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29-432: The Strategic Army Corps Sport Parachute Team (STRAC) was originally conceived by Brigadier General Joseph Stilwell . The first STRAC team consisted of 19 military parachutists. This unofficial unit competed successfully in parachute competitions, provided assistance to the military in the development of modern parachuting techniques and equipment, and provided support for U.S. Army public relations and recruiting. In 1959,

58-458: A 360 turn back to the original formation. Blocks are designated by numbers, while randoms got letters. Blocks are worth one point for each correct formation, that makes 2 points, and randoms count as 1 point. There are 22 blocks and 16 randoms. competition consists of up to 10 rounds, and each round consists of 5 or 6 points, which the teams are to repeat as many times as they can within the working time of 35 seconds. The score judging are based on

87-562: A lieutenant with the 15th Infantry Regiment (United States) in China in 1937. During a troop movement from Qinhuangdao to Tianjin on July 29, 1937, Stilwell's unit came into contact with a battle between Chinese and Japanese forces. Major William F. Lee, First Lieutenant Stilwell and four of their men each received the Soldier's Medal for protecting the unit and its equipment from injury and damage. During World War II , Stilwell served in

116-517: A probationary status for a one-year period. Those soldiers who successfully complete their probationary period are then officially deemed Golden Knights and then serve their remaining three seasons as full-fledged members of the team. Two teams participate in national and international parachute competitions, in four-way formation , eight-way formation, style and accuracy , and canopy piloting competitions. They have won an array of medals from national and international competitions each year, and hold

145-460: A team headquarters facility, and a dedicated team drop zone. The team itself is composed of about 95 men and women and divided into several smaller task-oriented subunits, also called teams or sections. The support elements include an aviation section, a headquarters section, a media-relations section, and a supply section. The administrative and support personnel make up about half of the unit's end strength, and provide invaluable logistical support for

174-524: A testament to their professionalism and skill. For those wishing to become one of the few, the Golden Knights hold an annual tryout and selection program by which qualified U.S. Army men and women are invited to attend a grueling and mentally challenging 6-week course, while temporarily assigned to the team at Ft. Liberty. During this event, applicants typically make 150–200 freefall parachute jumps and typically lose 5–10 lbs of body weight due to

203-669: Is vertical formation skydiving (VFS). Skydivers build formations using higher-speed body positions normally associated with freeflying , such as head down and sitflying. The current FAI world record for largest free-fall formation is a 400-way, set on February 8, 2006, in Udon Thani , Thailand by the World Team. It was held for 4.3 seconds. With the support of the Thai government, they used five C-130 Hercules airplanes and exited from an altitude of 25,400 feet. In April 2013

232-612: Is performed to exacting standards of practice, but can also be tailored to the specific venue. These shows range from jumpers exiting the aircraft and landing in a major-league stadium, to more involved 20- or 30-minute aerial displays. The Mass Exit show consists of multiple jumpers exiting the aircraft and forming a geometric shape, often with smoke canisters employed for additional crowd effect. The 30-minute Full Show consists of several aircraft passes or "jump runs", with each pass consisting of one or more jumpers exiting and then performing somewhat unusual parachuting maneuvers. Once safely on

261-870: The China Burma India Theater , earning his first awards of the Legion of Merit and the Air Medal . Stilwell served as commander of the 23rd Infantry Regiment , 2nd Infantry Division in Korea from 1952 to 1953, earning his second award of the Legion of Merit and first award of the Bronze Star Medal . Stilwell served as commander of United States Army Support Group, Vietnam (renamed United States Army Support Command, Vietnam from March 1, 1964) from August 26, 1962, until June 30, 1964. He

290-415: The World Team tried to break the record for the largest 2-point formation dive in skydiving history. All 222 members came together and made a formation, broke apart, and then reformed to make a completely different formation. The team attempted the jump many times and came very close to breaking the record, but were unsuccessful each time. The World Team has not made anymore official statements about attempting

319-452: The current military world record in both male and female four-way freefall formation and the world record in canopy piloting speed. The Golden Knights tandem section provides the team with the unique ability to provide tandem parachute jumps to approved local and national celebrities, media personnel, and VIPs. This allows the team to jump with these celebrities into venues which have local and national flavor, interest, and appeal. This program

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348-765: The demonstrators and competitors as they perform their duties in the US and abroad. The team's operational elements include two demonstration teams, a four-way relative work team, a style and accuracy team, a tandem section, and most recently, a canopy swoop team. The two Golden Knight demonstration teams travel the United States (and occasionally overseas), performing for public audiences at venues ranging from relatively small civic events to nationally and internationally televised events (such as Monday Night Football games, NASCAR races, and large international airshows). The two, 12-member teams travel around 240 days per year, and use

377-411: The ending formation. The inters are differently performed. Here are some examples: Inter 1: The grips are released between some of the flyers, so they become two pieces of two team members. they both do a 270 degree turn, and reconnect to a different formation Inter 2: Three people stay connected, and do a 360 turn, while the last person, flies alone. Inter 15: All grips are released and everyone does

406-644: The exception of the Team 6 commander) are all chief warrant officers in the ranks of CW3 to CW4 and most have typically 4,000–5,000 flight hours in fixed-wing aircraft. The enlisted personnel (with the exception of the operations NCO) are all UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crewchiefs in the ranks of SGT to SFC and most have 500–2,000 flight hours. The Golden Knights use three Viking Air UV-18 Twin Otter Series 400s and two De Havilland Dash 8 's designated C-147A as their jump planes. The UV-18s are most frequently used by

