BILOXI, Miss– This weekend, Keesler Air Force Base will open its doors to the public for an open house and a thrilling show.
March 28th and 29th the base will be open to the public so all can come and see the aircraft, the base, and pulse-racing show with the U.S. Army Golden Knights Precision Parachuting team.
“We’ll all exit the aircraft, with smoke on our left boot heel,” says Staff Sergeant Jimmy Hacket, “we’ll form shapes and you’ll be able to see it from the ground.”
The Golden Knights perform about 52 shows a year and each one is just as thrilling–and dangerous–as the next.
“We train with top safety in mind,” says Sergeant Hacket. Even with that safety in mind, hearing the sergeant describe the jumps sounds pretty risky.
“Two jumpers will exit the plane, and move about a mile and a half from each other,” says Sergeant Hacket, “then they’ll turn and fly towards each other at a combined closing speed of over 300 miles per hour.”
Keesler’s gates will open both Saturday and Sunday at 9am with shows starting at 9:45. Parking and entrance information is available on the Keesler Air Force Base website.
