page_title: Military Freefall Parachutist Badge
section_title: Training
hierarchical_section_title: Military Freefall Parachutist Badge / Training
caption_attribution_description: English: U.S. Army Military Freefall School, Military Free-Fall Parachutist Course (MFFPC) instructors (in white) evaluate a student (in orange) as they fall over the Yuma Proving Ground.
context_page_description: The Military Freefall Parachutist Badge is a military badge of the United States Army and United States Air Force awarded to qualified U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force personnel as high-altitude military parachute specialists.
context_section_description: The U.S. Military Free-Fall School (MFFS) is operated by the USASOC's John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, 2nd Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne), 2nd Battalion, Company B at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) in Arizona, which is the USSOCOM proponent for military freefall.  The MFFS conducts four primary training courses, the Military Free-Fall Parachutist Course, the Military Free-Fall Jumpmaster Course, the Military Free-Fall Advanced Tactical Infiltration Course, and the Military Free-Fall Instructor Course.  The U.S. Air Force also conducts the Military Free-Fall Jumpmaster Course—certified by the MFFS—at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base for airman that are not able to attend the MFFS's jumpmaster course.  Alternatively, detachments from the MFFS conduct the Military Free-Fall Jumpmaster Course via mobile training teams (MTT) for military freefall units that have difficulty attending the course at the Yuma Proving Ground.
  The Military Free-Fall Parachutist Course (MFFPC) is open to special operations forces assigned to military freefall coded positions, parachute riggers, and select DoD civilian personnel or allied personnel assigned to military freefall positions.  To attend MFFPC, students must have graduated from the U.S. Army Airborne School and must meet specific medical requirements.  Week one of the four-week course focuses on vertical wind tunnel body stabilization training, parachute packing, and an introduction to military freefall operations.  The remaining weeks focuses training on varying jump profiles using three airborne operations per training iteration, totaling 30 military freefall operations per course encompassing various conditions and equipment loads.  At the end of the course, students will have learned how to:
  Pack the RA-1 Military Free-Fall Advanced Ram-Air Parachute System main parachute and don the system
  Rigging/jumping procedures for weapons, combat equipment, night vision goggles and portable oxygen equipment
  Aircraft procedures
  Exit an aircraft from the door and ramp using dive and poised exit positions
  Emergency procedures and body stabilization
  HALO and HAHO parachute jumps from altitudes of 10,000 ft (3,048 m) to 25,000 ft (7,620 m)
  Upon completion of the MFFPC, graduates are awarded the Military Freefall Parachutist Badge.
  To attend the Military Free-Fall JumpMaster Course (MFFJMC), students must have graduated from the U.S. Army Airborne School, the MFFPC, the U.S. Army Jumpmaster School, be a current military freefall parachutist, served as a military freefall parachutist for a minimum of one year, and must have completed at least 50 military freefall jumps.  The three-week MFFJMC focuses on training students on jumpmaster duties and responsibilities, such as:
  Nomenclature
  Jumpmaster personnel inspection
  Emergency procedures
  Oxygen equipment
  Wind drift calculations
  Altimeter calculations
  Emergency automatic activation device calculations
  Jump commands
  Aircraft procedures
  Techniques of spotting
  HAHO techniques
  Various ram-air parachute systems packing and rigging
  Upon completion of the MFFMJC, graduates are awarded the Master Military Freefall Parachutist Badge.
  To attend the Military Free-Fall Advanced Tactical Infiltration Course (MFFATIC), students must have the same qualifications and completed the same prerequisites required of the MFFJMC.  The three-week MFFATIC focuses on educating and training joint special operations forces and other selected personnel in the planning and conduct of night military freefall tactical infiltrations as a group onto unknown and unmarked drop zones.  Training includes:
  Following GPS guided bundles
  Carrying various combat equipment
  Various communications
  Wearing various night vision devices
  Jumping with non-standard weapons while using oxygen equipment
  Utilization of various parachutist navigational devices
  Upon completion of the MFFATIC, graduates are awarded a certificate of completion; there is no badge or badge device awarded for completion of the MFFATIC.
  To attend the Military Free-Fall Instructor Course (MFFIC), 
caption: A MFFS instructor (in gray jump suit) and a student-instructor (in gray and black jump suit) assist a student (in orange jump suit) as he freefalls over YPG
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