435-477: The gravesite of his parents. Formation skydiving Formation skydiving is a skydiving event where multiple skydivers attach themselves to one another by grabbing each other's limbs or by the use of "grippers" on their jumpsuit while free falling through the sky. The goal of this skydiving program is to build a formation of multiple divers arranged in a geometric pattern. Formation skydiving can be further divided into several sub-categories, so named for

464-472: The ground, the jumpers traditionally perform a ground line-up, in which each jumper is introduced and then the team usually presents a team memento to a distinguished selectee from the show audience. Each maneuver the Knights perform is executed with the enjoyment and safety of the audience being the paramount concern. The Golden Knights enjoy an unparalleled safety record in the professional parachuting arena,

493-456: The honor of jumping with numerous celebrities and heads of state, most notably President George H.W. Bush, in 2007, 2012, and 2014. The Golden Knights headquarters section consists of the team's leadership and administrative, operational planning, safety, and parachute maintenance personnel. The team is commanded by a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (O-5) and run by a U.S. Army Sergeant Major (E-9). Additionally, only four commissioned officers are on

522-611: The most time and experience performing demonstration jumps and typically holds the rank of a U.S. Army sergeant first class. The 24 demonstrator positions on the team are typically held for at least three consecutive years. At the end of their tenure, soldiers then either rotate back to U.S. Army line units or they may request to stay with the team for an additional period in one of several specialty positions. These positions are usually reserved for tandem parachute instructors, videographers, team leaders, and competition parachutists. The demonstration teams perform several types of shows; each

551-442: The number of members in a team: A competition in 4-way formation skydiving (FS-4) takes place like this: There are two kinds of formations, called randoms and blocks. The randoms are singular formations with full separation of all grips both before and after building the formation. The blocks are double formations with a special designated movement pattern in between, called an inter. The start formation may, or may not be similar to

580-427: The regimen of jumping, technical classes, and physical training. When they are not jumping, these nascent Golden Knights learn the team's history, memorize over 13 pages of show narration verbatim , and receive public-affairs and public-speaking orientations. At the culmination of this process, the remaining applicants who are not released from the program are "knighted" during an induction ceremony and are then put on

609-469: The tandem and competition teams and for local jumps near Ft. Bragg due to their shorter range. Golden Knights' aircraft have unique livery which is black and white with a gold stripe down the middle, on the fuselage. The tail has the U.S. Army symbol upon it. In 2019, the team retired two Fokker C-31A aircraft it had used for 34 years prior. Joseph Warren Stilwell Jr. Brigadier General Joseph Warren Stilwell Jr. (March 6, 1912 – July 25, 1966)

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638-501: The team was formally organized and later redesignated as the U.S. Army's official aerial demonstration unit on June 1, 1961. The STRAC is part of the United States Army Marketing and Engagement Brigade, headquartered at Fort Knox , Kentucky . The parachute team is garrisoned at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and has several dedicated facilities in the area. These facilities include an aviation support facility,

667-561: The team's two Fokker C-31A Troopship jump aircraft as their primary means of transportation, and sometimes the UV-18C Twin Otter Series 400 made by Viking . The two demonstration teams are dubbed the Gold Team and Black Team, in reference to the official U.S. Army colors. Team members come from a variety of backgrounds in one of the 150 jobs available in the U.S. Army. Each team has a team leader, who typically has

696-646: The team, which makes it unusual in that it is mostly composed of and run by enlisted personnel. The team performs tandem jumps at the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport in North Carolina. The team's aviation section, affectionately known as "Team Six", is commanded by an U.S. Army Major (O4). This section is composed of about 10 U.S. Army and Department of the Army Civilian (DAC) pilots, and six enlisted soldiers. The U.S. Army pilots (with

725-411: The videographers material. A competition draw may look like this: The winning team will be the team that has collected most points, by completing the most correct formations within time after the final round is ended. In case of weather or technical problems, or other causes, a competition will be valid as long as all teams has completed at least one round. A recent sub-category of formation skydiving

754-886: Was a United States Army general best known for his service in United States Army Special Forces and the United States Army Support Group in the Vietnam War . Stilwell was born in Syracuse, New York , one of five children of General Joseph Stilwell . He attended West Point , graduating in the class of 1933. Stilwell later graduated from the Army and Navy Staff College in 1945 and the United States Army War College in 1951. Stilwell served as

783-402: Was a controversial figure, during the 2nd Chindit campaign he earned the ire of several successful and popular British commanders for his abrasive manners and probably cost hundreds of British soldiers their life. Stilwell was lost at sea on July 25, 1966, when flying a C-47 to Hawaii with longtime friend and pilot Hal Grimes of Air Ferry International. Harold Fossum was the navigator. The C-47

812-503: Was designed to allow celebrities and VIPs the opportunity to experience the freefall with the Knights while in a safe, carefully controlled setting and to showcase the skills and qualities of U.S. Army soldiers to these special individuals. This element consists of six soldiers who were selected from the ranks of the demonstration teams and all are specially trained in tandem parachuting and accelerated freefall parachuting techniques, as well as freefall photography. The Golden Knights have had

841-549: Was to continue on to Thailand; however, Stilwell was only intending to travel as far as Hawaii to increase his instrument rating qualification. The Coast Guard, USAF and US Navy (including three destroyers and the USS ; Yorktown ) searched an area of 105,000 square miles (270,000 km ) without finding any trace of the aircraft. A memorial to Brig. Gen. Stilwell was erected at the West Point Cemetery next to

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