HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Considered one of solely three Division of Protection–sanctioned aerial demonstration groups, america Army Parachute Workforce — higher recognized by its nickname, the Golden Knights — is an indication and competitors workforce made up of round 95 U.S. Army women and men, and on Thursday morning, I obtained to skydive with them.
The workforce was born in 1959, after 19 Airborne Troopers from varied army models shaped the Strategic Army Command Parachute Workforce, with the intent of competing in skydiving, a comparatively new sport on the time. Two years later, it formally grew to become often called America Army Parachute Workforce.
The Golden Knights include a number of separate divisions, together with 4 parachute models, an aviation unit and a headquarters.
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WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 04: Members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Workforce land on the Ellipse close to the White Home on July 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump is internet hosting a “Salute To America” celebration that features flyovers by army plane and a big fireworks show. (Photograph by Win McNamee/Getty Photographs) -
ELIZABETHTOWN, KY – SEPTEMBER 14: A member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute workforce units up a banner throughout an occasion on September 14, 2021 at Addington Area in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The Golden Knights carried out tandem parachute jumps all through the morning with civilians who had been nominated for the distinction by members of their native communities. (Photograph by Luke Sharrett/Getty Photographs) -
ELIZABETHTOWN, KY – SEPTEMBER 14: A member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute workforce is available in for a touchdown throughout an occasion on September 14, 2021 at Addington Area in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The Golden Knights carried out tandem parachute jumps all through the morning with civilians who had been nominated for the distinction by members of their native communities. (Photograph by Luke Sharrett/Getty Photographs)
One of many parachute models, the tandem workforce, is understood for taking celebrities, elected officers and high-profile VIPs on jumps. At the moment, a type of VIPs occurred to incorporate me, 8News Digital Content material Producer, Kassidy Hammond.
America Army Parachute Workforce held a Tandem Camp from Could 17-19 at Hanover County Municipal Airport in Ashland for 15 fortunate civilians to participate in what the Golden Knights are consultants at – leaping out of planes.
Our day started at 8 a.m. with a member of the Golden Knights offering educational coaching, advising security precautions and serving to to familiarize us jumpers with the tools they’d be utilizing — a harness and parachute that may defend our lives throughout our12,500-foot drop again all the way down to Earth.
We had been additionally suggested on correct kind for the bounce. For instance, the “completely happy banana” is a full-body arched place with the top tilted up in the direction of the sky and toes reaching up in the identical course, with the naval pointing straight down in the direction of the Earth — a view of which one of many jumpers stated he was most trying ahead to.
“Oh, God. Seeing all the Central Virginia magnificence from the sky on an exquisite day like at this time,” the visitor stated as he was suiting up for the bounce.
We had been all given a snazzy yellow jumpsuit to put on — coinciding with that completely happy banana pose — which was then lined in a harness stretching from our thighs to our shoulders. The harness is alleged to have a holding capability of 15,000 lbs, simply in case an emergency arose and everybody within the airplane needed to make it out on one parachute. Fortunately, my bounce at this time went off with no hitch, little doubt because of the laborious work and years the Golden Knights put into their craft.
Sergeant First Class Ryan Reis stated a few of his favourite issues about being part of the Golden Knights are that he will get to journey the world, discuss to folks concerning the Army and that he was in a position to take up skydiving, which he has been doing for greater than ten years now.
“I’ve been skydiving by myself for about 12 years now. I’ve been on the workforce for six years. And that is my third 12 months doing tandems for the Golden Knights,” Reis stated once we had been chatting concerning the Knights.
As soon as seated on the airplane, everybody was safely buckled. Then, the wait was on, because the airplane rose to the hook-up altitude of round 7,000 to eight,000 toes. This was the purpose when the Golden Knights re-checked all harnesses and snapped right into a tandem place — with us, their less-experienced friends hooked up to the entrance.
Reis instructed me that the Golden Knights do anyplace from 400 to 600 jumps on common per 12 months, so their aerial routine is fairly stable, to say the least.
The subsequent jiffy had been a whirlwind of adrenaline. The airplane aspect door was shuttered open — not not like a storage door. I heard last-minute reminders of “completely happy banana” and “we fall on three” all through the cabin, alongside assured shouts of, “keep in mind to have enjoyable,” by the instructors.
The primary tandem duo to leap, my teacher, Workers Sergeant Dustin Gebhardt, and I had been then instructed to line our toes up “on the black line,” the mark separating the security of stable floor from free launch into the ambiance.
The countdown was made, and my teacher took the lead, shortly pitching us over the sting of no return.
The 35- to 40-second free-fall interval was breathtaking, actually. With 125-mph winds, it was a bit tough to catch my breath at first. After the parachute was pulled, we had been shortly pulled from falling quickly, to gliding at a snug cruising pace.
Daybreak Legere, a jumper with the Knights Thursday, instructed me she favored the freefall due to the shock, however loved each a part of the daring bounce.
“Each fall was wonderful since you kind of really feel weightless. You’re simply type of hanging up there, trying round and every part,” Legere defined.
In the course of the drop, Gebhardt handed me the reins, and let me take management of maneuvering the parachute. Whereas barely terrifying, I used to be then in a position to get pleasure from – for round a minute – gliding the parachute to the left, proper and in circles to my desire, earlier than gently touchdown in a area to the cheer of onlookers.
“Within the parachute, it was cool since you’re simply kind of floating, and you’ll go searching and soak up every part. And you then get a few spins, which cool as a result of it provides within the rollercoaster ingredient,” Legere instructed me after our bounce.
The Golden Knights have held greater than 16,000 exhibits throughout 50 states and 48 nations, and carry out at greater than 100 occasions per 12 months, together with the Washington Nationals Baseball Stadium, the Miami Seaside – Hyundai Air and Sea Present, in addition to the Joint Base Andrews Air and House Expo. For a whole checklist of all 2022 appearances, click on right here.
