VANDALIA, Ohio (WKEF) — The United States Army’s Golden Knights are soldiers who form an elite team of skydivers, pilots and others who handle the team’s logistics, according to the team’s website page. Dayton 24/7 Now Reporter Jenilee Borek got a behind-the-scenes look at how the team operates when she flew with them during the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show presented by Kroger on Saturday.
Golden Knights’ Demonstrator Shelby Guarnieri said that to be a part of the team, someone must have 100 individual free-fall jumps and go through a six to eight-week Golden Knights selection process.
“That includes rigorous physical training, as well as you execute about an average of ten jumps per day for that duration of time,” said Guarnieri.
Immediately when Borek arrived for the flight, she could see how special of a team it was to be a part of, from the plane to the way the team bonded as they prepared.
Before taking off, the group was told what the emergency procedures were, and they got a briefing on what to expect. Once everyone was on board, the Golden Knights buckled each rider in and the team did their final preparations.
So, what is it like to jump?
Borek did not get to find out, but she did ask Guarnieri about that.
“It can be intimidating at first but as you go, it’s just a challenge to keep getting better. Our goal is to get better every jump and perfect everything that we do,” said Guarnieri.
The team communicated the whole time, and all of the jumps were executed successfully.
Guarnieri said the team does about 50 demonstration jumps a year at festivals, airshows and sporting events, but in reality, they do hundreds a year when training is included.
What’s the best part of being on the Golden Knights’ Parachute Team? Guarnieri said it is getting to interact with the crowds.
“To go out to the American public and try to bridge that gap between the Army, because the Army has done so much for me just on its own, but to inspire people by jumping out of an airplane, which is something that most people can’t say that they’ve done, it’s truly incredible to bring to the public,” said Guarnieri.
Dayton 24/7 Now will have coverage of the Dayton Air Show all weekend long on-air and online.