Poland's representation was 1 of 55 teams participating in the “Leapfest ’24” – the largest global parachute competition in the world. Poles from the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade made a jump with the Polish flag to celebrate the National Day of Memory of the Warsaw Uprising. They returned to the country with the reward they received for professionalism.
More than 200 jumpers from 19 countries arrived at the turn of July and August on the east coast of the USA. The “Leapfest” competition organized by Rhode Island National defender regularly participates representatives of the US Armed Forces and allied troops. Polish representation from the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade was besides present. Poles competed individually and teamly, in this second category they placed in 35th place. In the squad competition, the hosts were invincible – they took the full podium and 3 more seats. In the top 10 there were besides Czechs (two teams), Germans and Dutch. 25th Air Cavalry Brigade She was honored with the name Colonel. Robert F. Ward, awarded “for professionalism and commitment”.
What is the competition during the “Leapfest”? Each squad consists of 4 parachutists who jump off a chopper CH-47 Chinook at 1500 feet (approximately 460 m). Each player is equipped with MC-6 parachute, adapted for jumping with a burden of 180 kg from a tallness of 150 m. On the “Leapfest”, the soldiers place a jump on the rope, meaning that the parachute opens automatically after the rider leaves the chopper deck. Only active soldiers authorized by their superiors to execute parachute operations can present their skills at competitions in the United States. Everyone must have at least 10 jumps on the rope. The participants had to land as close as possible to the ‘X’ mark on the ground. The judges measured the time until the jumper touched the sign. It was frequently not only the precision of the flight, but besides the ability to decision rapidly after landing.
But the results are not all that is applicable to the “Leapfest”. The goal of the competition, which has been organized since 1982, is besides to advance camaraderie and a sense of solidarity among airmen. The struggles were open to the public, who could photograph and evidence troop jumps from a designated area at Adams Farm in Exeter, Rhode Island.
Participation in “Leapfest ’24” and the win of the Lt. Col. Robert F. Ward Award is not the only success that the soldiers of the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade received at the beginning of the month. On 6 August in the German Altenstadt, the global competition “Challenge ’24” was held, during which the representation from the Aeromobilno-Spadochrony Training Centre from 25 BKPow won a bronze medal in the squad classification. The joint score consisted of second place in the orientation run, 4th place in the swimming and 2 thirds place in the landing and shooting goal jump.
