Collegiate Skydiving and a Military Academy

[bps 0]

Hello Everyone --

After reading the "Fleecing the Collegiates" post, I've decided to post about the Air Force Academy's parachute team, The Wings of Blue. Rather than make it a reply under that post, I think it is a topic of it's own.

It’s my impression that some people think that the Air Force Academy’s parachute team is a club and that the jumpers are provided with jumps as a reward for military service. Wings of Blue jumpers are provided with a lot, but they work incredibly hard to get many of the things that you see. Here’s a little background:

Ultimately, parachuting at the Air Force Academy is here for one purpose: Character Development. Primarily, this is achieved by our First Jump Course, in which we put 850 students through each year. Each student must complete 40 hours of ground training, and after completing 5 ten-second delays (graded), they graduate from the course. Our 50-person Cadet Parachute Team, referred to as the Wings of Blue, teaches the 850 students that come through the program each year. It’s an enormous program, and it is the primary focus of the parachute team.

Aside from teaching our first jump course, Wings of Blue members are allowed to be on either a “Demo Team” or a “Comp Team”.

Our Demo Team performs 45 to 55 demos a year, ranging from small local events to very large events like The Fiesta Bowl, NFL Games, and NASCAR races. Latest numbers indicate that we perform in front of approximately 5 million people a year.

The Comp Team trains and competes in Style, Accuracy, and 4-way -- mostly at the Collegiate level, but in the last few years, we’ve begun to expand to regional meets and the U.S. Nationals.

Being on the Comp team or the Demo team always takes a back seat to our real purpose, our first jump program.

It’s easy to have the perception that it’s all fun and games, but these Cadets work extremely hard to get where they are today. Even though they take 21 to 24 hours of classes each semester and deal with the rigors of attending a military academy, they still manage to give 20 to 30 hours each week to the Parachute Team.

Believe it or not, the character development found in the 850 students each year, and the leadership traits developed in our 50-person parachute team is unbelievable. Look back to your first jump; I’m sure you learned a thing or two about yourself after climbing out the door for the very first time. Professional studies have found the parachute program to be the #1 leadership lab at the U.S. Air Force Academy – and I think that says a lot for a program at an institution that is here for that very purpose.

Yes, we get to jump out of airplanes and we are extremely fortunate to have this opportunity, but it does not come for nothing. On the same token, I wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s called passion -- and that’s something that I think every skydivers has.

Blue Skies,

Bryan

[quade 4]

Thanks Brian.

I'm always impressed with the professionalisim of the Wings of Blue jumpers when ever I have the good fortune to see them.

And, of course, it never hurts to have one or two on your 16-way team every now and then.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[skycat 0]

Quote

Each student must complete 40 hours of ground training, and after completing 5 ten-second delays (graded), they graduate from the course.

After seeing what their 1st jump program is I'm very very thankful I had a different option. Those kids that go threw it every year are definitely a special breed.

Fly it like you stole it!

[Austin 0]

Bryan,
I went through the cadet freefall course a couple of summers ago when they let the ROTC kids (I was attending the USMMA) and had a blast. It's a really great program. I think that the session that I was in they had you jumping with our class even though you already had tons of jumps because you had just gotten there or something. I also have run into a base jumper at our DZ, Skydive Kansas that I think said he's done some base jumps with you.

All in all, a great program, glad I was able to participate in it (even though I'd done a few static line jumps).

Austin