Maryland LRS chutes from the skies

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Michael Davis | Soldiers with C Company, 1st Squadron, 158th Cavalry Regiment conducted a non-tactical jump, from a CH47 Chinook aircraft, over Bitner Drop Zone in Little Orleans, Md., June 14, 2014. The long-range surveillance (LRS) unit performed its quarterly routine airborne exercise and transitioned to the new MC-6 parachute system.  

LITTLE ORLEANS, MD, UNITED STATES

06.14.2014

Story by Staff Sgt. Michael Davis 

29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

LITTLE ORLEANS, Md. – Soldiers with C Company, 1st Squadron, 158th Cavalry Regiment, Maryland Army National Guard, conducted a non-tactical jump from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter over Bitner Drop Zone in Little Orleans, Maryland, June 14.

The long-range surveillance (LRS) unit performed its quarterly routine airborne exercise and transitioned to a new parachute system, the MC-6.

“We’re an airborne company, and in order to be airborne, you have to maintain your proficiency,” said Staff Sgt. Eric Zubkus, C Company’s training noncommissioned officer.

Zubkus said they also wanted to try out the new parachute system during the quarterly exercise because they plan to perform airborne missions with it during their annual training (AT) next month at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

“We don’t want the Soldiers to do their first combat equipment night jump with a chute they’re not familiar with,” Zubkus said. “So this is basically a familiarization jump and an airborne refresher so they can get familiar with their new chutes in order to successfully complete their mission at AT.”

Although the training mission was meant to introduce everyone to the new parachutes, not everyone got a chance to jump. The wind velocity increased during the second jump iteration, and then became too strong for the exercise to safely continue.

However, Zubkus said he would try his best to make sure those Soldiers who didn’t get a chance to jump have an opportunity to practice before their combat equipment night jumps.

Pfc. Mackenzie Keck, who recently transferred to the Maryland Guard, said he was looking forward to his first jump with the unit on Saturday. He said he’d heard how ‘high speed’ the team was; their motivation and skill encouraged him to transfer.

Unfortunately, the weather got in the way, and Keck’s first jump with his new teammates and the new parachute may not happen until AT at Fort Bragg.

Soldiers who have worked with the new MC-6, such as parachute rigger Staff Sgt. John Yarnall, say Keck and others who haven’t experienced it yet have a good deal to look forward to.

“Personally, I like [the MC-6 parachutes] a lot better,” said Yarnall, who played a major part in the training. “They fly a lot better, you can slow down better, you can pick a spot where you want to land and have a better chance [of landing there]. They also have a braking system in it so you can land a little bit softer.”

Some of the other Soldiers like Spc. Joe Crist and Spc. Sam Mcquaid, who didn’t get a chance to experience the finer flying, the smooth steering and the softer landing with the new parachutes, are looking forward to their training at Fort Bragg.

The main purpose of the jumps isn’t just to break in the new gear: it’s to craft a skillful airborne team capable of adapting to any situation.

“Every jump is different one way or another,” said Spc. Joe Crist. “You can never treat it like, ‘I’ve done a hundred jumps so I’m an expert.’ We actually jump for proficiency; we actually get better at it.”

• Date Taken: 06.14.2014
• Date Posted: 06.24.2014 12:34
• Story ID: 134211
• Location: LITTLE ORLEANS, MD, US