Basic Parachuting Course: Part 1

Since I was a child, I’ve had a fear of heights and a fear of falling. So, naturally, I decided to jump out of a plane.

Probably a little more context is needed. I grew up next to Fort Bragg. The sign welcoming visitors proclaims it as the “Home of the Airborne and Special Operations Forces.” I really couldn’t go anywhere as a child without running into someone with a set of jump wings on their chest. In fact, it was far more noticeable when you saw someone without jump wings than with. In high school, my Spanish teacher was Special Forces, my basketball coach was a Ranger attached to the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center, and my dad was assigned to the Army’s parachute demonstration team. Despite the fact that my dad was a pilot and thought jumpers were nuts – Airborne was everywhere.

I ended up joining the Coast Guard. While I have definitely enjoyed my career overall, there’s not a lot of slots at jump school for Coasties – and exactly zero jump billets in the service. Now, there have been a few Coasties who went to jump school, but they are an increasing rarity. To be honest, I’ll never need to jump in the Coast Guard – but the urge to give it a try has never left. It remained a bucket list item until recently.

After seeing my former Spanish teacher doing a Normandy jump on Facebook, I contacted him and started looking into how I could make that happen. He pointed me towards the Round Canopy Parachuting Team USA out of Skydive Palatka, FL.

In this series, I’ll break down what RCPT is, what the training incorporated, and what it meant to me.

WHAT IS RCPT-USA?

VISION:

RCPT-USA’s vision is to honor the history of Allied Airborne Forces past, present, and future.

MISSION:

RCPT-USA performs round canopy commemorative airborne demonstrations to increase awareness and educate the public about the sacrifices and heroism of Allied Paratroopers from WWII onward.

PURPOSE:

RCPT-USA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which wishes to highlight the accomplishments of allied paratroopers from WWII onward by fostering camaraderie among individuals who share a passion for round canopy parachuting and inspiration from the actions and deeds of paratroopers past. This is accomplished through partnerships with worldwide RCPT chapters, demonstration and commemoration parachuting activities, and sustainment and training events in the US and around the world. We wish to provide a place which offers standardized and safe parachuting activities and afford a sense of community for our team members. For RCPT, commemorating the past, supporting veterans, and supporting our members makes round canopy parachuting “more than just a jump.”

WHAT’S IT LIKE?

I think it’s very important to understand up front that RCPT isn’t just a place where thrill-seekers go for a hit of adrenaline. There are plenty of sky-diving clubs you can join for that. Yeah, jumping is a huge adrenaline rush. But the bigger picture is that RCPT is dedicated to keeping the memory of the Airborne alive and providing a community for its members. That’s why their motto is “More than just a jump.” During my Basic Parachuting Course, we had two WWII Airborne veterans who came out to watch the jumps, ride the C-47, and interact with the team. The son of one of the men spoke at our dinner on Saturday evening. He said that he watched his dad come back to life during his time on the dropzone. That is the real essence of RCPT – remembering and preserving the memories of those who came before. And you get to have a lot of fun and meet a lot of cool people while doing it.

It is also an extremely professional organization. Jumping is life or death. Mistakes are costly. But the team at RCPT has found an exceptional balance of training safely and professionally, ensuring every student knows their gear and their procedures. At the same time, they manage to do it without becoming the fun suck that most Big Army courses quickly devolve into. Everybody that was there wanted to be there – students, instructors, and straphangers – and morale stayed high throughout the week.

In addition to the semiannual training/jump events, RCPT also joins its international brothers in conducting jumps into Normandy and the Netherlands in commemoration of the sacrifices made during Operations Overlord and Market Garden. As RCPT states on its site: “To jump in Normandy and/or the Netherlands during commemorative operations is among the greatest honors a parachutist can experience. These are not recreational events. They are acts of remembrance.” Every member that I spoke with who had participated in these jumps said the same thing – it was an incredible feeling of connection and legacy to conduct those jumps.

RCPT also does demonstrations at airshows throughout the year, conducts special events for fun and remembrance (such as an accuracy competition), and participates in a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown each year in honor of National Airborne Day.

RCPT USA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a Platinum certification from Candid/Guidestar. The leadership isn’t some ephemeral “board” that is spoken of but never seen. Every single officer was on the dropzone and walking around chatting it up with members and students during the course. They believe in and are very proud of what RCPT is, and they want everyone who walks onto the dropzone to feel welcome.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where I get into the training itself!

If you enjoyed, give us a follow and a share. Social media really limits our ability to advertise, and organic shares always have the biggest impact. If you think I missed something or have a question, drop a comment below. Alternatively, you can contact me via email at guntoter.official (at) gmail.com. We also have a Patreon page where you can help offset some of the expenses that we incur buying gear to review as well as a store where you can buy swag that directly supports our channel and blog.