REGISTRATION OPEN!
OPERATION BLACK CAT VI- RCPT-USA wishes to honor all paratroopers past present and future as we continue to salute those who have come before.
Hosted by RCPT-USA
MAIN A/C- C-47 Tico Belle
UH1 Huey Rides- Contact Friends of Army Aviation to reserve your ride on a Vietnam era Huey Helicopter.
https://friendsofarmyaviation.org/foaa-event/palatka-ride-event-2/
Guest Speaker: Col Joseph William Kittinger II is a retired USAF Officer. His initial operational assignment was in fighter aircraft, then he participated in the Project Manhigh and Project Excelsior high-altitude balloon flight projects from 1956 to 1960 and was the first man to fully witness the curvature of the Earth. Setting a world record for the highest skydive: 102,800 feet (31.3 km) on August 16, 1960.
As a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, Kittinger shot down a North Vietnamese Mig-21 fighter. He was later shot down himself, spending 11 months as a POW in a North Vietnamese prison until he was repatriated in 1973.
In 1984, he was also the first man to make a solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a gas balloon.
In 2012, Kittinger participated in the Red Bull Stratus project as Capsule Communicator at age 84, directing Felix Baumgartner on his 24-mile (39 km) freefall from Earth's stratosphere, which broke Kittinger's own 53-year-old record.
Schedule of Event:
October 24- JM refresher (invitation only)
October 25- BPC and EAR course begins (0700hrs)
October 28-30- Open jump operations with C47 Tico Belle
October 28-30- UH1 "Huey" rides from Friends of Army Aviation (scheduled)
Jumpers - Event Fee - $50 (Fee includes: T-Shirt, water, facilities support) for straphangers and current jumpers. If you have not jumped within 180 days of the event and are a current RCPT member please sign up for the BAR to be completed prior to your jump activities.
Training is for members only, membership registration must be completed separately.
Basic Round Canopy Parachuting Course (BPC)- REGISTRATION IS FULL- (must be RCPT-USA Member- jumper must join team prior to registration) 25-29 October 2022. Candidates may NOT BE over the age of 65 and weigh no more than 240 pounds. Candidate over 55 need their primary care provider to sign off on the RCPT-USA Medical Clearance Form (found on the website in the members resource area). Instruction is for members who have no round canopy jump experience or have had an extended break from round canopy jumping and needs in-depth training in round steerable canopies (SF-10/MC6, MC1, or SET 10 type canopies). Total cost for the course is $700, which includes professional instruction, a reference manual, parachute rental 5 jumps, 5 repacks from our on-site rigger service, and 5 lift tickets (3 on the Cessna 182 and 2 on the events main aircraft). After completing the first jump course, you will receive a RCPT-USA Certificate of Completion, RCPT-USA wings and enter the world of round canopy parachuting.
Extended Airborne Refresher (EAR)- REGISTRATION IS FULL (must be RCPT-USA Member- jumper must join team prior to registration) 25-28 October 2022. For new RCPT-USA members wishing to jump with RCPT-USA with prior steerable round canopy experience. Candidates may NOT BE over the age of 65 and weigh no more than 240 pounds. Candidate over 55 need their primary care provider to sign off on the RCPT-USA Medical Clearance Form (found on the website in the members resource area). This 2 jump Refresher Course is for jumpers who have been to a Basic Airborne Course, who are not on current active duty jump orders, or who have never jumped with RCPT-USA and have not jumped in the last 180 days. Cost is $300. This 2-3 day course runs congruently with the basic round canopy parachuting course and will update jumper on current SF-10A parachutes and jump procedures in order to prepare them for 2 jumps at the end of the course. The course price includes professional instruction, a reference manual, jump fee, parachute rental, and parachute repacking for two jumps. At the conclusion of the Extended Airborne Refresher the jumper is free to attend and jump at the event as they so choose.
Basic Airborne Refresher (BAR)- (Free Returning Member benefit) 28 October 2022. BAR is for returning RCPT-USA members only who have not jumped in the last 180 days but have participated in RCPT-USA jump events in the past. This course will update the jumper on current SF-10A parachutes and jump procedures, to prepare them for a jump at the end of the course. This course is for returning RCPT-USA members who have jumped with RCPT-USA before. If you are new to RCPT-USA this is not the refresher for you.
Intentional Water Jump
- We are planning on closing the event 30 OCT. 2022 with a water jump into the St John's River. Jumpers must be registered for Operation Black Cat IV Cost is $250. Fee includes team MC1 series main and reserve parachutes which will need to be washed and dried within 24 hours prior to repacking or risk being unservicable. All jumpers will be required to wear a USCG approved personal flotation device. Jumpers are responsible to bring their own PFD. ALL jumpers for the deliberate water jump must have current (within the last 12 months) water jump training. RCPT-USA will run the wet canopy classes throughout the week, as time, personnel, and resources permit. No combat equipment. No helmets. Jumpers must wear shoes and clothes that are suitable for water activities (swim trunks or shorts), won't come off, or present a hazard in the aircraft or the air - so no swim fins or flip flops. Recommended jumpers not wear boots. Registration code required for registration for water jump. Registration code will be sent to registered jumpers when the manifest for the water jump is opened.
