Air Assault School

United States Army Air Assault School (Sabalauski Air Assault School)
US Army Air Assault School fast-rope insertion training
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Army
Insignia
Headgear worn by special skills instructors, known as "Black Hats"
Air Assault Badge awarded at graduation

The United States Army Air Assault School, officially the Sabalauski Air Assault School (TSAAS), is a FORSCOM TDA unit located at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Its primary task is training leaders and soldiers assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (AASLT), other United States Army units and United States Armed Forces service members in several courses annually. The school is named for Command Sergeant Major Walter James Sabalauski. Air Assault School is known as the ten toughest days in the United States Army and the dropout rate is around 50 percent. Approximately 15 percent of the class does not make it through the challenging Zero day which includes the impressive and demanding obstacle course. An average of approximately 30-40 students fail the course of those who make it past "Zero" day. Of those who fail after Zero day, many typically don't make it through the sling load testing in phase two.

Air Assault School qualifies soldiers to conduct airmobile and air assault helicopter operations, to include aircraft orientation, slingload operations, proper rappelling techniques and fast-rope techniques. The school itself is 10 days of rigorous, fast paced training. The high standards of the school require the student to take part in a 19 km (12-mile) march with rucksack in under three hours on the morning of graduation to be awarded their wings.

The original school is located at Fort Campbell, Kentucky (home of the 101st Airborne Division). There are also or have been schools at Fort Rucker, Alabama; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Fort Hood, Texas; Camp Blanding, Florida; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Ord, California; Fort Richardson, Alaska; Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, and West Point, New York. Instructors at the course are referred to as Air Assault Sergeants. It is open to both males and females. The school is composed of learning helicopter insertion techniques, pathfinder operations, sling load operations as well as rappelling from buildings, cliffs and helicopters. Each day begins with rigorous physical training that includes unit runs from 3.2 to 8 km (2 to 5 miles). Attention to detail and tedious packing lists, the contents of which you carry in a 16 kg (35-pound) ruck sack daily, are also the order of the day; one missing item from these lists or failing any task from any phase of the course, could cause the student to be dropped from the school immediately.