UNITED STATES ARMY
“GOLDEN KNIGHTS”
In free-fall Golden Knights team members can reach speeds of 120 mph.
The Golden Knights open the Novelis Air Show at Harborfest. |
Performer:
United States Army Parachute Team, “Golden Knights”
Type:
Military, skydiving
For more than 44 years the U.S. Army Parachute Team has been entertaining both young and old with precision parachute demonstrations. In order to compete in the then communist dominated sport of skydiving a 13-person Strategic Army Corps Sport Parachute Team was created in 1959. The parachute team performed so well that on June 1, 1961 the Army officially recognized, designated and activated the team as the U.S. Army Parachute Team.
A year later the team adopted its nickname “Golden Knights.” Golden signifies the team’s reputation for bringing home gold medals from skydiving competitions. Knights indicate the team had “conquered the sky” and alludes to the fact that members are “champions of principle and conquest.”
The Golden Knights have performed more than 14,000 shows in all 50 states and 48 countries. Annually the team performs more than 27,000 jumps before an estimated 12 million people.
The Golden Knights is composed of five sections, the Black and Gold demonstration teams, two competition teams and the Freefall formation and Tandem Team. The Black demonstration team is performing at Harborfest. In addition the Golden Knights has an aviation section and the Headquarters element consisting of administration, operations, budget, media relations parachute maintenance and supply.
The Show
The Black and Gold Team perform two different shows, the Full Show and the Mass Exit. Both shows begin with one jumper exiting the aircraft at 12,500 feet and flying the national colors. Once of the ground he or show will narrate the duration of the show.
The Full Show consists of four maneuvers. The first being the baton pass when two jumpers exit the aircraft, meet in freefall and exchange a wooden baton—while falling at a speed of 120 mph. Next is the intentional cutaway maneuver, where a single jumper demonstrates what would happen if his/her parachute malfunctioned. It is the only solo maneuver during the show but one of the most exciting. The third maneuver it the diamond track. It is used to demonstrate the incredible amount of lateral movement a jumper can achieve while in freefall. The final maneuver is the diamond formation. Four jumpers exit the aircraft separately and fly their bodies to within inches of each other, forming a diamond in the sky yet never making contact. At the team leader’s signal the jumpers will separate, streak to the four points of the compass creating a beautiful bomb-burst effect, open their parachutes and fly safely to the ground.
The Mass Exit show has all the jumpers exiting the aircraft and simultaneously performing one of many geometrical formations in the sky. Once the parachutes open the jumpers land on target, one-by-one.
Golden Knights Black Demonstration Team Member
Sgt. Jeffery S. Cambre, Sgt. Hector L. Ceja, Spec Joshua E. Coleman, Sgt. Jared Hall, SSgt. Scott P. Janise,
Sgt. Paul McAlpin, Sgt. Marc Owens, Sgt.1 st Class Paul Sachs, Spec. John C. Ewald, Sgt. 1 st Class Anthony Harrison, SSgt. Joseph Jones, Sgt.1 st Class Don Moesch, Sgt. 1 st Class Kathryn Robbins.
