Letter of the Month

摘要

Features contained in the pages of the September 2015 issue set the memory bells ringing for me on two counts. The excellent Argosy 'Database' made mention of the Benson-based squadrons frequently dropping the Falcons, and I happened to be in the back of XP443 on the occasion when the RAF free-fall parachute team was displaying at the 1968 Biggin Hill Air Fair. In the accompanying image the leader of the Falcons that year, Pit Off Greenland, can be seen making his exit amidst the smoke and sparks. This was the event where, on landing, his canopy famously wrapped itself around the propeller blades of P-51 Mustang N6356T; he was very fortunate to escape serious injury. The Islander at 50 article served as a reminder of a flight to Bembridge, also in 1968. The RAF Sport Parachute Association was considering replacing its Dragon Rapide, G-AGSH, so we took the biplane down to the Britten-Norman factory for a visit. This was in January, and, as I recall, Wellington boots would have been more suitable footwear given the conditions we experienced on arrival. The RAFSPA didn't go ahead at the time, but the Army's Red Devils did.