News Resources

United States Army Parachute Team, Golden Knights

Mar 1, 2009

The United States Army Parachute Team (U.S.A.P.T.), the Golden Knights, celebrate 50-years as the Army’s official demonstration team.

Story by: Cheryle Rivas

TEAM HISTORY
The Strategic Army Command Parachute Team, or STRAC, was formed in 1959 by “Airborne” Soldiers from various military units. Brigadier General Joseph Stilwell Jr. was responsible for gathering these Soldiers with the original intent to compete during the Cold War effort. This new U.S. All-Army team swept the international competition circuit, in what was then the Soviet dominated sport of skydiving. Later that year on November 1st, this newly formed team performed their first demonstration in Danville Virginia.

In 1961, the Department of Defense announced on June 15th, that the STRAC team would become the United States Army Parachute Team. The team is one of three authorized DoD aerial demonstration teams, along with the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels. On October 15, 1962 the team earned the nickname the “Golden Knights.” Golden, signifying the Team’s stellar reputation of bringing home gold medals; Knights, alluding to the fact that the Team had “conquered the skies,” and portraying that members of the Team are champions of a set of ideals and principals.

TEAM MISSION
Missions of today’s Army are still the same as 234 years ago when the Army was established to serve our nation. The Team’s mission is to conduct parachute demonstrations, tandem jumps and to compete in national and international competitions in support of the United States Army Accessions Command’s tactical, operational and strategic missions; creating a greater propensity to serve in the U.S. Army, while connecting America with America’s Army. On order, the team will test and evaluate new parachuting equipment and techniques that assist in improving operations and safety for the military freefall teams. The Team also provides direct support to Special Mission and Special Operations Units with personalized assistance in maintaining and improving military freefall infiltration skills and techniques during their pre-mission training.

THE TEAM
As the “Official Ambassadors of the Army,” the Team annually reaches a third of our nation by performing spectacular live parachute demonstrations for the American public, manifesting the “Band of Excellence” as displayed by all U.S. Army Soldiers around the world.

The Golden Knights have performed more than 15,000 shows in all 50 states and 48 countries, reaching more than 20,000 people per show. Through jump demonstrations and public speaking with the Army’s target audience, the team is able to direct potential applicants to the on-site Army Recruiter.

The Army has more than 150 job specialties for active duty Soldiers and offers up to $70,000 for college loan repayment and signing bonuses in excess of $10,000.

The 91 men and women who make up the Golden Knights are separated into seven sections - two demonstration teams, a tandem team, two competition teams, an aviation detachment and a headquarters section.

The demonstration teams perform two different shows from an altitude of 12,500 feet. The mass
show entails one jumper exiting the aircraft and flying our national colors. This Soldier will then narrate the show for the audience while the rest of the team exits the aircraft maneuvering together to
form one large mass formation.

THE DEMONSTRATION
The full show consists of four separate maneuvers, which demonstrate the maneuverability of the human body while falling at speeds in excess of 120mph. The first maneuver, the baton pass, entails two jumpers exiting the aircraft separately and flying together to exchange a 14 inch mahogany baton.

The cutaway maneuver is designed to show what would occur if the jumper’s parachute was to malfunction. The diamond track demonstrates the incredible amount of lateral movement a jumper can obtain in free-fall.

The final maneuver of the full show is the diamond formation. Four jumpers exit the aircraft and constantly maneuver their bodies closer together until they are mere inches apart, forming a diamond shape in the sky.

Several members of the Golden Knights are trained as free-fall photographers. Wearing specially designed helmets rigged with both digital video and still cameras, they skillfully fly their bodies around various team formations, recording the action for publicity and training purposes.

TANDEM SECTION
The Tandem Team consists of Soldiers selected from a core of highly qualified parachutists from within the unit. They bring the American public closer to the United States Army through the successful implementation of the Tandem Orientation Program (TOP). The Tandem Team provides the unique experience of tandem parachuting to centers of influence that can help share the Army’s message. These tandem opportunities result in a positive Army image through the news media and to the American public. This once-in-a-lifetime experience also demonstrates the great capability, ‘first hand’ and reiterates to our young citizens the many opportunities available to them. The experience demonstrates the positive aspects of teamwork, discipline, professionalism and excellence resident within the operational force.

Those who have jumped with the tandem team include: the 41st President of the United States George Herbert Walker Bush, Tiger Woods, Chuck Norris, Bill Murray, the cast members of the TV show “The Unit”, Dennis Haysbert and Robert Patrick to name a few.

COMPETITION TEAMS
The competition teams sport an impressive record of 450 national champions, 91 world champions, 20 national and ten world team titles. Over the past 50 years, the United States Army Parachute Team has broken 345 World Records, to include military records held in the Counseil International du Sports Militaire (CISM). In the last three years alone, the competition teams have earned 17 gold medals, 80 silver medals, and 61 bronze medals.

These achievements have made them not only the most successful DoD sports team, but also the most successful parachute team in the world. The Golden Knights Competition Team participates in several categories; style, accuracy, free-fall formation, canopy piloting, canopy relative work, free flying and vertical relative work.

AVIATION
The Aviation Detachment flew more than 107,000 accident-free hours under the most demanding weather and air show air traffic conditions. The team has a fleet of four aircraft: two Fokker C-31A “Troopships” (also called the “Friendship”) and two UVA¬18 De Havilland Twin Otters. The aviation detachment and headquarters section work endlessly in support of the demonstration, tandem and competition teams. They ensure the numerous missions of the Golden Knights are accomplished.

The men and women who wear the distinctive black and gold uniform of the United States Army Parachute Team represent the “Band of Excellence” and the “Warrior Ethos” that are continually demonstrated by all U.S. Army Soldiers in our Global War on Terrorism and represent the best precision free-fall team in the world. As they travel across the nation and around the world, the Golden Knights serve as Ambassadors of the U.S. Army. These professional Soldiers proudly serve the country with pride, skill and enthusiasm.

For more information about the many opportunities available in today’s Army visit www.goarmy.com. For information about the Golden Knights, including media support, individual team member biographies, pictures, show schedules, and more go to www.armygoldenknights.com.