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By Dr. Franklin Osanka

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The Royal Thai Army balloon jump is a training system adopted from the Royal Air force (RAF) in the United Kingdom. However, The RAF retired the balloon system and discontinued this training aide in 1995. Now only the Belgians and the Thais use the balloon jump system and only the Thais have ever offered special balloon wings for those who qualify with the balloon.

The training benefit of the balloon jump is similar to that of the 250-foot tower at the US Army Airborne School in Ft. Benning, Georgia. After stepping out of the balloon and the parachute deploys, the skills that the paratrooper has to employ are the same as if he jumped from a forward motion fixed aircraft. The main difference between exiting a jump balloon and an aircraft in flight is that one must simply take one step forward, assume a tight body position, and drop into silence. There is no prop-blast and it takes a surprising 6,000 count before the parachute fully deploys at around 400 to 500 feet from the ground after exiting at around 800 to 900 feet up. In 1993, The Friendship Airborne Paratroopers exited at 700 feet as the upper winds were very strong that day.

The Royal Thai Army Special Forces adopted the balloon system in 1981. And since then many thousands of paratroopers have jumped it with no reported malfunctions upon exiting. However, once the parachute is fully deployed, the paratrooper must perform all of the standard parachute control and proper PLFs or risk back and leg injuries. The Thai paratrooper trainees make their first two qualifying jumps from the balloon and remaining three jumps from either a helicopters or fixed wing aircraft.

The Royal Thai Army balloon is from the United Kingdom and the huge winch that raises and lowers the balloon is Belgian made. The cable between the truck bearing winch and the raised barrage balloon is one thousand feet. The basket, or gondola, holds six paratroopers, including the dispatcher (Jump Master).

Many paratroopers want the thrill of jumping out the Royal Thai Army Special Forces balloon but very few foreigners have had that honor. In the year 2000, Friendship Airborne is planning a repeat of the 1993 friendship jump visit to the Royal Thai Army Special Warfare Center at Lopburi, Thailand. This visit will again include balloon and fixed wing jumps and the jumpers will earn both the balloon and the world famous Royal Thai Army three elephant "erawan" wings. As usual, the RTA Special Forces will put up on an impressive airborne, waterborne, and jungle warfare special operations demonstration, that included snake handling.

There will be the usual prop-blast dinner dance with displays of rural, classical, and traditional Thai dancing as well as demonstrations of traditional stick and sword fighting and modern kickboxing. Plenty of female Thai riggers and Jump Masters will be on hand to teach visitors the popular modern Thai dances.

Nobody can soon forget a friendship jump with the Royal Thai Special Forces.

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