The HALO Jump....

[MagnumResearch]

Hey guys,
Hope everyone is doing good. I was just wondering about the HALO jump. Do SEALs have to do that during jump school. I heard from someone that it is by far one of the most intimidating jumps to go through. What does the jump consist of. I know it stands for ( High Altitude Low Opening)...... I was just wondering if anyone could elaborate on the specs of the jump really. Like what altitude you jump from, freefall time, what altitude do you open your chute at...... if anyone knows anything about it I would appreciate the information, either way it sounds like fun =p. Alright guys, have a good one!
-MagnumResearch

[Andrew123]

Whats up Magnum,

Your right HALO does stand for High Altitude Low Opening. The idea behind the jump is that the plain flies high above enemy rader so that they can avoid being detected for obvious reasons. Wouldnt want the bad guys to know your comin. Thats what they mean by High Altitude. Then the jumper waits until the last few seconds to open his chute. He opens it below enemy rader also to avoid detection. If he opens the chute to high the enemy will see him. Or if the plain is flying to low the enemy will also see them. So they do it to avoid detection. They usually jump around 50,000 feet (from that high up they have to wear oxygen masks to breath, and it is also freezing cold) and free-fall basically they entire way. Thats why it is so intimidating. If you have ever seen the James Bond movie I forget what its called, its the one that came out right after Goldeneye with the chinese girl in it. Anyways in that praticular James Bond movie he makes a HALO jump, so if you want to see what it looks rent the movie. Anyways I hope i helped you out.

[Chickenhawk]

First off, SEALs go through regular jump school (static line only) for the time being. With that said, we are sending the April graduating BUD/S class straight to a civilian/military supervised jump course that will teach both static line and military freefall parachuting in the same four weeks we would normally take to send them to Army Jump School w/ 1 week of leave.

HALO is a little intimidating at first, but once you do a couple and survive, I don't think you will ever want to go back to static line again. While not every SEAL may agree, Military Freefall is one of the best perks of our profession. They try to take the fun out of it by adding a rucksack, oxygen, and a weapon, but I still enjoy it.

In training, we generally jump from around 13,000' AGL (above ground level), which is normally around 60-65 seconds of freefall when you open at 3500', followed by a pleasant canopy ride. I've jumped from as high as 35,200', but that takes a lot of extra training and equipment. You can't really fly above radar, and still make it to the ground alive. Keep in mind that commercial aircraft cruise at 33,000-37,000', and they're picked up on radar by air traffic controllers all the time. Anyway, the landing is much better than a static line PLF (most of the time), and you have a little more control over your fate under a square canopy.

[Wetwash]

lol Halo is cool

Chickenhawk pretty much covered it..
It can get real exciting with a full load of Equipment.. Especially for us short guys...lol

[OP06D]

Chickenhawk pretty much covered it..
It can get real exciting with a full load of Equipment.. Especially for us short guys...lol


Hey Steve,
Don't forget the "Dip Test" before you jump...

[sealpup121]

Do SEALs have to do that during jump school. I heard from someone that it is by far one of the most intimidating jumps to go through. What does the jump consist of. I know it stands for ( High Altitude Low Opening)...... I was just wondering if anyone could elaborate on the specs of the jump really. Like what altitude you jump from, freefall time, what altitude do you open your chute at...... if anyone knows anything about it I would appreciate the information

Well let's try to post an answer again. Magnum, back in the "olden days" HALO school was a requested school by SEAL. HALO training at Fort Bragg started you out at jumps from 12,500 ft. and a free fall time of 60 seconds, or there abouts, to jumps from 29,500 or more, to a free fall of over 90 seconds. Oxygen jumps were from anything over 16,000 feet and were mostly really cold, but the altitude was awesome. Landings at the DZ's at Fort Bragg could be intimidating and painful on some of the windy days, especially depending on the canopy you jumped. Recommendation: if the opportunity arises to jump, don't pass it by.

[A62]

Question,
My son went to an "advanced jump school" I think in Nevada. What would that have been? I think it was run by Army but not sure. They did have other coutries represented.

A62 out