads out of C-130's and 141's. I wanted Halo school in the worst way, but being in the Guards it was hard to get. I'd recommend Army Jump School to anyone who has an interest.......Steve1

[nightjumps 1]

Steve, you and I have a similiar background. I joined 12th Group in 1979 and went to Airborne School in 1980 (Honor Graduate). Spent ten years in 12th Group...Jumpmaster, Pathfinder, "Q" Weapons, O&I, etc.

I was home between phases in 1981 and found a local DZ. Took my shiney Airborne certificate and met a guy named, "Curly Roe," and asked him if this meant anything in learning how to skydive. He said, "Yep, means I gots to unlearn ya some bad habits." Curly was a former Black Hat.

I too, put in for HALO but was denied because 12th didn't have a HALO Team. But, I skydived the whole time in 12th Group and was a better Jumpmaster for it. Still miss standing in the door of a C-130 on a night tactical as JM. And, I do a lot of night skydives cause of it. That's why the poll. Was wondering how many else.

[ThighMan 5]

I started to skydive because I was going to Airborne School. Talk about not knowing what I was getting into...

Airborne
Blue Skies, No Wind
Feet and Knees Together

[ChileRelleno 0]

What's up Bigun?
I had to vote "Not at all" because I've never been there or even in the AF's, but I did growup a navybrat watching the Navy Leapfrogs and others at the NAS Miramar airshows and they were always the highlight of the event for me.
Airplanes and helos were cool but the skydiving demo teams always had me awestruck and I knew I'd jump when I got old enough.

Say hello to the gang in Tulsa for me.

ChileRelleno-Rodriguez Bro#414
Hellfish#511,MuffBro#3532,AnvilBro#9, D24868

[nightjumps 1]

Como esta, senor Chile. Will tell everyone you said, "Hi." Hope to see you soon. Perhaps at Dale's Record Attempt, June 21st?

[CDRINF 1]

I always wanted to go to both Airborne school and learn to skydive. I actually passed up the opportunity at West Point to take an FJC and join the cadet parachute team figuring that I wanted to have the foundation in safety and training provided by going to airborne school first. Not sure now almost 20 years later quite what I was thinking. Being on acedemic restriction for much of my cadet career did not help my participation in extracurricular activities either. What a missed oppotunity!

The opportunity to skydive presented itself at my first assignment with the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell. The 101st is no longer on jump status, but in 1987 had a very active and well supported sport parachute club where I learned to skydive for the price of an $85 FJC and $25 a month membership. Jumps from a UH60 as fast as you could pack and the pilot could turn the bird! Now those were the days! The Army probably had 15-20 sport parachute clubs around the world at that time and those were the main places military sport parachutists learned. Unfortunately, the support for these clubs in the form of aircraft has gone away and I think the clubs at Campbell and Bragg are the only ones left, and they are operating off post with civilian aircraft on a pay by the jump basis. A shame. If I had not been able to see the Club at Campbell jumping at Zon DZ from my BOQ window, I probably would not be skydiving today.

Interestingly, despite all my best efforts, I have suceeded in getting the Army to assign me to an airborne unit for only 2-1/2 years out of 17 so far (all in the name of career development).

So, it was probably more the exposure to military sport parachute clubs than airborne school that got me skydiving. It's sad that today's soldiers do not have that same opportunity.

CDR

[Zenister 0]

Quote

It's sad that today's soldiers do not have that same opportunity.

i agree. 80% of the soldiers i talk to (or who see me in a skydiving shirt) ask about it, and really seem interested, but most cant afford to start with what the government pays them.

On the selfish side, I travel to a number of military posts & bases as a regular part of my job, and everywhere i go i get the same answer, "well we used to have one but...." I'd love to be able to jump everywhere my job sends me without having to travel away to a civilian dz.

the budgetary cutbacks really took alot of the fun (i used to see as a dependant) out of being a soldier..in terms of school availability and extra-curricular activities..

meanwhile I see millions spent on new parade & softball fields because the local commanders care about those activities..we need to get more young officers skydiving so they will support military participation in the sport once they get to the point they have some say over where the ‘extra’ money goes..

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[skydivinmartin 0]

I'm not an Airborne graduate, but I did my basic and infantry training at Benning in early 1988. I recall seeing the Airborne students doing their tower drops - looked cool, wasn't in my enlistment contract. So, to a certain extent, it was not getting the opportunity to jump in the military that (eventually) got me started in skydiving. When I was at Ft. Stewart, a sergeant in my company offered to sell me skydiving gear - "two parachutes and a helmet" for $400 - no idea what the gear was, but at that price they were probably round canopies. It took me another seven years before making my first jump. From what I hear about jumping rounds "back in the old days" (cone locks, PLFs, bad knees, etc), its probably a good thing that I started on ram airs.

Martin

[katiebear21 0]

Being in the Army gave me the exposure to skydiving as a sport and being Airborne I guess put me in contact with Skydivers...

The biggest thing I took from my military training that I applied to skydiving was how to react to line twists!

