United States Army Airborne School

Black hats are overall great, very professional. Just so everyone is aware you now have to do a chin up. You must hang all the way down from a bar, pull up to your name tape, hold for 20 secs. This is a task I would have completed had I known it was a requirement. So I was not prepared. I do plan on coming back and completing once I train for this event. This event disqualified every female in my class other than 2. So ladies this is no joke. Train. What little I did get from the course it seems like great training. They just need to get info out there sooner.

Don’t believe the hype. Theres no «separating the men from the boys/​girls from women». Its a coed school with weekends off, so, obviously its going to be pretty easy. When I went through in ’08, they made you stop doing pushups and situps as soon as you hit your minimum because they’re usually at max student capacity if not overbooked so they don’t have time for the «hooah hooah fake motivation» BS. They’re there to teach you how to jump without being babysat. If you’re 11 or 19 series, you probably did more running at a faster pace then you’ll do here. Keep your mouth shut and learn what you can, don’t act stupid on the weekends and get into trouble, and you’ll have a great time. There are so many weak soldiers that show up to and graduate from this school that the chances of you not falling into the middle or excelling is very slim.

Airborne!

It is 20+ years since airborne school and still one of the best things I have done.
20 years later and my knees sound like rice Krispies, but I would not trade this experience for anything.

Here at Airborne School, ground week separates the boys and girls from the men and women, and tower week separates the men and women from the fools… because only fools would jump out of planes.
Day one of jump school we learned a very valuable lesson: Airborne is an equal opportunity school because everyone is gonna hit the ground, one way or the other. How’s that for incentive to pay attention and learn to keep your feet and knees together?
This is by far the best Army course I have been to in my career as a TRADOC Ranger. I have the utmost respect for the Black Hats memorizing their blocks of instruction rather than going off PowerPoint or notes, and for being able to apply the material to actual jumps and real airborne units. Plus nothing beats jumping out of a C-​130 and floating through the air. Truly a course not to miss.
JUMPERS, HIT IT!

One of the most fun times of my life. Loved this school! Kinda jealous to hear they are using the 250′ towers again (if that’s true). I wish I could go do it again! Minus the running everywhere in boots part, of course.

How do you get over your fear of heights? Go to Jump School of course. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Cuz… uhhh…I’m still afraid of heights. But I have to say, this was one of the best times of my life. Thinking about the training (3 – 5 mile runs in combat boots rocks my socks), the camaraderie (Privates with 3 months service are treated the same as Majors with over 10 years service), and the gauntlet (when you get your Airborne wings pinned to your shirt without the anchors and a hard smack from everyone as you walk down the line) brings a tear to my eye… sniff sniff.
Brief overview straight from the all knowing Wikipedia
Ground Week:
During Ground Week, students begin an intensive program of instruction to build individual airborne skills, which prepare them to make a parachute jump, and land safely. They train on the mock door, practice parachute landing falls (PLF), exit the 34 foot tower, and train on the lateral drift apparatus (LDA). To go forward to Tower Training Week, students must individually qualify on the 34 foot tower, the LDA, and pass all PT requirements.
Tower Week:
A team effort is added to the training with the «mass exit» concept. The apparati used this week are the 34-​foot towers, the swing landing trainer (SLT), the mock door for mass exit training, the suspended harness, and potentially the 250-​foot free tower. Tower Week completes student individual skill training and builds team effort skills. To go forward to Jump Training Week students must qualify on the SLT, master the mass exit procedures from the 34-​foot tower, and pass all PT requirements.
Jump Week:
During Jump Week students make five parachute jumps into Fryar Drop Zone (DZ) located in Alabama on the Fort Benning Military Reservation. Trainees must run to the air field, conduct pre-​jump training, and then get into their harnesses and await their turn to jump. Generally, two of the jumps are «combat jumps», in which the jumper carries a ruck sack and a dummy weapon. The other three jumps are «hollywood», in that the jumper only wears the parachute and reserve. At least one jump is at night, although, during training cycles where Jump Week falls on a three day week (due to a Federal holiday), a night jump is not mandatory to graduate.