When we are making a tactical jump there are a series of commands that are given during every operation. They are intended to make sure that everyone is doing what they need to be doing and is as ready to jump as they can possibly be. Jumpers are commanded to stand up in the aircraft, they are then told to hook up their static lines (the "rope" that will actually deploy the parachute) to a cable inside the aircraft so that when they jump their parachutes will properly deploy. They are told to check their static lines and the one of the jumper in front of them. They are told to check their equipment to make sure that everything is right and ready to jump and then told to pass an OK forward from the back of the line of jumpers to the front. When the jumper at the front of the stick (line of paratroopers) receives word that everyone has checked their equipment and they are OK he says "all OK Jump Master" letting the jump master know that the entire stick of paratroopers is ready to exit the aircraft.
At that point the Jump Master stands at the open door of the aircraft and spots points on the ground that give their relative location to the drop zone and lets the jumpers know when they are approximately 1 minute and then thirty seconds from the drop zone. The next to the last command that a Jump Master will give before the jumpers exit the aircraft is "STAND BY!!" This indicates to the jumpers that they are only a few seconds from jumping.
In much of the world, "stand by" means to wait until something happens, it often means that someone is one the phone and they are putting you on semi-terminal hold. In the Airborne world it means that you need to be up on the balls of you feet, intensely aware of everything going on around you ready to move at the next command. The next command is going to be GO and you are going to jump from an aircraft in flight, it is doing somewhere near 150 miles per hour and life is going to get very exciting.
Jesus is recorded in the book of Matthew as saying "the exact day and hour? No one knows, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows. . . . So stay wake, stay alert (STAND BY!!!) you have no idea what day your master will show up."
Jesus says that there are many things that happen leading up to His return but he says we need to be ready and waiting, up on the balls of our feet, leaning forward ready for something very exciting to happen!
Friday was a great day! I had the opportunity to serve as the static jump master on a CASA 212 aircraft. This is a small cargo plane that has two engines and not much else. When we are using it as a jump platform it holds up to 14 jumpers, although we never put that many in anymore, usually 12 is the maximum. There are three jump masters on most lifts. You have a Jumping Jump Master who controls the other jumpers until time to exit the aircraft. You have a Jump Master Safety, who's job it is to ensure that everything is done correctly by each of the jumpers and help correct any problems they may have so that they can safely exit the aircraft and deploy their parachutes and finally you have the Static Jump Master who has the task of spotting the place on the ground where the jumpers are supposed to leave the aircraft so that they safely land in the drop zone. On the ground another Jump Master
has set up a series of high visibility panels that are 4 feet long by 18 inches wide so that the Static Jump Master can see where the release needs to take place. In order to see the panels it is necessary to lean out of the door of the aircraft and look around the wheel well and see where the aircraft is going. I can't begin to tell you how much fun it is to fly leaning as far as your arms will let you hanging out the side of an airplane!!!!!! I was the Static Jump Master for the first 4 lifts of 18 total lifts that we did on Friday, then on the 9th lift I took the role of the Jumping Jump master and had a great jump.
The Static gives time warnings of 1 minute and 30 seconds to the jumpers based on land marks that are on the ground below the aircraft and then about 10 seconds before the first jumper is to leave the aircraft the command of "Stand By" indicates that it is almost time to go. When the proper point over the drop zone is reached by the aircraft the Static Jump Master issues the command "Green Light! GO!", the Jumping Jump Master gives the command "Follow Me" and leaves the aircraft. The Static Jump Master observes as each jumper leaves the aircraft giving each one an individual command of "GO" when the jumper ahead of them has cleared the aircraft and it is safe to exit. All of these commands are yelled at the top of one's lungs due to the fact that flying in a cargo airplane with open doors is VERY loud.
During the entire operation there is a Jump Master standing (more likely sitting in a vehicle) near where the first jumper is supposed to hit the ground. That individual is called the Drop Zone Safety Officer or DZSO.
After the jump I was visiting with the DZSO and she said something about me being the Static on the first 4 lifts. "You keep track of who's doing that?" I asked, "not really", she said "but I could hear your voice as you were yelling GO!" I was amazed. The aircraft is at 1500 feet above the ground and flying away from the DZSO with 2 turbine engines pulling it through the sky and about 100 mph and yet she could not only hear but identify my voice.
In John 10 the Bible says "The Shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won't follow a stranger's voice but will scatter because they aren't used to the sound of it."
A paratrooper literally places his life in the hands of his Jump Master team. He knows their voices and listens to and obeys, unquestioningly their commands. Jesus used the illustration of the Good Shepherd because that's what his audience knew and understood, but the truth is the same. If we learn to listen to His voice and follow His commands truly we will know that our trust is in the exact right place
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