History
The team was established in 1971 with Major John Hasek as its first commander. The SkyHawks have appeared in more than 4,200 shows, performing for over 75 million spectators. Other than Canada and the United States, they have also made appearances around the world including Japan, France and Australia. The SkyHawks have demonstrated parachuting at a Rolling Stones concert in 2003, at the Juno Beach Centre opening celebrations in Normandy, and at the 60th anniversary of the Liberation of Holland. The team conducts over 3,400 parachute descents at training camp each year in order to prepare for their show season, which runs from March until October.
Over the years augmentee demonstration parachutists have been drawn from all commands of the Canadian Forces, representing a myriad of trades and officer classifications.
The SkyHawks team spends five weeks training in the clear, sunny skies of California. Members of the SkyHawks also provide instructor assistance for parachute training to members of the Canadian Forces at the CAAWC. The team uses a leased Short SC.7 Skyvan aircraft as their primary jump platform.
The Snowbirds, officially known as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, are the military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The team is based at 15 Wing Moose Jaw near Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The Snowbirds' official purpose is to "demonstrate the skill, professionalism, and teamwork of Canadian Forces personnel". The team also provides a public relations and recruiting role, and serves as an aerial ambassador for the Canadian Armed Forces. The Snowbirds are the first Canadian air demonstration team to be designated as a squadron.
The 1st Special Service Force was an elite American–Canadian commando unit in World War II, under the command of the United States Fifth Army. The unit was organized in 1942 and trained at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana in the United States. The Force served in the Aleutian Islands, and fought in Italy, and southern France before being disbanded in December 1944.
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee. Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Division and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The fort is named in honor of Union Army Brigadier General William Bowen Campbell, the last Whig Governor of Tennessee.
The Royal Canadian Air Force is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2020, the Royal Canadian Air Force consists of 12,074 Regular Force and 1,969 Primary Reserve personnel, supported by 1,518 civilians, and operates 258 manned aircraft and nine unmanned aerial vehicles. Lieutenant-General Eric Kenny is the current commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force and chief of the Air Force Staff.
A parachutist badge is a military badge awarded by the armed forces of many states to soldiers who have received parachute training and completed the required number of jumps. It is difficult to assess which country was the first to introduce such an award.
The Military Freefall Parachutist Badge is a military badge of the United States Army and United States Air Force awarded to qualified U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force personnel as high-altitude military parachute specialists.
The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Parachute Team, called the Para-Commandos, is composed of volunteers from the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and U.S. government civilians who are assigned to Special Operations Command. They are selected for the team after a rigorous training program. They participate with the USSOCOM Parachute Team in addition to their regular duties, with training conducted during off duty time.
Canadian Forces Base Trenton, formerly RCAF Station Trenton, is a Canadian Forces base located within the city of Quinte West, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is the hub for air transport operations in Canada and abroad. Its primary RCAF lodger unit is 8 Wing, commonly referred to as 8 Wing Trenton. CFB Trenton is Canada's largest Air Force base.
The Fuerzas Especiales, also known asFES(the initials of their motto) and Cuachiqueh/Quachis, is a special forces unit of the Mexican Navy officially established in late 2001. Its motto is "Fuerza, Espíritu, Sabiduría", they are currently under the naval special command structure of the UNOPES.
A parachute rigger is a person who is trained or licensed to pack, maintain or repair parachutes. A rigger is required to understand fabrics, hardware, webbing, regulations, sewing, packing, and other aspects related to the building, packing, repair, and maintenance of parachutes.
The United States Army Parachute Team, nicknamed the Golden Knights, is a demonstration and competition parachute team of the United States Army. It consists of demonstration and competition parachutist teams, drawn from all branches of the U.S. Army. Members must demonstrate excellence in parachuting.
The 1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine or 1er RPIMa is a unit of the French Army Special Forces Command, therefore part of the Special Operations Command.
The maroon beret in a military configuration has been an international symbol of airborne forces since the Second World War. It was first officially introduced by the British Army in 1942, at the direction of Major-General Frederick "Boy" Browning, commander of the British 1st Airborne Division. It was first worn by the Parachute Regiment in action in North Africa during November 1942.
Jumpmasters are the expert paratroopers in an airborne unit who train and teach the military techniques for jumping from airplanes. They are responsible for training soldiers who enter Army Airborne School into paratroopers and managing airborne jump operations in airborne units across all branches of services.
The Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre is a Canadian Forces training facility located at CFB Trenton, Ontario, Canada.
The 98th Flying Training Squadron is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command 306th Flying Training Group. It is stationed at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado, however the current UV-18 B Twin Otter aircraft are housed and maintained at nearby Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
John Henry George Hasek, CD was a Czech-born Canadian soldier, journalist and author.
The United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence Command Exhibition Parachute Team, commonly known as the Silver Wings, is the official demonstration parachute team of Fort Benning, Georgia, United States Army. It is made up of US Army Paratroopers who have demonstrated excellence in parachuting skills, drawn primarily from the 1st Battalion of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Fort Benning.
The Combat Training Centre is responsible for individual training of Canadian Army soldiers and officers in military occupational classifications that are controlled by the Canadian Army. The Centre is headquartered at 5 Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, and maintains schools at CFB Kingston, 8 Wing Trenton and CFB Borden in Ontario. Originally known as the Combat Arms School, it was formed at Camp Borden, Ontario, in 1965, moving to CFB Gagetown in the early 1970s. It is a formation of the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre, the former Land Force Doctrine and Training System which was renamed as part of the reorganization of the Canadian Army on 18 July 2013.
Airborne forces raised by Australia have included a number of conventional and special forces units. During the Second World War the Australian Army formed the 1st Parachute Battalion; however, it did not see action. In the post-war period Australia's parachute capability was primarily maintained by special forces units. In the early 1980s a parachute infantry capability was revived which led to the Parachute Battalion Group forming in 1983 based on the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. In 1997, a full time commando regiment was raised that was able to conduct large-scale operations which matured during the 2000s. In 2011, 3 RAR relinquished the parachute role with the Army deciding to opt out of a conventional parachute capability in preference to a special forces large-scale parachute capability.
