Free-Fall Training Facility Named For Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

The U.S. Army has dedicated a new vertical wind tunnel that will be used by soldiers to train for free-fall parachuting missions.

The facility is located at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. According to a report in the Yuma Sun, the vertical wind tunnel has been named in honor of Master Sgt. George Bannar, who had been in charge of the Military Freefall School between 2009 and 2012. Bannar was killed in action recently on a deployment to Afghanistan.

The wind tunnel has been under construction for more than a year at a cost of about $10 million. It is 75 feet tall and extends 20 feet underground with flight chamber that is 48 feet high and 16.5 feet wide. The Army says the trainer is the largest in the world. As many as eight skydivers in full gear are able to use the wind tunnel simultaneously, according to the Army.

Col. Miguel Correa, commander of the 1st Special Warfare Training Group, said training in such a facility has a number of advantages, among them a much lower possibility of serious or fatal injury during training, as well as greatly reduced costs, as an airplane is not required.

The facility has the capacity to train more than 1,500 students and visiting parachutists per year, according to the Army.

FMI: www.army.mil