Instead of awarding the basic parachutist badge, Cadets who complete the course should be awarded a cadets-only badge. That same argument could be made about those current and former Cadets wearing Basic wings. It caused a bit of confusion for actual parachutists who questioned her qualification, considering she had never served on jump status.Įven today, there are still a few senior officers a running around wearing badges they were awarded, but didn’t earn in the way parachutists would expect. They selected their own jumpmasters and considered wearing smoke canisters or the flag during demonstration jumps as “combat equipment” jumps.Ī few years ago, BG Goodwin, an AFA Commandant, wore Senior jump wings which she had been awarded as a Cadet. The USAFA is creating about 700 new skydivers per year.Īlthough it hasn’t been the case for quite some time, over two decades ago Cadets were even allowed to earn Senior and Master parachutist ratings, based on skydives (see above). So what are they? That’s simple they’re skydivers. They aren’t static line parachutists and they aren’t military free fall parachutists. To summarize what those paragraphs mean for graduates of AM-490 to actually serve as a military parachutist, they have to attend one of the courses of instruction mentioned above.Īs you can see, Cadets can’t earn advanced ratings. NAVSPECWARCOM Naval Parachute School (MFF Course), Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, CA. MFF courses or programs of instruction, including MTTs, approved by USAJFKSWCS.Ħ.6.3. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS) Military Free Fall School, Yuma Proving Grounds, AZ.Ħ.6.2. To reference back to paragraph 6.6 which covers MFF training:Ħ.6.1. AM-490, USAF Academy, CO, when the diploma was earned prior to August 1994. US Navy Special Warfare Command (NAVSPECWARCOM) Naval Parachute School (S/ L Course).Ħ.3.1.4. S/L courses or programs of instruction, including Mobile Training Teams (MTTs), approved by the US Army Infantry Center (USAIS).Ħ.3.1.3. To reference back to paragraph 6.3.1 which covers S/L training:Ħ.3.1.1. Completion of the jumpmaster curriculum in AM-492 qualifies members to serve as jumpmasters for USAF Academy operations only. AM-490 satisfies the qualification requirement for assignment to parachute positions and student authorizations at the USAF Academy and may be completed after assignment selection provided the member is a parachute volunteer.Ħ.3.2.2. This qualification requires completion of one of the following formal training programs:Ħ.3.2.1. These parachutists are not authorized to fill parachute positions elsewhere (emphasis added) unless qualified through paragraphs 6.3.1. Members on active parachute status who are quali- fied as USAF Academy parachutists are authorized to fill validated parachute positions and student authorizations at the USAF Academy. The most important issue at hand is that Cadets who complete the program do not learn a military skill, despite being awarded a badge which indicates otherwise.ĪFI 11-410 (Personal Parachute Operations) governs management of the Air Force parachuting program. ![]() But that’s not what happening at the Air Force Academy, because it’s impossible to serve as a parachutist after graduating form the Academy’s AM-490 course of instruction. While it’s true that there are many members of the Army who attend Basic Airborne Training early in their service, but never jump again, many others are assigned to jump billets later on their careers and use the skills that they were taught as Privates or Lieutenants. ![]() If you’re a static-line parachutist, you’ll wonder what they’re up to and how this translates into jump wings. ![]() The team and course operate as the 98th Flying Training Squadron, 306th Flying Training Group, Air Education and Training Command.Įach year, over 700 cadets take the AM-490 course, “Stand In The Door”, and earn their jump wings. The AFA’s Basic Freefall Parachuting course, known as Airmanship 490 (AM-490), is run by a cadre of Cadets who make up the Academy’s free fall team, the Wings of Blue. That’s because the AFA offers a course in skydiving. One of the easiest ways to deduce if an Air Force Officer is an Academy graduate is that they have jump wings (that is if they haven’t already told you). Although I worked primarily in the intelligence business, I served on jump status during various SOF assignments in both services. In spite of starting my career in the Army, I retired from the Air Force.
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