finished talking, Steve thanked the loadie and joined the others. He
prepared his parachute, pack and weapon for the jump. They wanted to jump a low
altitude, low opening and hoped the pilot would oblige. The aircraft would only
be 1, 000 feet from the ground when they stepped out the back. Once they were
free falling they would wait two seconds before pulling their ripcords. When
their parachutes had fully deployed they would be between 60 and 90 feet from
the ground.
From
the time they left the aircraft to feeling solid ground beneath their feet,
only 10 or 15 seconds should have passed. It was not Steve’s intention to break
any records today. The LALO jump was an opportunity for his patrol to hone
their skills. It was an unwritten rule that if, at any stage, an opportunity
for training or practice presented itself, it was to be taken. To strive for
perfection was to strive to become a better and more skilled soldier.
Scott
kicked Steve gently in the side. Steve looked up and saw Scott was strapped
back into his seat, wearing a set of headphones. “Five minutes to jump.”
Steve
told the others who did not have headphones. The soldiers began donning their
gear. It was a surprise that they had covered the distance so quickly. Steve
calculated that, incredibly, the C-130 must have been travelling in excess of
1,000 km/h.
The
loadie had strapped on a harness and clipped himself onto the side of the
aircraft near the cargo door. He had also plugged the communication lead into
the comms panel so he could hear information or commands from the pilot. When
the cargo door opened, it was his job to ensure that it opened without
malfunction. The harness would stop him falling from the aircraft should
anything go wrong.
Meanwhile
Steve and the others checked their harnesses, backpacks and webbing. It was
important to check, re-check and re-check each other. Any loose gear or open
pockets meant that equipment or weapons could be lost in the jump. If it were a
real combat situation, losing gear or weapons could compromise not only the
mission, but their lives.
Steve
and his men braced themselves as the C-130 went into a steep dive. They dived
for almost half a minute before straightening out at what Steve assumed was
1,000 feet. They felt the aircraft slow and grabbed onto hard points to steady
themselves. The cargo door began to open and a blast of air entered the
aircraft. The loadie watched the door as it opened, the wind whipping his
uniform ferociously. After the cargo door had fully opened, the loadie turned
to the men and held up two fingers. Two minutes. The five soldiers made their
way to the open door and the yawning landscape below. The loadie passed them
each a set of clear goggles that would protect their eyes from the wind on the
way down. The men placed the goggles over their eyes and secured the elastic
straps. The loadie held up one finger.
The
men re-checked each other once more before moving into position. Dave and
Scott, who were the gunners and had the greatest amount of firepower, would be
the first on the ground. They would be followed by Matt, Will and finally
Steve.
Steve
tapped Dave and Scott on the shoulder. “Dave, I want you at 12 o’clock,” he
shouted. “Scott, you go to six, we’ll form up on you two.” With a machinegun at
6 o’clock and 12 o’clock, the patrol was well protected. If the soldiers were
jumping into a combat situation, the order of jump would be no different. If
the jump was mistimed even by a second, Steve knew someone would die. But then
they were not cheap thrill seekers in search of adrenalin, they had all
practiced this jump many times before.
It
was required that when a soldier first started jumping at 1,000 feet he was to
be attached to a static line, which pulled his parachute out for him as he left
the aircraft. The first sixty jumps would be conducted in this way. The soldier
was then taken off the static line and on his next fifty jumps he was to pull
his
prepared his parachute, pack and weapon for the jump. They wanted to jump a low
altitude, low opening and hoped the pilot would oblige. The aircraft would only
be 1, 000 feet from the ground when they stepped out the back. Once they were
free falling they would wait two seconds before pulling their ripcords. When
their parachutes had fully deployed they would be between 60 and 90 feet from
the ground.
From
the time they left the aircraft to feeling solid ground beneath their feet,
only 10 or 15 seconds should have passed. It was not Steve’s intention to break
any records today. The LALO jump was an opportunity for his patrol to hone
their skills. It was an unwritten rule that if, at any stage, an opportunity
for training or practice presented itself, it was to be taken. To strive for
perfection was to strive to become a better and more skilled soldier.
Scott
kicked Steve gently in the side. Steve looked up and saw Scott was strapped
back into his seat, wearing a set of headphones. “Five minutes to jump.”
Steve
told the others who did not have headphones. The soldiers began donning their
gear. It was a surprise that they had covered the distance so quickly. Steve
calculated that, incredibly, the C-130 must have been travelling in excess of
1,000 km/h.
The
loadie had strapped on a harness and clipped himself onto the side of the
aircraft near the cargo door. He had also plugged the communication lead into
the comms panel so he could hear information or commands from the pilot. When
the cargo door opened, it was his job to ensure that it opened without
malfunction. The harness would stop him falling from the aircraft should
anything go wrong.
Meanwhile
Steve and the others checked their harnesses, backpacks and webbing. It was
important to check, re-check and re-check each other. Any loose gear or open
pockets meant that equipment or weapons could be lost in the jump. If it were a
real combat situation, losing gear or weapons could compromise not only the
mission, but their lives.
Steve
and his men braced themselves as the C-130 went into a steep dive. They dived
for almost half a minute before straightening out at what Steve assumed was
1,000 feet. They felt the aircraft slow and grabbed onto hard points to steady
themselves. The cargo door began to open and a blast of air entered the
aircraft. The loadie watched the door as it opened, the wind whipping his
uniform ferociously. After the cargo door had fully opened, the loadie turned
to the men and held up two fingers. Two minutes. The five soldiers made their
way to the open door and the yawning landscape below. The loadie passed them
each a set of clear goggles that would protect their eyes from the wind on the
way down. The men placed the goggles over their eyes and secured the elastic
straps. The loadie held up one finger.
The
men re-checked each other once more before moving into position. Dave and
Scott, who were the gunners and had the greatest amount of firepower, would be
the first on the ground. They would be followed by Matt, Will and finally
Steve.
Steve
tapped Dave and Scott on the shoulder. “Dave, I want you at 12 o’clock,” he
shouted. “Scott, you go to six, we’ll form up on you two.” With a machinegun at
6 o’clock and 12 o’clock, the patrol was well protected. If the soldiers were
jumping into a combat situation, the order of jump would be no different. If
the jump was mistimed even by a second, Steve knew someone would die. But then
they were not cheap thrill seekers in search of adrenalin, they had all
practiced this jump many times before.
It
was required that when a soldier first started jumping at 1,000 feet he was to
be attached to a static line, which pulled his parachute out for him as he left
the aircraft. The first sixty jumps would be conducted in this way. The soldier
was then taken off the static line and on his next fifty jumps he was to pull
his
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