Leap Frogs

Article from AH, 1970:

A team of skydivers should have a name with zing to it, right?

So thought the frogmen who double as members of the U.S. Navy UDT/SEAL Exhibition Parachute Team.  They felt their team name lacked--well, something.

They decided to change it:

Frogmen.  Skydivers.
Skyfrogs
Sky.  Dive.
Fall.  Leap Frogs.
Leap Frogs.

That's how it went in the parachute loft at Coronado, CA, recently, and the Navy exhibition team will henceforth be known as the Leap Frogs.

Established in 1964, the parachute team has participated in skydiving demonstrations for military and civilian audiences, and has appeared with the Blue Angels flight demonstration team.

The free-fall parachutists practice and perform mainly during off-duty hours.  All are assigned regular duties with UDT and SEAL teams based at the Coronado amphibious base.

The skydivers begin at 12,500 feet or higher.  The free-fallers have colored smoke canisters attached to their feet so that spectators can follow their progress.  Individual movements can be seen through binoculars.

Here are three of the routines performed by the Leap Frogs during a typical demonstration:

Hare and Hound - Two jumpers leave the aircraft together.  One assumes a spread-eagle position and keeps his body more or less horizontal to the ground.  The other literally dives head down and reaches a speed of some 200 mph, or 90 mph faster than his partner.

Baton Pass - Two or three jumpers pass a baton back and forth while falling.

Star Track - Three jumpers join hands and fall together.  The two outside men track in opposite directions by cutting away at a 45-degree angle for about 10 seconds, and pull three-quarters of a mile away from the center mile.  The outside men then turn and track back, and, if there's still time, again join hands with the center man.

If wind conditions are ideal, chances are the skydivers will step down on their ground targets with pinpoint accuracy.