A tradition of airborne excellence

Soldiers Magazine, April, 2005 by Keith Walter

LTC Keith Walter is chief of the ABNSOTD's Test Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.

IN August 1940 LT William T. Ryder, commander of the Army's Airborne Test Platoon, made history as the first American Soldier to make a military parachute jump.

Ryder's jump, and those made by the rest of the platoon's members, validated the airborne concept and ultimately led to the creation of the Army airborne units that distinguished themselves during World War II.

The Tradition Continues

The tradition of excellence in airborne testing established by Ryder's pioneering platoon continues today in the Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate at Fort Bragg, N.C.

The ABNSOTD--a subcommand of U.S. Army Operational Test Command at Fort Hood, Texas--conducts operational tests on airborne and special-operations forces' equipment, procedures and systems. The majority of the organization's Soldiers and civilians are either active-duty or retired parachute riggers, or members of special forces or ranger units.

The majority of the tests the ABNSOTD conducts are on the aerial delivery of equipment, commonly known as "heavy drops." Rigging a piece of equipment for a test drop can take a few hours or several weeks, depending on the size, weight and complexity of the piece of equipment.

"The process starts with an engineer designing the airdrop kit for the test item or piece of equipment," said aerial delivery test officer Gaylin Jesmer. "The test item, rigged as it will be dropped, is lifted by a crane to a height of 12 feet, 7 inches, and then dropped to the ground, which gives an impact of 28.5 feet per second. We then totally de-rig the equipment and perform an operational performance check. If the equipment is fully operational, it's ready to be airdropped."

After each drop the equipment is derigged and put into operation. Once three consecutive and successful airdrops are completed, the equipment is certified for airdrop using the ABNSOTD's validating procedures, Jesmer said.

The organization also tests new personnel parachutes, parachute components and related equipment intended for use by airborne Soldiers.

"The ABNSOTD averages about 50 tests a year," Jesmer said. "Some tests require as few as three aerial-delivery drops, while others require several hundred live paratrooper jumps. We've tested things ranging from small night-vision goggles to the new 40,000-pound Stryker Mobile Gun System."

A Choice Assignment

Assignment to the ABNSOTD is considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and all nominated Soldiers are interviewed by the unit's sergeant major to determine if they have what it takes to be a test parachutist.

"When interviewing a Soldier, the first thing I look for is whether he has all the 'hooah' schools, like ranger and jumpmaster," said SGM Al Lamb. "Do those schools make him a good soldier? No, but they show he has the desire to be one."

Lamb said he looks for Soldiers who "are on top of their game every day. The riggers who do the packing, the jumpmasters who do the leading and the jumpers who do the jumping all have to be 'on' all the time. One bad day can cost a Soldier or his buddy their lives and we can't have that!"

After getting to the unit, Soldiers work toward earning certification as lest parachutists.

"The primary purpose of this certification program is to more effectively support the overall test mission and reduce risks to the end users the Soldiers," said Sandy White, chief of the Personnel and Special Operations Test Branch and one of the lead ,architects of the Test Parachutist Certification Program.

"We do this by identifying the most highly qualified parachutists for assignment to the ABNSOTD, and then providing them with intensified ground training and extensive practical-exercise jumps so they become subject-matter experts who understand how to deal with and mitigate the risks," White said.

Earning the Certificate

The test parachutist certification process starts with classes and exams given by the unit's master jumpmaster, SFC Dale Tabor.

"By the time Soldiers are assigned to the ABNSOTD to become test parachutists, they have an average of 14 years of jump experience and 450 jumps." Tabor said. "We expand on that foundation of experience through classes on all aspects of parachuting--from the characteristics of parachute opening to the fundamentals of testing to the characteristics of different types of canopies. After completing the classes, the Soldiers are tested on what they've learned."

In addition to the mental aspects of being a subject-matter expert, Lamb expects his Soldiers to be in superior shape. Soldiers who don't make the grade physically don't become test parachutists, he said.

Only after they master the mental and physical challenges will Lamb authorize newly assigned Soldiers to make the first test parachutist jump. The jump must be made in direct support of a test--whether of a new aircraft, a new parachute or a new piece of accompanying equipment.

"The first test jump is a memorable experience," said John Miller, chief of the Aerial Delivery Branch and a certified test parachutist.