The Navy Parachute team, the "Leap Frogs", will make a demonstration on jump here today, Friday, Feb. 23, before the Key West High School baseball game. The jump will be at Rex Weech Field on Kennedy Drive at 14th Street, at 7 p.m.
The Navy Parachute team is a 15-man team comprised of U.S. Navy SEALS or Sea Air Land commandos. Each member comes to the team for a three year tour from one of the two naval Special Warfare groups located on the East and West Coast. Upon completion of their tour, members then return to the SEAL Teams. The Navy Parachute Team originated in 1969 when SEALS and Frogmen (Underwater Demolition Team members) volunteered to perform at air shows on the weekends.
The team was officially commissioned as the Navy Parachute Team "The Leap Frogs" in 1974 by the Chief of Naval Operations as a means of spotlighting Navy excellence throughout the United States. The "Leap Frogs" primary mission is to support Navy recruiting and promote the Naval Special Warfare Community to the American Public.
The "Leap Frogs" typical performance consists of 14 jumpers leaping out of an aircraft at an altitude of 13,000 feet. During the free fall, jumpers reach speeds of 120 miles per hour and can accelerate up to 180 mph by pulling their arms to their sides and straightening their legs in to what is called a "Track."
The jumpers open their parachutes by releasing a smaller pilot chute in the relative wind which deploys their main blue and gold canopy, normally about 5,000 feet. After opening, the "Leap Frogs" will fly their canopies together to build some dramatic Canopy Relative Work (CRW) formations. Some of the exciting formations the "Leap Frogs" are famous for include downplanes, sideplanes, dragplanes, diamonds, big stacks, tri-by-sides and T formations.
The "Leap Frogs" are the only demonstration parachute team in the world that can execute the quad-by-side formation.
Following the performance, the "Leap Frogs" enjoy making themselves available to the public for autographs and to answer any questions about the Navy or the Navy Special Warfare Community.