Page 4
THE BATTALION
College Station, Texas Thursday, March 24, 1966
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SKYDIVER DURING FREE FALL
One of the 12 Aggie Skydivers who will perform at 11:30
a. m. Saturday at the CE Field at Highway 6 and Farm
Road 60 is shown during free fall. The jumper gives his
buddies on the plane who have not jumped the “Gig ’em’
sign. The exhibition Saturday is part of Civilian Weekend.
For Only $35
Aggies Jump
From Planes
By JAMES SIZEMORE
Would you believe . . . that an Aggie would pay $35 to jump
out of an airplane ?
Since 1962 several Aggies have done just that, but they have
aal carried with them a nealy folded bundle of nylon called a
parachute. These adventurous men represent one of A&M’s fastest
growing and more interesting organizations, known as the Texas
A&M Parachute Team.
Club member Bob Richardson says he was one of the five stu
dents who organized sport parachuting at A&M in the fall of 1961, but
today’s organization represents considerable change.
Official school recognition in 1962 has accounted for much of
the change enabling the team to appropriate funds as an official
student organization. As A&M was one of the first schools to
recognize the sport, the A&M team has an advantage of experience
over many schools.
They wiF get an opportunity to use this experience as the
'•hntv =.ts the 1966 National Collegiate Parachute Meet
; ne Muncipal Airport where the Aggie team
onal Collegiate Parachute Meet in Geneva,
took second place and won first place in the
meet the same year. No national meet was
Aggies have competed in various invitational
cessary experience.
oooks of the fifty-odd present members shows
.dence in the organization, which has made
s since 1962. Many have more than 200
David Decker, has more than 300.
are seven licensed pilots, eight qualified
i one licensed reserve chute rigger. Having
possible for the team to train its own new
le tea. trained around 30 new students this year.
„w students pay $35 upon joining the organization, which
*>uys for training and the first five jumps as well as use of team
equipment. Afterwards, a jumper pays $3 per jump to cover the
cost of aircraft time and fuel.
Throughout the training program, which includes chute pack
ing and jumping techniques, the emphasis is on safety. As a result,
the organization has a good safety record with only three incidents
involving fractures occurring since the team was started.
The training of student jumpers begins on the ground where
jumpers must practice and learn to fall to avoid injury. After
ground instruction and chute packing are completed, the students
are put out at 3,000 feet with their chutes automatically opened by
static line for the first five jumps.
After the first five jumps are completed and done correctly,
the new students begin free fall in which a parachutist just delays
before opening his chute. While in free fall a jumper may do various
maneuvers such as back loops and turns or may pass a baton to
another parachutist in free fall. Passing a baton is more diffi
cult than it may seem because jumpers may reach speeds of 120
miles per hour earthward. Obviously, more altitude is required for
longer free falls.
When a parachutist ends free fall and opens his chute, he then
attempts to guide his parachute to reach a target marked on the
ground. He does this by means of open panels in his parachute
allowing him to change his direction and get some lateral movement.
The A&M team has begun a high intensity training program
and now practices on weekdays as well as Saturday and Sunday
in preparation for the April meet.
Firm acceptances of invitation have been received from as
far away as the Citadel, South Carolina, and the University of
Montana as well as schools from neighboring states. West Point
and the U. S. Air Force Academy are also expected to attend.
A&M will enter 18 jumpers in six three-man teams. Three
of the teams will be parachutists with over 50 jumps and the
other three teams will be novice jumpers with from 10-50 jumps.
The personnel to be included in these teams will be decided this
weekend.
ABC television network has considered giving TV coverage to
the meet and Mel Chastain of the Educational TV Service has
offered assistance although it is not as yet decided whether ABC
will cover the event.
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