Pathfinders learn DZ procedures

By Lori EganFebruary 3, 2015

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The Fort Benning Pathfinder Course teaches service members how to navigate dismounted, establish and operate a day and night helicopter landing zone and establish and operate day and night parachute drop zones. At Arkman Drop Zone, cadre pop smoke ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BENNING, Ga., (Feb. 4, 2015) -- The pathfinder's function is to "light the way" for Airborne troops and to guide aircraft to the drop zone.

More than 20 pathfinder candidates tested their ability to do so in one of the last graded exercises of the three-week course Jan. 22. Although students don't have to be Airborne qualified to attend the course that explains acronyms like CARP, GMRS and VIRS (see above), those who aren't, do not participate in jumps, which is what the students did before directing Black Hawk helicopters to Arkman Drop Zone.

Everyone who is Airborne qualified goes through a refresher course regardless of their jump status, said Tech. Sgt. Bertrand Fitzpatrick, a pathfinder instructor with 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

The 23 pathfinders who graduated Jan. 23 jumped with an MC-6 parachute, which is a steerable parachute, said Master Sgt. Nathan Bryant, Pathfinder senior instructor and jumpmaster master trainer.

After the students went through the jumpmaster preinspection, while waiting for the helicopters' arrival, they practiced the VIRS transmission.

Company commander Capt. Jesse Sheehan said for this exercise the helicopters were flying at a speed of 70 knots at an altitude of 1,500 feet. And Bryant said the drop zone was set up with a code letter, set up point and release point. The equation to figure out the set up point for the student to direct aircraft from and release point where students exit the helicopter is: distance = K (constant) x A (altitude) x V (velocity of the winds), which determines the meters of drift.

And this makes sense because during the first week, students are taught sling loads, air traffic control, map marking, helicopter landing zones, air assault planning and pathfinder employment, Bryant said. Tests include sling load nomenclature, a written examination and sling load hands-on evaluation. The second week consists of air traffic control, map marking, helicopter landing zones, air assault planning, more pathfinder employment and learning about drop zones. Week three begins with the drop zone written examination and concludes with a graded field training exercise that includes a graded VIRS paratrooper drop where the students exit fellow students from a rotary wing aircraft.

Staff Sgt. Taylor Godbey, a jumpmaster instructor with 1st Bn., 507th PIR, said the Pathfinder course is more difficult compared to the jumpmaster course because Pathfinder has a lot of information to memorize with more class work.

"I've always been in Airborne units so I'm more familiar with jumpmaster tasks, but there isn't a lot of practical exercise for pathfinders before the course."