I got to jump out of a UH60 Blackhawk for the first time.

[USArmyParatrooper]

Hello all,

 

So finally today I got to jump out of a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter for the first time, and find out why those who've gotten to jump them rave so much about them.

 

Most of our jumps are from C-130's and C-17's (fixed wing), and to be honest there's not a lot of fun factor there. You go through about 6-8 hours of pre-jump headaches, when you're jumping full combat load wearing your chute and all your gear is literally painful, it's cramped and you're stepping all over each other trying to prepare to exit the aircraft. All of this for about 30 seconds (guessing here) of free fall and a very hard landing.

 

Jumping the Blackhawks about 75% of the BS goes away. We lined up with 22 different chocks, and three birds making very rapid back and forth runs. Without going into the boring details, you essentially mount the bird, sit on the edge with your feet hanging off and when the jumpmaster says "Go!" just push off and away you go. The jump elevation was (I heard 1000 and someone else said 1250) above ground level. Normal fixed wing training exercises are from 800 feet. Lots and lots of time to enjoy the view.

 

Some guys have been known to take photos while they're in mid air. I can neither confirm nor deny whether I've ever done it, but if the wrong person catches you you can get in a lot of trouble. It's a safety violation.

 

[zuckuss2003]

Awesome!

[Transplant]

Exciting. Shouldn't there be another zero on those heights? Is this static line jumping?

[USArmyParatrooper]

Exciting. Shouldn't there be another zero on those heights? Is this static line jumping?

 

Yes, it's static line. No, those numbers are accurate. The idea is you get your boots on the ground as quickly as possible so you're not a floating duck. If it were a real combat jump it would be from a significantly lower altitude, and your reserve parachute would be mere decoration.

[InvstmntComcSuply]

Awesome!

+1000

[thehumantorch]

Very cool.

[Crows]

Fun stuff !

I have made only 17 jumps myself, but the thought of pulling at 1000 ft. would be scary, kinnda like a base jump. Ive always been told to pull at 3000 ft. some guys pull at 4000, just that much more time to deal with an unwanted situation.

[USArmyParatrooper]

Fun stuff !

I have made only 17 jumps myself, but the thought of pulling at 1000 ft. would be scary, kinnda like a base jump. Ive always been told to pull at 3000 ft. some guys pull at 4000, just that much more time to deal with an unwanted situation.

 

Normal fixed wing training jumps are 800 feet, but you don't really "pull" your chute. You have a static line that's hooked up to a cable, and when you exit that line pulls your chute out for you.

 

The military does have HALO (High Altitude Low Open) capabilities, but most of the people who do those jumps are Special Operations. My father-in-law is retired Special Forces. He has tons of HALO jumps.

[Silver Surfer]

Very cool! You said "chocks" and "mount the bird" in the same paragraph.

[Speedy-D]

Wow, that looks like fun. Any chance you could play a round of paintball while you're up there?

[Walls]

Congrats, I went to jump school back in I don't know January of '93 down in Ft Benning, GA. I did four jumps from the C130 and one jump from I want to say the C-141. I hated every jump and thought I was going to die every time I stepped out of the aircraft.

 

The C-141 was probably the best jump of the five and only because they kept us in the air for about an hour in turbulent conditions. Most of us were so air sick that we were actually glad to get out of the damn airplane.

 

Glad to hear you got some enjoyable jumps in. (thumbs u

[Paratrooper]

ah, I remember that DZ. Fun times.

[Paratrooper]

Oh, did you ever play the "find me the DZ keys" prank on newbies?

[Silent Master]

I absolutely loved my rides in the Blackhawk with the doors off flying into Baghdad. Awesome view (and no where near as hot!!)

[USArmyParatrooper]

Oh, did you ever play the "find me the DZ keys" prank on newbies?

 

Find me the keys to area J.

 

Go get the backblast bag for the AT-4.

 

Go tell Staff Sergeant Smith you need some E6 nuts.

 

Go to supply and get me some chemlight batteries and a box of grid squares.

 

Go to S1 and tell them you need to fill out an "i d 10 t" form.

 

I have an endless supply of them.

[Silent Master]

Oh, did you ever play the "find me the DZ keys" prank on newbies?

 

Find me the keys to area J.

 

Go get the backblast bag for the AT-4.

 

Go tell Staff Sergeant Smith you need some E6 nuts.

 

Go to supply and get me some chemlight batteries and a box of grid squares.

 

Go to S1 and tell them you need to fill out an "i d 10 t" form.

 

I have an endless supply of them.

 

[Gotham Kid]

Did you read any comics on the way down ? ( need to keep things comic related and such... comic police are out there )

[Senormac]

Awesome !!

[Walls]

ah, I remember that DZ. Fun times.

 

I barely even remember the drop zones. I do remember landing in a small ditch with water in it on my first jump. I also remember a marine lance corporal who wouldnt jump out of the plane who was in front of me in the stick. Black hat had to push him out. I also remember we didn't really have a tower week because the tower wasnt working as expected.

 

Anyway I did my five jumps and that was it for me. Plus im a complete wuss, I'll never do that stuff again.

[Paratrooper]

Oh, did you ever play the "find me the DZ keys" prank on newbies?

 

Find me the keys to area J.

 

Go get the backblast bag for the AT-4.

 

Go tell Staff Sergeant Smith you need some E6 nuts.

 

Go to supply and get me some chemlight batteries and a box of grid squares.

 

Go to S1 and tell them you need to fill out an "i d 10 t" form.

 

I have an endless supply of them.

 

 

I had a brand new LT fall for the DZ keys prank, he spent 2 days asking everyone in the BN for them....freaking funny as hell.