Fort Benning Airborne School Graduation: What Families Should Know

Three weeks, five jumps and a set of silver wings. Fort Benning is where Army paratroopers have trained since the first official American parachute jump there in 1940, and families come from all over the country to watch their Soldier earn those wings. Here's how to plan a trip around a schedule that depends on the weather.

How Airborne School works

The Basic Airborne Course runs three weeks:

• Ground Week: the basics of exiting an aircraft and landing safely.
• Tower Week: training from the towers, including mass exits from a 34-foot tower.
• Jump Week: five qualifying jumps from aircraft, one of them at night.

Families usually plan their trip around Jump Week, when the jumps and graduation happen.

Watching the jumps at Fryar Drop Zone

Families are welcome to watch Jump Week jumps at Fryar Drop Zone, a wide open field on the Fort Benning reservation on the Alabama side of the river. Seeing your Soldier come down under a canopy is something families talk about for years.

The catch: the jump schedule changes with the weather, the aircraft and the class. Check the Airborne School's official updates the morning you go, and plan on some waiting. Bring:

• Water and snacks
• Sunscreen and a hat, or rain gear
• Binoculars, if you have them
• Your physical ID and visitor pass

Graduation day and pinning wings

Graduation is normally on the Friday of Jump Week at the Airborne Walk, at the south end of Eubanks Field. Start times have changed with the season, so confirm the time that week. If weather pushes the last jumps back, graduation can be held at Fryar Drop Zone right after the final jump.

Family members can take part in pinning on the new wings, which is the moment most people make the trip for.

Get your visitor pass

Airborne School events use Fort Benning's special event pass. Adults without a military ID need one.

1. Look up the Airborne School code on Fort Benning's special events pass page.
2. Go to pass.aie.army.mil and choose Army, then Fort Benning, then Special Event.
3. Enter the code and follow the prompts.
4. Bring the same physical photo ID to the gate.

Build a cushion into your trip

Because weather can move both the jumps and graduation, it pays to book an extra night on either side. A house gives you room to wait it out: a kitchen, a pool and space for everyone, instead of a few hotel rooms down the hall from each other.

"The sparkling clear pool was definitely the highlight of our trip. We didn't plan many outings because the house had everything we needed."

Mallory, Nashville, Tennessee

Honor House

Columbus, Georgia, less than 10 minutes from Fort Benning

• 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, room for up to 14
• Private heated pool, open all year
• Game room, fire pit and fenced backyard
• Parking for 5 cars, washer and dryer
• Keyless check-in after 4 PM, handy when the schedule moves

Check your dates See the house

Booking direct on our site saves you 5%.

Make a weekend of it

• National Infantry Museum. Just outside the gate, no base pass needed, and a good way to spend a morning while you wait on the jump schedule.
• National Airborne Day. August 16 marks the first official American parachute jump, made at Fort Benning in 1940. In past years Fort Benning has marked the day with jump demonstrations and an Airborne graduation, so check the calendar if your Soldier finishes in August.
• The RiverWalk and Uptown Columbus. Easy walks along the Chattahoochee and good spots for a celebration dinner.

Frequently asked questions