GoPro Video of Paratrooper getting dropped into BDS

Germans...but still cool

That wasn't a paratrooper or a paracommando. It was a festival skydiver, a member of a show team, but he has skills.

It was practically a hop and pop with three seconds of fly time and the rest under silk. Little guy jumping a 7 cell. I always jumped 9 cells. He wanted to get under silk in a hurry to ham it up for the camera with all that slipping and toggling he was doing, forcing a cork screw and all.

Back when I I jumping our helmet cams were the size of a shoe box so you had to fight drag just to stay in arch ... the GoPro guys have it good.

I figure they bailed at about 7500 feet and I'd bet I'm +/- 250 feet.

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That wasn't a paratrooper or a paracommando

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Actually it was a Joint-Service free fall demonstration team from Special Operations Command (SOCOM). There were 3 total jumpers. A DA civilian, a SEAL, and a Green Beret Officer.

ETA: They jumped at 5,000 and pulled at 4,200. The winds were from 150 degrees at about 1.4 mph.

I was at Starkville in '96 when Miss St beat us. Before the game three guys parachuted in and it was so windy one landed outside the stadium, one hit the go post and the other landed on the field but hit so hard I was sure he was dead.

This should answer your questions: LINK

I wasn't the DZSO, I was providing the winds at the lip (top of the stadium). They were jumping from a chartered civilian plane.

I saw first para jumper hand ref money. So that's how they do it.

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MSU sees that and raises you this:

LINK

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The Red Baron lives!!

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This should answer your questions: LINK

I wasn't the DZSO, I was providing the winds at the lip (top of the stadium). They were jumping from a chartered civilian plane.

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Man, the depth perception out of a GoPro is deceiving.

Stadium looked like a postage stamp when he popped silk.

I figured hop and pop ... three seconds and 800 ft of free fall is about right.

I was watching on my phone before - I'm still on my phone so I'll wait to watch it again when I get inside.

How did you end-up with an anemomemter up on the front lip of Bryant Denny?

Still, here's the thing. I knew, probably still know a few, but I knew a lot of the old SOCOM team guys when they started trying to take care of the overflow from the GKs. I jumped with the Black Team for a few months until I got orders to go back to Vicenza and I jumped on those - never liked the show circuit too much. But from '79 - '97 there was at least one, or more, guys on that team who I either jumped with or personally schooled. I had logged 1000 jumps by '85.

So this intrigues me ... you taking wind readings and the SOCOM team getting this jump over the Gold or Black teams.

Are you SOCOM connected?

I work at BAMA and my credentials (from my previous profession) put me in a position to serve as a liason with the team. It was great fun.

I noticed you mention Vicenza, I worked there 2001-2004.