From goarmy.com and Basic Airborne Course (BAC) website
Airborne School Information
Becoming a paratrooper at Airborne School is a unique experience requiring special dedication and a desire to be challenged mentally and physically. This three-week course, also known as Basic Airborne Course, teaches Soldiers the techniques involved in parachuting from airplanes and landing safely. The final test includes a non-assisted jump.
The purpose of the Basic Airborne Course is to qualify the volunteer in the use of the parachute as a means of combat deployment and to develop leadership, self-confidence, and an aggressive spirit through mental and physical conditioning.
Airborne Soldiers have a long and distinguished tradition of being an elite body of fighting men and women–people who have always set the example for determination and courage. When you volunteer for this training, you accept the challenge of continuing this tradition. The Airborne Soldiers of the past set high standards–it is now up to you to maintain them!
Airborne School is broken into three phases.
Ground Week
During Ground Week, you begin an intensive program of instruction to build individual airborne skills, which will prepare you to make a parachute jump, and land safely. You will train on the mock door, the 34-foot (10 m) tower, and the lateral drift apparatus (LDA). To go forward to Tower Training Week, you must individually qualify on the 34-foot (10 m) tower, the LDA, and pass all PT requirements.
Tower Week
The individual skills learned during Ground Week are refined during Tower Week and team effort or "mass exit" concept is added to the training. The apparatus used this week are the 34-foot towers, the swing landing trainer (SLT), the mock door for mass exit training, the suspended harness, and the 250-foot (76 m) free tower. Tower Week completes your individual skill training and builds team effort skills. To go forward to Jump Training Week, you must qualify on the SLT, master the mass exit procedures from the 34-foot (10 m) tower, and pass all PT requirements.
Jump Week
During Jump Week students must successfully complete five parachute jumps with the T-11 parachute at 1,250 feet from a C-130 or C-17 aircraft. Trainees must run to the airfield each day, conduct sustained airborne training, and then don their equipment and await their turn to jump. Prior to jumping their combat equipment each student will conduct a rigging exercise with their instructor to show them the proper rigging of their Airborne Combat Equipment. Generally, two of the jumps are "combat equipment jumps", in which the jumper carries a molle ruck with MAWC (Modular Airborne Weapons Case), and a dummy weapon. Three jumps are "Hollywood", in that the jumper only wears the parachute and reserve. The last jump will culminate combining the combat equipment with a night jump giving the student a complete understanding of a night combat equipment jump.
Graduation is normally conducted at 0900 during the summer months and 1100 during the winter months on Friday of Jump Week at the south end of Eubanks Field on the Airborne Walk. However, if weather or some other reason delays the scheduled jumps, graduation may be conducted on Fryar Drop Zone (DZ) one hour after the last jump hits the ground.
Guests and family members are welcome to observe all the jumps at Fryar Drop Zone, attend the graduation ceremony, and participate in awarding the wings to their paratrooper.
Fryar Field DZ is in Alabama on the Fort Benning Military Reservation. To get to Fryar Field DZ, visitors should drive to Lawson Army Airfield (LAAF). Drive to the right around LAAF. At the stop sign turn right and drive through the post gate, then turn left at the “T” intersection after crossing the Chattahoochee River. After about 5 miles turn right at the “T” intersection and you will be at the Drop Zone. Follow signs to the drop zone parking area. Following graduation, you are allowed to depart for leave, or your next duty assignment.