An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir October 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 14 | BY CAPT (AR) GEROME DONNELLY – INSTRUCTOR, PARACHUTE TRAINING SCHOOL PHOTOS BY SGT KARL BYRNE J uly saw the culmination of several months of planning and co-ordination, with the start of both the Military Static Line Jumpmaster and Young Entry parachute courses, run under the auspices of the Parachute Training School (PTS), an ex- establishment school of the Air Corps College, with instructor staff drawn from across the Defence Forces. The purpose of the jumpmaster course was to qualify selected, experienced jumpers from the ARW and PTS as military jumpmasters, whose role is critical to any airborne training or operation. Jumpmasters can be employed on a variety of tasks, including selection and reconnaissance of drop zones (DZs), planning of release points, pre-jump safety inspections, control of the troop compartment of the aircraft, and the safe dispatch of jumpers. Under the ever watchful eye of the chief instructor, students completed the initial one-week instructional phase of the course, which included lessons on aircraft release methods, calculation of release points, and DZ surveys and management, as well as conducting live aircraft drills and spotting exercises. While the AW 139 helicopter is the primary static line aircraft currently employed, the drills and procedures used are NATO standard, so the skills taught to the student jumpmasters are easily transferrable to larger, fixed-wing platforms that may be encountered both at home and overseas. It is also hoped that on completion of the CASA replacement programme the platform selected will be suitable for static line operations, which will greatly enhance capacity to drop a larger number of troops. Week two of the course saw the arrival of over 30 young entry students, the majority from the ARW. Although a small number had some jump experience, the majority never jumped before. The students eagerly began their ground school, which would equip them with the necessary skills to make their five jumps and earn their much-coveted military jump wings. This intensive phase saw the students receive instruction in areas such as equipment orientation, aircraft drills, canopy flight, parachute landing rolls (the all- important 'how to land'!) and a variety of emergency procedures. Unlike most other militaries, Irish static line students are also taught to pack their own parachutes, albeit under the close scrutiny of the course staff. This allows students to become more familiar with, and boost their confidence in, the equipment used. They spent considerable time honing their skills on the ground before being cleared to progress on to the jump phase of the course. Military static line parachuting for DF Parachutists The Sky's the Limit

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