Golden Knights jump into Cherry Point Air Show

As the plane dips toward the flightline, men clad in black jumpsuits reach across the aisle and slap gloved hands.

The U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team is preparing for a jump Saturday afternoon at the Cherry Point Air Show. The 10 precision skydivers trade handshakes and high-fives before leaping from a height of 12,500 feet.

"Each jumper has a different handshake with each of the other jumpers," says Sgt. Matt Acord, who is in his second year on the team. "You'll see like a thousand different handshakes as they're getting ready to go."

A Fokker C-31A Friendship took the Golden Knights to their jump altitude. Doors on both sides of the plane are open during the flight, and cold air whips through the cabin. A man squats in front of the door and peers down, then gives the pilot a hand signal. Almost instantly, the plane tilts to the left.

"Every jump you learn something from," Acord says. "There's never a bad jump - you're always building your experience every time you jump off the plane."

Golden Knight paratroopers jump five times during the average air show performance. While practicing at their Laurinburg training field, the Fort Bragg-based demonstration team will perform as many as eight jumps each day.

"I've got over 3,000 jumps, and every one is different," says Sgt. 1st Class Will Fleming. "When you begin to get to a point of complacency, I think then it's getting time to hang it up."

Staff Sgt. Ben Borger isn't afraid as he prepares to plunge toward Cherry Point, but he admitted to having pre-jump jitters when he started performing with the Golden Knights in 2005.

"I was thinking, ‘What did I get myself into?' he says. "I was scared for about the first 10 jumps, but then I got myself into a routine."

The jumps seem daring, but every precaution is taken to keep the team safe. Each Golden Knight has a reserve parachute in case the main parachute fails. Every jumper also has a cybernetic parachute release system that activates the reserve chute automatically if he's unconscious.

Cherry Point looks tiny from 12,500 feet. The paratroopers will aim for a 10 foot-wide target as they lunge toward the ground in 120 mph wind.

They've done it before. The elite Golden Knights have parachuted into Yankee Stadium and performed a tandem jump with former President George H.W. Bush.

"We just go so many places, and everywhere's unique," says Acord. "It's a blast. Performing is our main job. We're here to perform for the American public and show them the capabilities of the Army."

A green light above the open doors flashes and an alarm shrieks. The first jumper stands ready and gives his teammates a count of "Ready, set, go!" before bounding out the doorway. He disappears from view instantly.

The light flashes from green to red, and the plane repositions itself over the Golden Knights' target. In a moment, the light is again green.

"Hot target, hot target!" one of the men shouts. Nine Golden Knights hurtle into the sky through both open doors, quickly fading into the June haze as their parachutes fill with air.

"You never get that falling sensation," Acord says. "It's more like a floating or a flying sensation. It's no-strings-attached fun - you can do whatever you want."

Families cheer as the paratroopers land on the Cherry Point flightline.

"At about 2,000 feet, we could start hearing them," Acord said after the performance. "Everyone sounded really excited."

Minutes after the jump, the 10 members of the Golden Knights' black demonstration team - there's also a gold team and a competition team - are repacking their parachutes and talking to curious spectators.

"The jump went very well," Acord said. "It was exciting and it was a lot of fun today."

 Disclosure

For this story, reporter Corey Friedman flew with the Golden Knights and observed their jump from inside the plane. The ride was coordinated through Cherry Point's Joint Public Affairs Office.