SAN DIEGO — The MCAS Miramar Air Show is this weekend, and I was lucky enough to be invited to go up with the United States Army Parachute Team, The Golden Knights.
Gabriel Colon is a Staff Sgt. in the United States Army and one of the Golden Knights who jumped on Wednesday.
"Everyone's on their A game 24/7. The purpose of the Golden Knights is to perform live aerial demonstrations, support Army public relations and recruiting, and help with the progression of modern parachuting techniques," said Sgt. Colon.
Before any jumping, first there was a safety briefing. Then it's time to load them up and head to the jump zone, the U.S.S. Midway, where the Golden Knights will maneuver their flexible winged gliders onto a 50-foot-wide flight deck
"They are completely maneuverable...and steer left and right and can come in for a soft landing," said Sgt. Colon.
Becoming a Golden Knight is no easy task.
"Nearly a half million members in the U.S. Army, how many are Golden Knights? 88, so it's the elite of the elite! Absolutely," said Sgt. Colon.
From MCAS Miramar to the air space above the Midway is a short flight but it was ‘hurry up’ and ‘wait’ today.
The folks on the Midway had a timetable and then there were wind speeds, that were outside the parameters of the safety zone.
We had to wait for the winds to calm and then it was ‘go time.’ Sgt. Colon explains what was planned for the jump.
"Today, we're doing to stack maneuver from 5,000 feet. All of us will exit the plane at the same time and face in opposite directions, we will wait for the team leader, and we will open our parachutes at the exact same time he does,” said Sgt. Colon.
This weekend will be a lot of fun for everyone at MCAS Miramar.
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