Input on being a paratrooper

[Andy]

I enjoy a lot of media quoted "extreme sports" such as snowboarding, paintball, skateboarding, bungee jumping ect.... One thing ive really wanted to try is skydiving, but i havent gotten around to it yet. Seeing as how im applying to the army in the next week, i was wondering if i should consider this an option seeing as how i love these sports and would probably love sky diving too? Please, if you can, tell me upsides and downsides to this career, memories and things you would like to forget ect....

 

[Recce41]

Well
You just can‘t go in as a Paratrooper. You must go though Basic training then Battle School. Then you may be posted to a Inf Btl. From there they ask what courses you would like. If your lucky you‘ll get the jump course.

 

[fortuncookie5084]

Skydiving and military parachuting are very different. IN skydiving one jumps from quite high altitudes and then deploys a large rectangular (a "square" chute as its called in parachute parlance) parachute that is highly controllable and very slow. Skydivers don‘t jump one after the other, either. They‘re usually far apart unless they are experts doing relative work. Squares almost always have a soft landing.

With military jumping one jumps never any higher than 2000 feet in training (its as low as 250 feet for some armies---like the British---in war time). The chute you will use is a 7 metre round that is not very controllable, even if you have a steerable chute (such as Canada does not but almost everyone else has) like the MC1-1C or GQ Aeroconical. The aircraft can be moving fast (extremely fast in the case of the large American jet transports) and jumps are almost always done at night. The descent is fast, too. We‘re looking at 17-22 feet per second. You‘ll never be in the air longer than 45 seconds. On yes...and if you can carry it with you (man-pack it as they say in the army) you can jump it. Exceptions aside, you‘ll jump it all in front of your legs and then lower it via a lowering line. Now that‘s not skydiving.

 

[Recce41]

Cookie
We do have a semisteerable its the CT2. There is a new chute coming out. For us freefallers you use a CT3 or a non standard chute ie: civie. You read like a book.
Aircraft travel at around 184 kts. I have over 400 static and 100+ FREEFALL and don‘t really care what chute I jump just to jump is good for me. So you a jumper or one of those types that wear the wings(I hope not white) and are not. Because you know its chargeable to wear them.

 

[Zoomie]

Recce, White Wings were for CAR jumpers were they not. Would it be correct to say that those wings are no longer being awarded, just the red ones now?

 

[Recce41]

No anyone with para Coy with 3 RCR,PPCLI,R22R, CPC and the place I work at, any OP jump postion, and if you are attached to the 82,101, Brit Paras,etc. They the CAR were not the only ones that received them. Anyone then at CABC, Recce Sqn RCD and before 87 the 8CH, 2 CER with the jump troop,E Bat, or anyone in a OP Jump postion.
When I got my white in 84, you had to have 2 Op jumps (exercise) the Airborne Indoc course, and be with the Airborne battle group for 2 yrs. Then you received your Maroon Beret( not us Armour types), your white leaf,and your God Bless you Airborne Coin. Now anyone puts up the white, I have met soldiers that have not even been close to a plane wearing them. That pisses me off.

 

[Zoomie]

I must agree with you on that issue 100% Recce. I‘ve never met anyone wearing the wrong wings, but if I did, I am sure that I would react the same way as you do.

 

[Andy]

So would this be considerd a rewarding and fun area to go into? Or should i look elsewhere?

 

[Sharpey]

On the topic of jump wings...I don‘t understand why these guys entering the Reserves from Cadets are allowed to wear their jump wings that they acquired in Cadets. I have never been in Cadets and never been on the jump course, but I think I can say with confidence that the Cadet course is not even comparable to the Jump Course. So why be allowed? A Cadet can‘t keep his rank when they switch over, why their wings?

 

[Zoomie]

"Apparently" it is the same course, or so they tell me. I saw them in Pet one summer, they had RCR instructors, so who knows?

 

[fortuncookie5084]

The cadets have to do the pre para as well, so their jump course is five weeks, all unpaid, while ours is three weeks paid. Aside from that the only jump courses taught in Canada are done through the Canadian Parachute Centre Trenton. If you have done it in the last ten years (cadet, res, or reg) it is *the* course.

 

[fortuncookie5084]

Recce, I had not heard about our semi steerable chute. I‘m glad to see Canada is actually acquiring some decent chutes. I don‘t wear any wings on my uniform because I didn‘t do the course in Canada. Do people really try tacking them on without earning them? Anyway, the course is simply not available in the reserves due to budget (or so I‘m told). I don‘t believe it but that‘s neither here nor there because since infantry is closed I‘m looking elsewhere for a career. If you‘re starting to think that I‘m heading someplace where they have a large and well developed airborne/airmobile force, you‘re 100% right.

