Jumpmaster Story

[Team Sergeant]

Okinawa; A story I heard while I was there….

SF Jumpmaster school. They are using a MC-130 for a jump platform. Plane is full of Jump Master candidates from 1st Group. They were sitting on the runway, engines running about to depart when the Aircraft Emergency Bells start sounding!! Someone yells the plane is on fire, GET OUT GET OUT!

Most jumpers have undone their seat belts and are making for the front of the A/C to exit out the front exit door with stairs, easier to “walk out� with a parachute on. For those that have never dawned a parachute, they are NOT designed to run in! If I were to describe it to you I would describe it as “waddle run� and about one tenth the speed of what a person can truly run.

One of the jumpmaster instructors was an Air Force “Combat Weather Man� (I’ll not disclose his name) and was on the plane and sleeping soundly near the rear doors while the plane did the preflight check list, taxied to the active runway and gained clearance for takeoff. This sometime takes a while, enough time to fall asleep while waiting.

Shit hits the fan. Air Force Combat Weatherman Jumpmaster instructor wakes to all hell breaking loose around him and does the smart play. He stands up, hooks up, runs to the now open rear exit door and JUMPS! (This was witnessed by a few of the JM candidates and the one telling me the story.) He lands on the runway after a beautiful exit, in total confusion, again someone yells to him, “Get away the aircraft is burning.� He gets up evaluates his situation and proceeds to “haul ass� away from the burning airplane. (did I mention he was a little guy, about 5’6 and maybe 140 lbs. and hard as nails) In about 3 seconds he is once again sitting on his ass, on the runway about 15 feet from the still burning airplane. You see as he ran the static line deployed and being a little “light in the ass� he did not run fast enough to break the 80lb safety loop connecting the parachute to the deployment bag.

(by this time the guy telling me the story and myself have to take a break to wipe the tears streaming down our eyes)

By this time help had arrived. He was quickly snatched up and moved to a safe distance, the fire was quickly dealt with, the plane was saved and his antics will never be forgotten.

I can only hope to one day lure him on here to re-tell the story from his point of view. He was a great Combat Weatherman, we were lucky to have him in 1st SFG(A).

Team Sergeant

[QRQ 30]

We were taking off in a C-123 from Neubiberg German AFB outside of Munich enroute to a Jump at Grief DZ in Bad Toelz. The aircraft lost one engine on takeoff. We knew something was wrong when the loadmaster said something into the ear of the JM. He stood us up and we hooked up, they opened the door and stood us in the door. I was leading the stick and remember looking fown and seeing the twin spires of the Frauen Kirsch and thinking of the scene in "The Longest Day" where the jumper was hanging from a church tower in St. Mere Eglise. I don't think the plane ever got over 300 feet. They finally got us back into our seats. I think we would have jumped but they figured an airborne assult on beautiful downtown Munich would have been bad PR. To top things off the plane made a very steep descent (dive) and we all assumed the kiss your ass good-bye attitude. Suddenly he flared out and made one of the smoothest landings I have ever experienced.

As we were taxiing the crew walked down the aisle with their hands in their pockets as nothing had happened. I'd bet a drawer inspection would have revealed something else.

[QRQ 30]

Again in Germany. At the airborne briefing the pilot asked how to get to Helen DZ ( a strange question for the driver to ask). Anyway my Team Sergeant says to follow the Innsbruck Autobahn to the RFE towers, turn right and look for the pots. That's exactly what he did. He seemed to make every turn in the road.

When we exited I got my opening shock almost simultaneously with hitting the ground. I thought it was me but everyone had the same experience, Some even said they had to run a couple of yards to get their opening shock.

It seems the pilot forgot to compensate for the altitude at Toelz. We jumped 1250 AGL (Munich)

[Surgicalcric]

Thank you Team Sarnt. That was funny as hell.

[QRQ 30]

ROTFLMAO!!! If I had read that story all the way before posting my pitiful stories I would have started a new thread. Good Story.

[NousDefionsDoc]

Great story indeed Team Sergeant. Good thing little mistakes like that are quickly forgotten and never mentioned by SF guys again, like oh say, when its time for the next round.