Katie
Get your PMS glass necklace here

[dgskydive 0]

My uncle was the biggest influence on my going to jump school. He was a Ranger and PAthfinder during Vietnam. He was always talking about jumping out of planes and killing people. So off I went. I guess being in Airborne units for so long I started to get bored w/ static line jumps. When I finally made it to an SF unit, one of the E-7's had his own DZ. He got me drunk one night and dared me to come out to his DZ. My FJC lasted about a half hour (no kidding). Then they put me in a c-182 had me climb out in the middle of a rain cloud and I have never looked back. Looking back at my life, I see now that I have always been the happiest being in, around and especially jumping out of planes. I think we are all born to it in some way. It just takes us awhile to figure it out. My first memory of skydivers was standing in formation at jump school and watching the demo team land by the 250 ft. towers and being yelled at by the black hats for looking at the canopies coming down. It appears we were not worthy enough at that point to even look at skydivers. I wish I could find those instructors now!

Dom

[dgskydive 0]

___________________________________________________________
Still miss standing in the door of a C-130 on a night
tactical as JM.
___________________________________________________________

You are right about that! That is one of the few things I miss about military jumping. Standing in the door of a C-130 or a 141. Nothing like it!

Dom

[brits17 0]

heh, i had about 550 jumps before going through airborne school... so no. plf's were comical though

_______________________
aerialkinetics.com

[katiebear21 0]

Quote

___________________________________________________________
Still miss standing in the door of a C-130 on a night
tactical as JM.
___________________________________________________________

You are right about that! That is one of the few things I miss about military jumping. Standing in the door of a C-130 or a 141. Nothing like it!

You're both wrong... standing in the door of a C-17 barely holding on because there IS NO WIND!

Katie
Get your PMS glass necklace here

[winsor 236]

Quote

I'm just curious if my fellow Airborne graduates feel like their time at Benning gave them the thoughts and/or confidence to take up skydiving.

There's times I wonder if I would have ever had any introduction to this wonderful sport if it wasn't for Airborne School.

In 1971 I was 17 years old, so the Army was the best deal in town. Not only was I allowed to jump, I was paid to do so.

It was a rush then, and it's a rush now.

I didn't go through Benning, however. I went through the course in Wiesbaden, Germany, and didn't make a jump in the US of A until 1978.


All the way,

Winsor

[nightjumps 1]

Well, it would appear there are quite a few Airbornes, Ranger, Pathfinders and SF in the AO.

Folks, I can tell you this after getting out of the Army and for the next nine years, I tried a "normal" life... Fishing, hunting, boating, motorcycles... but there was something missing.

One day a friend (knowing that I was a former skydiver) asked me to set up a "team-building" exercise for his department to go skydiving. I contacted one of my old "Coaches" [JM, then] who now owned a DZ and set it up.

I went out to the DZ about halfway through the class and shook my old JM's hand. He said, "I don't think I have any student gear that'll fit you. " [see my name?]. I said, that's alright, been there, done that. And, then he said, "Well, lets go check, I just got some new Dolphins in, maybe one of those will fit you."

I tried it on and it fit. I asked what was in it and he said, "A Manta." "Well, that would work," I replied. He asked me what this handle did, what that handle did, What order do I pull them, what's my decision making altitude, etc. He waived a PLF performance (Go figure)

Sucked me in for about 20 minutes and then said, "There's a slot on that plane (engine running), why don't you go to 5 and make an HnP, so I did. I left a little unstable, flailed for a second, got stable and dumped. Landed 5 meters outside the Pro "X"

He asked me, "Well, how was it?" I told him a little unstable, I'd like to try it again. He said, "Well, lets go do a packing refresher and get you back up."

I did and left the plane feeling the hill. I felt every air molecule. Slid down the hill for about 8 seconds, dumped and landed about 20 meters from the Pro "X"

I went to my cell phone, called my wife and said, "Well, I'm back in it." She knew. She asked, "How much?" "About half my income and all my weekends."

After nine years, that's what was missing. The sky. The commeraderie. I sold the boat, the guns, the fishing poles and bought gear.

I don't know what it is about those that "..have tasted the sky," but I'm glad we do it. I'll never give it up again. I don't know that I'll ever be some kind of RW Nationals Champion, but I hope in about 30 years, they'll say, "You remember that old guy that used to come out and make a Hop & Pop..."

Thanks All

[steve1 5]

I tried a "normal" life... Fishing, hunting, boating, motorcycles... but there was something missing.
After nine years, that's what was missing. The sky. The commeraderie. I sold the boat, the guns, the fishing poles and bought gear.

[Dougjumper 0]

Dad gum straight man... My Army career started on the Airborne thing and the saying was Army "Be all you can be".I Loved the Airborne and Ranger Idea so went for it and best thing ever happened to me. Life sucked sometimes but man you learn a whole new life about yourself .Stuck with it ..glad I did...Airborne all the Way..and Rangers lead the Way..Best outlook on life and experiences were from this training. Meet and made friends that were part of the Golden Nights and that started a new chapter for me. So Rock on Airborne.....

[dgskydive 0]

Glad to here there are other guys that feel the same way. I was out of the sport for almost six years. I quite my good paying job and now live in a trailer right off the DZ. I make shit money but I get to talk to skydivers all day and I am the happiest I have been in a long long time. God Bless all paratroopers!

Dom

[dgskydive 0]

I went through the course in Wiesbaden, Germany, and didn't make a jump in the US of A until 1978
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I went through Benning for Basic Airborne training. The best was JM School. Three weeks TDY in Hawaii. The course only took two weeks and the other week was spent on the North Shore skydiving at Dillingham. Thanks 1st SFG!

Dom