A Question for those who worked in/with special forces concerning parachuting.

[Jemsaal]

I'm trying to find out how special forces operatives land when they're jumping with all their equipment. I'm mainly concerned about landing on hard ground from a HAHO jump.

I know with the old massive parachutes they used to train pilots to basically hit feet first and then lay down, feet, knees, hip, shoulder, or something like that. (It was years ago that I lived on an airbase with a survival school, so I'm digging pretty far back). Is it the same basic thing for special forces?

Thanks in advance. I'm trying to write a short story to work on my writing skills, and want to be accurate.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[NMB]

Im pretty sure they use their massive balls to cushion the impact.

[suntzu]

Stand up landing unless winds get squirrley or you mis judge the landing. PLF's (which you are referring to ) are for static line jumps. And like I said, when in doubt, feet and knees together, slightly bent and you will be fine.

[suntzu]

Im pretty sure they use their massive balls to cushion the impact.

Not if they get caught in the leg straps when you open! It hurts

[Jemsaal]

Not if they get caught in the leg straps when you open! It hurts

Funny you should mention that. Let me know if this is anything like what you may have experienced.

I’ve done quite a few High Altitude-High Opening jumps in training, but doing a HAHO jump on my first mission is a completely new experience. I feel like someone's taken sandpaper to my senses—maybe that’s why I can feel my left nut already freezing off, though I’m surprised I can feel anything with the temperature someplace around seventy below.
. . . . . .
I reach for my ripcord and yank.
Holy Mary Mother of God that hurt! I think I just crushed my right nut in the harness, at least both of them are throbbing in pain now, so I’m not lopsided. More importantly, my ‘chute is deployed.

[suntzu]

Funny you should mention that. Let me know if this is anything like what you may have experienced.

Something like that....where is the quote from. Just curious....why are you interested in HAHO?

[JDE101]

Not if they get caught in the leg straps when you open! It hurts

After that happens the first time, you learn to hunch over and tighten the leg straps so tight that you can not completely standup straight all the way! If there is any slack, the chances of a crushed nut is greatly increased.

[OldVet]

Any parachute landing you can walk away from is a good parachute landing.

[dangerranger]

I believe the parachutes themselves have long ago changed. The rectangle chutes they use now have much more control. They are wing shaped and glide like a plane. They have much more area giving much more lift, So they can carry more weight. at the landing the pilot flares the chute to give maximum lift and sets down much more easily than the old round chutes. DR

[jbum]

Not if they get caught in the leg straps when you open! It hurts

Really did we need a reminder? Now I got to stay up all night to avoid the nightmare

[ANGLICO]

HALO or HAHO has nothing to do with how you land (when you impact earth). So, talking a non-static line rig............... Meaning, non-round parachute (however you can static the -5 = same as a free fall jump at the moment of 'impact'....)

To answer your question, if you set up the last 20 seconds of the ride... the wrong way, or if your LZ is just not what you expected when exiting the aircraft, you will bang earth, and possibly have a 'bad day'! PLF or walking/sticking a stand up landing is all a matter of G-2 and wind conditions... and some other factors.... worse at night.

It is not the fall that kills you. It is the sudden impact at the end of the ride, if you are moving a whee little too fast............. (Airborne!)

[Jemsaal]

Thanks everyone for your answers. That help's quite a bit.

Something like that....where is the quote from. Just curious....why are you interested in HAHO?

I'm putting myself through a writing exercise. I've been screwing around writing fan-fiction for a while (yeah, I'm a geek, what can I say). My wife and a few friends have challenged me to start writing my own stuff, so this is the first time I've attempted it. Since a lot of my reading has been Tom Clancy/Military/Navy SEAL stuff (including historical books on the SEALS), I thought I'd start with something I know (in the literary world) and see what I could come up with, so I did. It's a short story about a guy who's going on his first SEAL team mission. The problem is, he's never allowed himself to face the reality of what he'd be called on to do until he's sitting in the back of a C-17 just before the Jumpmaster calls out "two minutes." That's where the story picks up and follows throughout his first mission, which starts with a HAHO.

It's not my best piece by any means, but I took a few risks with it and enjoyed the process.

[ANGLICO]

Thanks everyone for your answers. That help's quite a bit.



I'm putting myself through a writing exercise. I've been screwing around writing fan-fiction for a while (yeah, I'm a geek, what can I say). My wife and a few friends have challenged me to start writing my own stuff, so this is the first time I've attempted it. Since a lot of my reading has been Tom Clancy/Military/Navy SEAL stuff (including historical books on the SEALS), I thought I'd start with something I know (in the literary world) and see what I could come up with, so I did. It's not my best piece by any means, but I took a few risks with it and enjoyed the process.

WELL............. in your research......... did you at least go out and get a Tandem Jump, or a Hop and Pop Static Square jump, or if you really wanted to bust your Cherry, a BASE Jump? Just askin.

Get out and live a little, son. Stick your own knees in the breeze!

[Jemsaal]

WELL............. in your research......... did you at least go out and get a Tandem Jump, or a Hop and Pop Static Square jump, or if you really wanted to bust your Cherry, a BASE Jump? Just askin.

Get out and live a little, son. Stick your own knees in the breeze!

LOL, if I was planning on doing anything more than a 10 page writing exercise, absolutely, but I can't justify the money to research something that will purposefully never see the light of day.

And seriously, do you realize how much 9mm ammo $200.00 will buy?

[OldVet]

I write too, have included scenes about bailing out of airplanes, but I'm telling you now--I ain't jumping out of no airplane that ain't on fire!