 

[combat_medic]

There have been lots of opportunities recently for reservists to get basic para. In the last 2 years alone, my unit has sent 5-6 guys. There‘s also a MO unit located in Toronto (The Queen‘s Own Rifles) that still has a jump company, and in which you can still earn and wear white wings. yes, it‘s harder to get on the course as a reservist, but the opportunities are still available.

 

[Sharpey]

I know people who have just completed the jump course, a Cadet can do that? I‘m not judging all Cadets here so don‘t get me wrong. But that‘s a tough course. I know there is no way I could even attempt that course yet, if at all.

 

[Andy]

So my big question is, do any of you like it? is it something to pursue? if you had the choice to take a differnt course would you or would you become a paratrooper again? what are the ups and downs to this job?

 

[asdf]

Isn‘t anyone going to actually answer Army Andrew‘s question?

Being a paratrooper is an amazing job, it‘s exciting, and the comradeship is unlike anything else you‘re likely to find. It is also very hard work, and very hard on your body (I don‘t know many jumpers who don‘t have some sort of long term injury from jumping).

Keep in mind that being a paratrooper is an attitude (and I don‘t mean the ATTITUDE that shows itself in a bar fight). The demise of the Cdn AB Regt may have eliminated Canada‘s Airborne capability, but there is nothing saying that a soldier can‘t still become a Paratrooper. Jumping is one of the smallest parts of being a paratrooper. Just become the best, most professional soldier you can, and the rest will follow.....my time as a paratrooper is one of my most cherised memories.

 

[Gordon Angus Mackinlay]

"So my big question is, do any of you like it"

No one in their right mind likes military parachuting, it is a different to sports parachuting as a nun is to a prostitute.

Military parachuting is a means of travelling a long distance with a fair degree of speed, and putting soldiers accurately onto the ground, with the minimum of injury and the maximum of suprise.

To this end the tactical aircraft (C130 etc) travel in at 500 feet or less. Modern tactical military parachutes enable the soldier to do a descent from 300 feet or lower. In the British Army/Royal Marines this is the norm, as is the German ‘regular‘ parachute Brigade (the 31st, has no conscripts).

Tactical flying to the DZ results in one thing - air sickness, the resultant vomitus makes even the most hardened who suffers not, to vomit. It is the norm to see the floor of an aircraft awash with vomit. All everyone wants to do, is get out of the bloody aircraft with your container, with no thought of what is actually on the ground - it has to be better than the aircraft.

No one enjoys military parachuting, and with night descents in bad weather, even the most stupid person is afraid.

The American style of "John Wayne" parachute descents from 800-1500 feet, with a high altitude aircraft approach, are not really tactical parachute operations. In the 82nd AIrborne Division, tactical military descents in training are a rare event. this being a major problem, when their bn‘s jumped over Panama - "Death Ground - Todays American Infantry in Battle", giving a good description, and discussing the need for realistic peacetime parachute training.

The Rhodesian Army was the only one to have ever really developed the use of parachuting as a military tool. Due to both their shortage of high capacity helicopters with a good range, and the need to move long distances, resulted in the use of Dakota‘s carrying 15-20 men of the Commando‘s of The Rhodesian LIght Infantry (and later the 2nd Battalion, The Rhodesian African Rifles, and certain elements of the Rhodesia Regiment) into contacts. On a number of occassions individual Troops (platoons) of the RLI Cdo‘s did three combat descents in one day into "hot" DZ‘s, with their soldiers actually packing their parachutes (British MXs) in the field!!!

Yours,
G/.

 

[logistik]

Nobody can answer this question for you really.

 

[Futur_Para]

asdf what you said is the resion why i want to be a paratrooper. Crist My heart got all worm reading your post.................................... :flame:

 

[Andy]

thank you kindly for your description Mr Mackinly. Although i have to claim this now, and will probably sit down and wish i had listend to your description of the vomitus later, but i have been raised in a medical family, been on countless amounts of ride alongs with paramedics and in hospital ER trips, the smell, look, feel, and auroa of other people vomiting does not bother me at all, and i am not one to really get air sick easily. Im done my im a man and im invincible talk now. :evil: Anybody else have any input?