Staff Writer

"One more pass, and we'll be hot," Specialist First Class Jake Brown says as the U.S. Army's Golden Knights jump plane circles above Falcon Field. Hot? At 11,000 feet altitude, the cabin is about 40 degrees chilly, but for the Army parachute team, "hot" means the airspace is clear of other aircraft and it is safe to jump.

The team leader crouches near the open door, watching, hand-signals the others and finally gives them the go- ahead.

The parachutists line up, proceed to the open exits, bend and stretch themselves into a tight little sculpture. "OK. Ready, set, go!" In the blink of an eye, they disappear from sight, free falling, somersaulting and sailing through the air when they suddenly pull the cord on their chutes and begin drifting toward earth and their shared target.

For the Golden Knights from Ft. Bragg in North Carolina, stepping out into the clouds is like taking a walk in the park. They make it look easy. But these men and women train and practice every day, jumping daily when weather conditions allow.

The 10-member Gold Team flew into Peachtree City this past weekend to thrill and entertain audiences at the first ever local air show.

Preparation for each performance begins with a "dirt dive" which they executed Saturday beside their golden-striped plane, a Friendship Fokker propeller model. The team ran through each move and count in preparation for the actual jump.

Once in the plane, they zip up their gold-color suits, strap on 20-pound packs bearing emergency chutes, and check the leather spheres fitted atop their rip-stop nylon sail chutes. Ear plugs are fitted into their ear canals to soften the noise and tight leather helmets are pulled on their heads.

After take-off, the mood in the plane is relaxed. Some members lounge near the cockpit, while others sit quietly, checking their altimeters as they gain altitude. The view of Fayette County observed from the open doors is a patchwork of green fields, blue lakes, and clusters of white-roofed subdivisions.

The narrator designated for this particular show, Staff Sergeant Mark Keeling, kneels in the doorway, clutching a gold and a black rolled streamer which he will release at 2,000 feet. He turns into the cockpit and holds up five fingers and gestures his thumb to the right. This is just one of the signals given prior to the jump to inform his fellow team members of wind conditions. The streamers allow the Knights to monitor wind drift.

There is also a man on the ground equipped with a radio to communicate with the airborne team. "Our ground guy is the eyes and ears for the team," said Staff Sergeant Mario Rivera. He explained that winds in excess of 20 mph and cloud cover can make it difficult for the team to jump. But today conditions are ideal.

Suddenly the green light flashes above the door. Keeling's got a hot target and in a few moments, he jumps.

The team leader fills Keeling's spot at the door and continues checking conditions.

"The team leader watches to see how much push he's (Keeling) getting from the upper winds," Brown explains.

Aside from a friendly hand squeeze to us passengers, there are no prayers, secret handshakes or odd pre-jump rituals. The nine remaining Knights laugh, smile and on cue, jump. Each one glides onto the target and waves. It's just another work day for the Golden Knights.

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