Jump Ground Training Summer 2022 Session 1 Group 2
Summer 2022 Session 1 Group 2 of Jump 490 completed their ground training last week preparing them for thier first ever freefall skydive!
One of the more challenging programs provided by USAFA, Airmanship 490 or AM-490 is a Basic Freefall Parachuting Program that the Academy offers, and it is the core mission of the Wings of Blue and the 98th Training Squadron, all the Cadets on the Wings of Blue team are certified AM-490 Instructors and Jumpmasters. Its purpose is to develop leadership traits through overcoming their own fears. They will be given instruction in basic free fall parachuting and familiarization with emergency parachuting. The successful completion of 5 Jumps results in award of the Air Force basic parachutist badge "Jump Wings", which they can wear on their uniform for the rest of their Air Force career and completion during summer before sophomore year fills one of the few military training requirements that Cadets at USAFA have. Several hundred Cadets over the course of this summer will have to "STAND IN THE DOOR."
AM-490 is the only program in the entire Air Force where the first jump is an unassisted freefall. Because of this unique difference all students, cadet or staff who go through this program will have roughly 40 hours of ground training before their first jump. Part of this training is done in the harness where they go through the steps of how to properly stand in the door, practice the 10 count freefall sequence. This includes arching into the proper freefall position, "Look, Pull, Check" for the last 3 seconds of the count, check their altimeter, and then using the risers to steer the parachute to stay in the drop zone.
The Jump 490 they practiced their emergency procedures under pressure. They will bring in the students and have them face the wall until it is their turn in the harness. They are instructed to have their eyes closed so they cannot see what is happening to the other students while their harness is hooked up.
Instructors try to distract them by playing loud music, talking loudly to them, jumping on them, blaring a loud horn, using a leaf blower to simulate wind, and covering them with a parachute while they are trying to go through an emergency procedure.
They get swung and spun in mulitple directions as well which is designed to help the student learn how to think clearly under stressful and distracting situations and help them prepare to jump out of an airplane for the first time as a solo jumper!
The will take off the students boots or patches and put them in the middle of the floor on the squadron patch. They are not allowed to touch or step on the patch, otherwise they have to do push-ups. And if you get caught using a rake or a broom etc, you have to do more pushups!
To view this sessions Ground Training go to GALLERIES> Airmanship > Jump. Set photo order OLDEST to NEWEST. Then select your start page 122-161 . Or click on the link below.
***Photo order must be set OLDEST to NEWEST for the link to take you to the correct start page.
Summer 2022 Session 1 Group 2 pgs. 122 (middle of page, 5th row down) - 161