Standing In The Door

News and Weather For The Quad Cities -

Twenty one year old Sam Larson of Davenport says it is the greatest leadership opportunity he has ever had. 

 Air Force Cadet First Class Larson says there is something he loves about being in the sky.

Larson is the Demonstration Commander of the Wings of Blue, an Air Force Parachute Team.

He helps to train fellow cadets how to jump, free fall, and parachute from thousands of feet above the ground.

The training can be intense. Cadets perform their first jump all by themselves.

Commander Larson has more than 400 jumps.

Standing In The Door is that moment, Larson says, when the wind is rushing by. The noise is loud. Cadets are in an environment where they have never been before.

They take a leap out of their comfort zone, relying on their training and their parachutes to complete a successful jump.

The cadets get lessons in experience and leadership. They develop trust and teamwork.

Larson’s team is a demo team. The members jump at air shows, and later this year hope to perform at college and pro football games.

Larson’s goal is to become a fighter pilot. During summer break, he works on getting his private pilot’s license.

Since his teenage years, he has photographed planes and pilots at several major air shows in the Midwest.

A young man who has earned his Wings of Blue. The commander of a military parachute team.

Air Force Cadet First Class Larson and The Wings of Blue will perform at a show in Dayton, Ohio on June 28th and 29th.

Source: http://www.kwqc.com