Smyrna times., 1963-05-09
Armed Forces Day Program
May l8 To Feature Sky Divers

nuSneQ crowd WarcheS the
body's gyrating movements,
many minds alive with thoughts
concerning the possible out
come.
Three thousand feet. The
body is spread-eagled, the chute
still unopen. Collectively, there
is a sharp intake of breath by
the spectators waiting expect
antly.
Two thousand TWO hundred
feet. The body seems fully sta
bilized, its spinning motion
halted. Abruptly, the skydiver
reaches for his ripcord. The
cord actvates the chutess sle-
eve--a long sock which fits
trinity over the folded panels
in the pact--graMally releas-
ing the orange and white nylon
strips to engage the air. For,
without the sleeve, the jerk of
the parachute opening after Sc
veral thousand feet of free fall
could injure the jumper.
Then, while the crowd ap-
plauds his actions, the sky
diver skilfully manipulates his
chute towards a target on the
ground by pulling the left or
right guide lines which extend
from his harness to the outer
edges of the empty panels bill
lowing overhead. These open
panels, in the rear of the chute,
provide 1t with a forward speed.
The climax comes at length
when he lands In the target
area, lined white circle which
scars the earth.
Those attending the Dover
AFB Armed Forces Day OBJ
servation, Saturday, May Is,
will have TWO opportunities to
watch similar thrilling exhibi-
tion jumps. A top-flight sky
Divers team from the Fort
Campbell, KY, Sport Para
chute Club will perform at
l0:45 am, and 2:45 pm.
Among the finest sport par
achuusts In the world, Fort
on the United States team which
placed second in the Adriatic
Cup meet In Trivat, Yugosla-
via. Long popular In Europe,
the sport was introduced to
Tits country by The French sx-
pert, Jacques Istel.
Since that ume, some rs
years ago, parachuting has
grown In popularity, and--in
lo56--it entered the sports field
after achieving a third dimen-
sion, Skyd1V1ng.
The sport is rigidly control
led by national governing bod
les, namely the Parachute Club
of America (PCA) and the Fed
eral Aeronautics Administrat-
ion (FAA). Then, too, there are
international groups perform
ing similar functions.
Despite potential Dangers
inherent and implied--skydiv-
ing has become as safe as
other sports which normally
use the good earth as a base
for operation, This is attri-
butable, In a large measure,
to the serious approach taken
by participants along with the
watchdog monitoring of the gov
erning bodies.
Licenses for four classes,
ga" through ''D", are award
ed by the Pea to international
parachutists who perform the
minimum number of jumps,
thereby acquiring the neces-
sary skills.
However, long before per-
son obtains a license, he must
undergo comprehensive train
ing program. Let's take look
at the Fort Campbell clubs
schedule:
The student Is required to
take "a hours of ground train
ing before the initial jump is
made. This training--usually
spread over eight three-hour
nightly sessions--stresses
safety and knowledge of accept
ed procedures.
Among subjects taught are
the methods of packing the
sports parachute, exiting from
an aircraft, controlling the body
during free fall, steering the
parachute after 1t has opened,
and landing. The student. after
this training is completed, Is
required to make five static
line jumps. During these, the
chute is opened automatically
by a line attached to the air
craft. The satisfactory compile
tion of these jumps tells the in
structor that the student is
ready to begin free-falls start
ing with a five-second delay
before pulling the ripcord.
Once these jumps are ex-
ecuted satisfactorily, the sm-
dent graduates to longer delays
based upon his skill at estab-
fishing stabilizadon In the air.
This is accomplished by using
his arms and legs In the man.
ner of the wings and elevators
of an aircraft. The skydiver's
indoctrinauon into all these
procedures is completed before
he is ready to compete in ma
donal and International meets.
Since 1858, when the Depart
ment of the Army authorized