What's Harder - Airborne School or Air Assault School?

Sir, want a physically and mentally challenging course you say? What happens when Airborne and Air Assault Schools have a love child? Pathfinder School!

I went to Airborne school 1984.
it was tough as hell.. i was 19 and in shape then...

MAJ Milan George - Must have changed since I was a fricken BLACK HAT AT GROUND COMMITTE. Did they tear down the 34 foot towers as well? I used to throw 104 troops out a door per hour. Had to have X number of SATISFACTORY EXITS BEFORE PASSING THAT PHASE AND GOING TO TOWER WEEK.

Did you even go to jump school Major?

Been there, done that, still have the T-shirts. Airborne Department (Ground Committee) 1977.

CW5 Ranger Dave Why, yes I did attend Mr. Ranger Dave, and I went in this century. You do understand that things change, right? To answer your other question, yes the 34ft towers were still there, I said Ground Week was “mostly” PLF’s. We learned some harness and exit things but didn’t do it daily until he second week. Don’t live in the past, remember it but always move forward.

Yes, two 8-hour days of PLFs during ground week, in addition to learning how to don the harness and exiting the 34-foot tower, rigging the rucksack to your parachute harness, and recovery exercises. Currently here.

People fail airborne all the time. They get recycled, if they fall a second time, they're sent on to their units. They can come back, but only after they get more physically fit. There's tons of washouts. The rate is about 1/4-1/5 drop outs. Drop from two runs... You're out. Fail to put on the harness... You're out. If you self-select out, you can never go back. They keep a list of soldiers at the school who do. Maybe someone did when they were a private once, now they want to go back to do 'cool guy' stuff, but alas, they can't because of their earlier decision to self-select out.

Just because *you* don't hear about it, doesn't mean they don't happen.

Physically, airborne is tougher. Mentally, air assault is tougher.
I've been through both.

I've been to both, and would say they are equally challenging; however, jumping out of a plane is a completely different mind game than out of a helicopter. The only reason I think airborne has a higher success rate is due to the necessity of certain pipelines after completing the course. You don't need air assualt for any USASOC units.

I've been to both and have seen a lot of washouts in both. SSG Eashman, don't talk smack about another soldiers training until you have also completed it.

Over 100 people were dropped from my Airborne class for many different reasons.