What You Can Learn Jumping from a Plane

When I was in the Army I decided to join the Airborne and become a paratrooper. I had never jumped from a plane before and wasn’t particularly daring. I was also terrified of heights. 

The Army however, knows how to train its troops. First we practiced falling and rolling on the ground without hurting ourselves. This is because the Army parachute is fast. Unlike civilian sport parachuting, military jumping is a life and death affair. They want you to get to the ground as fast as possible. 

So, we learned first by jumping off chair height platforms and rolling in such a way as to protect our elbows, head, and any projecting bony parts of our body.

Then we spent a week jumping from telephone pole height platforms, strapped into a parachute harness, and transported across a wide expanse on steel wires. The toughest part of this was the harness digging into the tender parts of our bodies. 

On the third week we were individually hoisted up a 250 foot tower, fully harnessed with an open parachute. When we reached the top, we were released. Then we drifted down to a well-plowed and soft landing zone surrounding the tower. At each stage of the process our proficiency and confidence level increased.

Finally, it was the week for our five training jumps from an Army transport plane. If successful, each of us would be awarded our paratrooper wings after the fifth jump. 

The first jump was terrifying. The biggest worry was whether our parachute would open. It did. The next big worry was hitting the ground without breaking bones. Most of us were successful. Some landed in trees. A few soldiers refused to jump, and were dismissed from the Airborne school. 

The fifth jump was the hardest. It was with heavy equipment (ammunition, M-16, body armor, mess kit, and a lot more). I landed hard on my tailbone. I thought I hurt myself, but I sprang up, collected my parachute, and ran to the reception area, a field about a half mile away. 

An officer came up to me and pinned on my paratrooper wings. It felt very good. The pain of the last jump disappeared. I was now a freshly minted paratrooper. 

Looking back on this experience, some key points about accomplishing anything worthwhile become evident. 

First you need a specific target. My goal was to successfully jump from a plane five times and earn my paratrooper wings. 

Then, you need motivation. In my case, the initial motivation was my stomach. I had heard that the Airborne had the best food in the Army. But, my essential motive was to become part of an elite unit of the military.

Thirdly, you need to know how to do it, and be willing to practice new techniques over and over to achieve mastery.  Fortunately, the Army made sure that this happened.

Finally, you need to believe that it is possible. If you don’t think it’s possible, you won’t even try.  Therefore, make sure to believe in yourself.

Ken West, a former U.S. Army paratrooper, is author of Get What You Want!  He is a former president of a chapter of the National Speakers Association, and Association of Objectivist Businessmen. Ken currently is project manager for an international training and consulting firm.