adtjumpmaster

It is my understanding also,that these men were lobbying the Army to jump with them using T-10c or d model parachutes from a C-130 or C-17. As a member of the WWII AIRBORNE Demonstration Team,a group of commemorative parachutists,I am acquinted with a number of WWII combat jumpers.I have given refresher training to some of them who had hopes of jumping again.There was one who privately made several MC1-1C jumps from a C-182 at Skydive Missouri and did so without mishap.But,a Cessna isn't a C-47 either!!The turbulence vortex created by the low wing design of the C-47 radically changes locations with small airspeed increases/decreases.Jumping any of the T-10 series canopies(T-10 thru MC1-1C) is affected by it.Anything other than a good,tight body position will probably result in a line-over.WWII jumpers didn't have this problem because the T-5/7 systems were canopy first deployments. These men jumped in one or more of the combat jumps in WWII and fought their way across the Med and Europe.I can't speak for the US Army or even WWII ADT,but as the primary jumpmaster for a C-47 load of jumpers scheduled to jump in Ste Mere Eglise,Normandy,France on 5 June 2004,I can say,that if one of these great men were to die on my watch,I'd have a difficult time living with it!We jump to honor them,not get them killed after all they've been through. As an older jumper,my sympathies lie with them,I wish they could all jump.I know that they want that one last shot at being the men they are.There are so many things that factor in however.Age,aircraft,deployment system,canopy,weather,ability to react to an emergency situation(at low altitude)etc. As a civilian organization,obtaining the necessary invitations and government authorizations required to jump in France for the 60th Anniversary of D=Day was an uphill battle that has taken months,world politics being what they are may still screw things up.All of that notwithstanding,we'll have 4 WWII troopers with us on the DZ.We're jumping for them and all of their brothers alive and dead. REMEMBER-------HONOR--------SERVE----------- JP reply]