Soldiers in the air mobile 1st Cav were expected to be able to rappel out of a hovering helicopter and this exercise was meant to qualify us for that maneuver.

Looking over the edge of the tower was scary as hell, but once I took the leap it was actually fun. Of course, they wouldn't let us back in line for a second trip down the rope.

The only soldiers I saw actually using this skill, were combat engineers rappelling into the jungle with their chainsaws to make an LZ.
GPS