when you go through training to become a load master, do you also have to go through parachute training?

You will go through a 1 day course at Fairchild AFB around the same time to go to Survival school. You don't jump out of any planes but they teach you how to jump out, what to check for when your chut deploys, and how to land ect. At water survival school you will para-sail twice in to the water, they let you go around 500' and you have a mental checklist to preform while you a falling. I'm not 100% sure if c-5 loads go to the water survival school or not.

Nah C5's just fall out of the sky due to computer error! I dunno why they wouldn't... SOunds like it'd be required as a loadie.

http://www.para-sail.com/ im guessing its not as fun as the music makes it sound? haha

anyways so they hook you up to a parasail at 500' and then cut the line and i will basically parachute down into the water?

quote:

Originally posted by lovecheese45:
Nah C5's just fall out of the sky due to computer error! I dunno why they wouldn't... SOunds like it'd be required as a loadie.

Aircraft with large crews, ex. C-5's, JSATRS, AWACS ect, do not carry enough chutes for everyone. By the time 35 people jump out of an airplane falling out of the sky; it will already be on the ground. They have a better chance of crashing landing in the water/ground. They have another water survuval course they go to at Fairchild dealing with getting out of a plane once it has crashed in the water. Something about a mock plane they dunk under water.

The para sailing is alot of fun , the best class I ever went to in the AF.

so how long is the training for this?
ive heard some say around 9 months, but when i look at the aboutmilitary website, it only adds up for 4 or 5.

Actually the class is Load Planner that I am going to. it is only 7 days long.

quote:

Originally posted by mjik:
so how long is the training for this?
ive heard some say around 9 months, but when i look at the aboutmilitary website, it only adds up for 4 or 5.

That web-site only counts Basic Loadmaster course (blm) and the survival schools. The school you attend next depends on what airframe you are assigned to. 17s have a school at Altus AFB OK which is around 12 weeks, 130s go to Little Rock AFB AR, and last I knew 5s stayed at Altus but for only 5 weeks then they complete the rest of their schooling at their home unit , but somthing tells me this had since changed.

are the schools after bmt similar to bmt in that you cannot visit family or have phone calls?

quote:

Originally posted by mjik:
http://www.para-sail.com/ im guessing its not as fun as the music makes it sound? haha

anyways so they hook you up to a parasail at 500' and then cut the line and i will basically parachute down into the water?

Pretty much. You do it twice. Once with nothing, another time with the survival kit underneath you which you have to deploy as you are descending. Its a total blast, loved that school.
Not to mention the live helicopter lift out of the water....pretty sweet also.

quote:

Originally posted by mjik:
are the schools after bmt similar to bmt in that you cannot visit family or have phone calls?

There will be rules you have to follow, but you will also have plenty of free time, you can have a cell phone so you can call whenever you have free time but you'll be very busy trying to learn all of the new information in class so family vists will not be pratical unless they're close by.

quote:

Originally posted by mjik:
so how long is the training for this?
ive heard some say around 9 months, but when i look at the aboutmilitary website, it only adds up for 4 or 5.

To give you an idea how long loadmaster training is for the C-130, my classes went something like this:

EAUC (Lackland/Medina): Sept 21st - Oct 11th
Basic Loadmaster School (Lackland/Medina): Oct 12th - Nov 14th
SERE (Fairchild): November 21st - Dec 11th
Water Survival (Pensacola): Dec 13th - Dec 16th
Loadmaster Initial/Mission Qual (This is where I'm currently at): Jan 11th - May 15th (this date is tentative due to flying days)

Since I am a retrainee and not a non-prior pipeline airmen, I cannot give you their perspective on how they are treated. I remember them being in a phase program for EAUC and BLM, they were able to have cell phones, and some parents showed for graduation.