Jump 69, Ste Mêre Eglise DZ, A/NT

Trey Peters, "America, Fuck Yeah"

Drop altitude 1500 feet AGL, time of drop 1039

KFBG 011455Z 26004KT 7SM BKN030 BKN250 28/20 A3010 RMK SLP189 58009
Conditions at: KFBG observed 1455 UTC 01 June 2006
Temperature: 28.0°C (82°F)
Dewpoint: 20.0°C (68°F) [RH = 62%]
Pressure (altimeter): 30.10 inches Hg (1019.4 mb)
[Sea-level pressure: 1018.9 mb]
Winds: from the W (260 degrees) at 5 MPH (4 knots; 2.1 m/s)
Visibility: 7 miles (11 km)
Ceiling: 3000 feet AGL
Clouds: broken clouds at 3000 feet AGL
broken clouds at 25000 feet AGL
Weather: no significant weather observed at this time

First jump in nine months. Were it not for the fact that fog covered both the drop zone and airfield, and that the anchor line cable had to be replaced literally right before I was supposed to get on the aircraft, it was a decent jump.

My hard requirement was to be back home by 1100. This, as you might guess, did not happen. To the credit of the flight crew's maintenance detachment, the aircraft was back in 25 minutes with a new anchor line cable. Amazing. The bird flew away at 1005 and I was boarding the plane at 1035.

This was the first and probably only jump I will ever do with the Advanced Combat Helmet. One of the items I was issued was the ACH, which sits a little higher, but is lighter, and fits infinitely better, than the (same old) PASGT ballistic helmet I've been wearing since completing the 82d Airborne Division's Jumpmaster Course in 1999. I sure do like the ACH, and given a choice, I'd rather jump an ACH rather than a ballistic helmet. I avoided major riser burns, although I did get a small ding on my right chin.

I forgot to count. Oops. One other item of note was that although I'm not a current jumpmaster, I did provide a copy of the Soft Loop Center Pull Modified Improved Reserve Parachute System sustained airborne training for today's jump. It sure did feel a little weird not being on the jumpmaster team for once today. This is, after all, the unit with which I faithfully pulled JM duties my first year at my soon-to-be-erstwhile duty assignment.

Landing was clean, chute recovery was clean, and return was clean. I guess, aside from the mechanical and meteorological problems, it was a good last jump. Last jump I'll be doing for a while, I think. I might end up in another airborne unit - in which case I'll work on getting beyond my current number. But until then, whenever I have to answer how many jumps I have - which is a pretty common question for a master rated parachutist, I figure 69 is always an easy number to rip out as a response.