Jump Aerial Summer
The weather was a little windy in the morning while the Jump AM-490 Class finished up their ground training and evaluation. Thankfully the winds calmed down and the class was able to do their first aerial jump yesterday.
As stated in the Jump Ground blog, Airmanship 490's purpose is to develop leadership traits through overcoming their fears and coping with stressful situations. The program starts with 30 hours of instruction in basic free fall parachuting technique and procedure, to include emergency situations they may encounter when jumping. The successful completion of 5 Jumps results in being awarded the Air Force Basic Parachutist Badge "Jump Wings", which they can wear on their uniform for the rest of their Air Force Career.
AM-490 is the only program in the entire world where the first jump is an unassisted freefall.
The weather always plays a role in each jump. Some jumpers will encounter wind while others have no wind. Either situation makes for a unique jump for each student. Yesterday the winds kept shifting and the clouds started to build up later in the morning and early afternoon. It definitely made it adventurous for the jumpers and an interesting photo shoot! Some jumpers landed far away which makes it tough to capture the landing. While others fly right overhead. This can make for an interesting angle to shoot from. With clouds in the area it can make for a white background and put the jumper in the shadows. Yesterday was defintely a fun and interesting day for the student jumpers as well as for our photographer. 
To view photos from yesterday's Aerial Jumps, go to Galleries >Airmanship > Jump or click the link below.