The challenge of the week is the swing landing trainer, where a student swings back and forth on a harness attached to a rope. The instructors let go of the rope and the student falls quickly three or four feet into a sand pit. If executed correctly, the techniques you are taught really work. Students also learn to perform mass exits from the plane and release combat equipment. During the last week, jump week, one of the jumps is made at night and another is made with combat equipment.
Instructors also teach about possible malfunctions and how to activate the reserve parachute.
Though the barracks were in poor shape, the food was excellent and the people are great. I was very impressed with the professionalism and motivation of other students at Airborne School. Some students had waited many years to come to the school and others made it a part of their reenlistment contracts. My company included Air Force Search and Rescue instructors and Navy deep sea divers, and a few Marines. Officers from Uganda, Egypt, and Moldova also attended the course.