Special Operations.Com
Basic
Airborne School
Ft.
Benning, GA
For official information, check
the Ft. Benning Airborne
School page.
INTRODUCTION
This section provides the prospective
BAC volunteer with information on the 1st
Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry organization,
administrative information, student appearance standards,
the physical training demands of the course, and a
BAC training summary.
The purpose of the BAC is to qualify
the volunteer in the use of the parachute as a means
of combat deployment and to develop leadership, self-confidence,
and an aggressive spirit through mental and physical
conditioning.
The BAC is conducted IAW the authority
contained in AR 600-8-22. Volunteers selected for
training must meet the requirements specified in DA
PAM 351-4.
Airborne soldiers have a long and
distinguished tradition of being an elite body of
fighting men and women--people who have always set
the example for determination and courage. When you
volunteer for this training, you accept the challenge
of continuing this tradition. The highest standards
have been set--it is now up to you to maintain them!
Unless otherwise stated, whenever
the masculine gender is used, both men and women are
included.
1ST
BATTALION (AIRBORNE), 507TH INFANTRY
The 1st
Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry Regiment
is given the responsibility to conduct the U.S. Army
Airborne School. The Airborne School has U.S. Army
Blackhat cadre and instructors from the USMC and USAF
to train students in the use of the static line deployed
parachute. The battalion is organized into six companies:
Headquarters and Headquarters Company for administrative
actions and command and control; four Line Companies
(A, B, C, and D) execute the BAC Program of Instruction
(POI) and Company E provides parachute rigger support.
The same Platoon Sergeants, Section Sergeants, and
Squad Leaders train their soldiers during each training
phase (Ground, Tower, and Jump). The execution of
this teaching philosophy strengthens unit cohesion,
discipline, and supervision while providing quality
paratroopers throughout the force.
BAC
ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
Commissioned
Officer, Warrant Officer, Noncommissioned Officer,
Enlisted personnel and qualified cadets must:
The purposes
of the BAC are to:
1. Qualify the BAC student in the use of the parachute
as a means of combat deployment. This qualification
is accomplished by:
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Developing
the student's confidence though repetitious
training to overcome the student's natural
fear of jumping from an aircraft while in
flight.
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Maintaining
the level of physical fitness required of
a military parachutist through daily physical
training.
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Qualifying
the student as a parachutist by performing
five satisfactory parachute jumps from an
aircraft in flight.
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2. Develop a sense of leadership, self-confidence,
and an aggressive spirit through mental and physical
conditioning.
BAC course content
and structure:
The BAC is divided into three training weeks:
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Ground Training
Week,
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Tower Training Week,
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Jump Training Week.
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GROUND TRAINING
WEEK (WEEK 1)
During Ground Week, you begin an intensive program
of instruction to build individual airborne skills,
prepare you to make a parachute jump, and land safely.
You will train on the mock door, the 34-foot tower,
and the lateral drift apparatus (LDA). To go forward
to Tower Training Week, you must individually qualify
on the 34-foot tower, the LDA, and pass all PT requirements.
TOWER TRAINING
WEEK (WEEK 2)
The individual skills learned during Ground Week
are refined during Tower Week and a team effort or
"mass exit" concept is added to the training.
The apparatuses used this week are the 34-foot towers,
the swing landing trainer (SLT), the mock door for
mass exit training, and the suspended harness. Tower
Week completes your individual skill training and
builds team effort skills. To go forward to Jump Training
Week you must qualify on the SLT, master the mass
exit procedures from the 34-foot tower, and pass all
PT requirements.
JUMP TRAINING
WEEK (WEEK 3)
Successful completion of the previous weeks of training
prepares you for Jump Week. Graduation is normally
conducted at 1100 on Friday of Jump Week at the south
end of Eubanks Field on the Airborne Walk. However,
if weather, or some other reason delays the scheduled
jumps, graduation may be conducted on Fryar Drop Zone
(DZ) after the last jump. Guests and family members
are welcome to observe all of the jumps at the DZ,
attend the graduation ceremony, and participate in
awarding the wings. Fryar DZ is located in Alabama
on the Fort Benning Military Reservation. Following
graduation you are allowed to depart for leave, or
your next duty assignment. Guests and family members
may qualify for billeting privileges at the Gavin
House on Fort Benning. They can determine their billeting
eligibility by calling the Fort Benning Billeting
Office at (706) 689-0067. This strip map on the following
page shows the route from the Gavin House to Fryar
DZ.
