Whitley paratroop trainers

[tonyot]

Yes the side doors are the best method of deploying paratroopers from a Herk,......when I was parachuting in the 80`s the tail ramp housed a supply load called a `wedge' which was dropped just before we jumped.

The tail exit is used for single sticks by small numbers of static line troops such as those jumping into water, or for free fallers.....but the side doors allow two static line sticks to jump at the same time.

Cheers

Tony

PS- I hate those new US parachutes,......they look awful and very un airborne like!

[DennisTheBear]

Dennis: I was a paratrooper with the 2/325th Airborne Inf., 82nd ABN Div. from March 1977 to Dec. 1980. I was always asked by non-jumpers (aka "legs"(US Army speak)) why I should want to leave a "perfectly good aircraft". I always replied that the USAF a/c mechanics/technicians were just as intelligent, well-trained, and motivated as the mechanics who fixed our vehicles(and, I, and, my fellow soldiers in the 82nd, and other units in which I was assigned, had spent a lot of time in a broken down truck; or, waiting for it to be fixed). That usually got a 'Okay, that I understand' look from them. I've also been in a Mech.(APCs-M113s)unit(4th Inf. Div. Mech.) unit, light Inf., 7th Inf. Div.(Light), and the 33rd Inf. Brigade(ILNG). So, I have seen just how good, bad, and indifferently our vehicles are maintained. Jumping from the tail position of a Whitley, though, does look rather terrifying!

Joe

Oh, don't get me wrong, I like the idea of parachuting just fine, and any person who volunteers for any armed service has my unqualified respect (I know some people cave, or do things outside of the accepted sometimes, but they were/are willing to stand for what they believe in and were/are willing to carry that conviction through to action). And parachuting would have saved me thousands of kms of walking. But I like the idea of flying IN aeroplanes more.

DennisTheBear

[JPuente54]

mhaselden and Tony are correct about jumping from the rear side doors. These are used for static line jumping; and as Tony mentioned, two sticks can leave. In USAF practice, the rear ramp was often used for baggage stowage. Drops of cargo with paras on board are rarely, if ever done(I never saw any; that doesn't mean it never occurred). Sometimes we would 'chute up' while in flight; the parachutes were tied down on the ramp. Special Forces(aka 'Green Berets'), Delta force, maybe the Rangers(not sure about this), and maybe the Pathfinders might use the rear ramp for freefall/HALO jumps(a good example of how this goes is in the old movie "The Wild Geese" with the late Sir Richard Burton, Sir Roger Moore, etc.). Regular(I cannot believe that I just wrote that!) paratroopers use the side doors and a static line. I jumped from C-130 Hercules', C-141 Starlifters, UH-1 Iroquois(Hueys), CH-47 Chinooks, and a C-123 Provider. Chinook jumps are off the rear ramp, but, still static line.

Dennis, thank you for your sentiments; in what unit did you serve(British Army or Australian)? And, what is that on your arm? It looks like a bird of some kind.

[OneEighthBit]

Is it as simple that dispatching a stick on static lines is just easier to manage?

Everything is tucked up need against the side, the rail for the rail is above the jumpers troop seats and they are all going out of the side through a small door. From a dispatchers point of view is probably safer and easier to manage a jump that way.

I would imaging trying to static line off a ramp poses no end of problems due to the configurations needed for static line management and crew safety.

[Aeronut]

Static line over the ramp is limited by the behaviour of the static line and the bag on the end after the parachute has left it. The airflow makes them spin and after a certain number the next man is liable to be injured as the leave by a flailing club of static lines. The U.K. Had a limit of 12 parachutes over the ramp which is OK for SF in a stores preceding men role. It also helps if the store uses a breakaway static line with the weak link at the aircraft end

[OneEighthBit]

Static line over the ramp is limited by the behaviour of the static line and the bag on the end after the parachute has left it. The airflow makes them spin and after a certain number the next man is liable to be injured as the leave by a flailing club of static lines. The U.K. Had a limit of 12 parachutes over the ramp which is OK for SF in a stores preceding men role. It also helps if the store uses a breakaway static line with the weak link at the aircraft end

Ok so sort of what I guessed. I imagine that works for sneaky-beaky stuff but as you say, dropping more than that would be like jumping through a tumble drier for the tale end charlie.

[tonyot]

Ok so sort of what I guessed. I imagine that works for sneaky-beaky stuff but as you say, dropping more than that would be like jumping through a tumble drier for the tale end charlie.

It`s no fun jumping from the side doors with the amount of kit we used to carry,....I used to jump with almost 100lb in my Bergan plus a stretcher attached to the side,...plus weapon, reserve etc,.....but it was the best thing in the world at the same time,......if that makes sense? I`d do it again tomorrow, even with my shagged back and knee`s! Here is a pic of me in the day during a demo with all the kit on,....minus the stretcher;

and here is a brilliant photo from the web taken by an American which sort of sums up what it is like jumping from a Herk, even if it is clean fatigue without any equipment;

Those lads (and lasses of the SOE) who rang the bell in the old Whitley were true heroes (and heroines) and they led the way to where we are today.

Cheers

Tony

[OneEighthBit]

You don't have to convince me Never jumped myself but my father was ex 15 Para so I've heard enough stories