(intense music)
- We're down here in North Carolina
helping the paratroopers over here on Pope Air Force Base
jump out and get their qualifications
and stay current.
So the actual jumping portion for us,
isn't as labor intensive as the front end.
So the rigging process,
everything beforehand, before the flight,
is really where we cash in our checks.
That's really where we're working the hardest.
But also the in-flight portion, we're helping out as well.
So you could take, depending on how fast you are,
a couple hours to get ready.
So everything that they're seeing
is already done before they get there.
As they're jumping out, that's four hours of work
that we've put in to get it all ready for them to jump,
so everything is safe.
So I think it's really important for us to be
in these kinds of missions
because we don't get to do this all too often.
Just even that one or two reps that we get
prepares us for the real thing.
And I think nothing actually prepares you
for combat like combat,
but if this shaves off that half-second or second
that you need, and a lot of times that half-second
could be the difference between somebody living or dying.
The heavy equipment, kind of like paratroopers,
is something that we don't get to do a ton.
And it's extremely versatile because we're dropping
a bunch of different stuff.
And just like combat, you never know
what you're gonna be dropping.
So this allows us to be able to do different things
and then get ready for those situations
where we see something that's different.
This is the only thing that can get us ready.
Just like any other profession, the more you do it
the more perfect you'll be.
And even perfect isn't perfect.
And I think that practice gets you to that point
to where you're executing everything to a T.
I think when you think about flying
you might think just about pilots,
but every single position on the aircraft support,
from the navigator to the engineer, to the load masters
in the back, which you might not think about,
but everybody plays a part in the overall mission.
And when everybody's firing on all cylinders
that's when we get the job done.
(quiet, intense music)