United States Army Airborne School

The Airborne School is run by the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry, U.S. Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia. The mission of the Airborne School is to conduct the Basic Airborne Course. It is open to soldiers of both genders from all branches of the United States Army as well as sister services and allied military personnel.

The purpose of the Basic Airborne Course is to qualify the volunteer (all students volunteer for this school) in the use of the parachute as a means of combat deployment and to develop leadership, self-confidence, and an aggressive spirit through mental and physical conditioning.

The course is three weeks long, divided into Ground Week, Tower Week and Jump Week. There is a rigorous physical training (PT) regimen through the entire course. The initial entry PT test consists of the standard Army APFT. All age groups must pass this test using the 17-21 age group standards. The pullup requirement was lifted in October 2006.

Ground Week

During Ground Week, students begin an intensive program of instruction to build individual airborne skills, which prepare them to make a parachute jump, and land safely. They train on the mock door, practice parachute landing falls (PLF), exit the convert|34|ft|m|sing=on tower, and train on the lateral drift apparatus (LDA). To go forward to Tower Training Week, students must individually qualify on the convert|34|ft|m|sing=on tower, the LDA, and pass all PT requirements.

Tower Week

A team effort is added to the training with the "mass exit" concept. The apparati used this week are the convert|34|ft|m|sing=on towers, the swing landing trainer (SLT), the mock door for mass exit training, the suspended harness, and potentially the convert|250|ft|m|sing=on free tower. Tower Week completes student individual skill training and builds team effort skills. To go forward to Jump Training Week students must qualify on the SLT, master the mass exit procedures from the convert|34|ft|m|sing=on tower, and pass all PT requirements.

Jump Week

During Jump Week students make five parachute jumps into Fryar Drop Zone (DZ) located in Alabama, which is part of the Fort Benning Military Reservation. Trainees must run to the air field, conduct pre-jump training, and then get into their harnesses and await their turn to jump. Generally, two of the jumps are "combat equipment jumps", in which the jumper carries a ruck sack and a dummy weapon. The other three jumps are "hollywood", in that the jumper only wears the parachute and reserve. At least one jump is at night, although, during training cycles where Jump Week falls on a three or four day week (due to a Federal holiday), a night jump is not mandatory to graduate.

Instructors

. [ [http://www.specialoperations.com/Schools/Airborne/Default.htm] The Airborne School has U.S. Army Blackhat cadre and instructors from the USMC and USAF to train students in the use of the static line deployed parachute.] The reasoning behind this is because students from all four main branches of the military are able to attend, so each branch insists that they have at least one representative to ensure quality instruction. They train students in the use of static line deployed parachutes.

The battalion is organized into six companies: Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) for administrative actions and command and control; four Line Companies (A, B, C, and D) execute the Basic Airborne Course Program of Instruction (POI) and Company (E) provides parachute rigger support.

tudents

The vast majority of students at Airborne School come from the U.S. Army. These include soldiers on assignment to the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, 173rd Airborne BCT, 75th Ranger Regiment, or the Special Forces Qualification Course. Summer classes are frequently made up of substantial numbers of cadets from ROTC and West Point. Excess seats go to other personnel at Fort Benning on assignment to Officer Candidate School or the Officer Basic Course. The United States Parachutist Badge (also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings") is awarded to U.S. Armed Forces personnel upon completion of Airborne School regardless of branch or MOS.

See also

*Parachutist Badge (United States)
*"Blood on the Risers"

References

External links

* [https://www.infantry.army.mil/airborne/airborne/ 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry Homepage]
* [https://www.benning.army.mil/infantry/index.asp U.S. Army Infantry Homepage (Fort Benning, GA)]