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A friend of a friend, flying Meteors, wrote "Dig Here" on the top of his helmet.

Impressive BOAC.

Where is ALC? He is one of these nutters - big time.

Drop pilot for many years including a season with the Falcons. i remember my first drop (check ride) if that counts. Dropped the guy right in front of the club house where his fiance was standing but he wasn't. 'Strawberry jam' as they say in the trade. My check pilot never dropped again.

Me, 'jump', must be bloody joking I am also of the 'only if on fire school'. Even total engine failure I'd prefer the big glider option. Seen too many accidents.

Always amusing, when carrying the Bad Lippspringe jumpers in the Islander and having to land back 'loaded' due to the wind being too strong to drop.

The looks of terror in their faces at having to arrive on the land in an aeroplane! (Mind you. not dissimilar to some of my co-pilots when I was landing...)

Boac wrote:Always amusing, when carrying the Bad Lippspringe jumpers in the Islander and having to land back 'loaded' due to the wind being too strong to drop.

The looks of terror in their faces at having to arrive on the land in an aeroplane! (Mind you. not dissimilar to some of my co-pilots when I was landing...)

Absolutely BOAC. Have had the same situation. Some of these nutters have never actually experienced landing in an aircraft.

Still no comments from ALC but from a PM we understand he is in transit from his flying day job to his brewrey/pub night job.

Me flying nutters. Sorry about the photo quality. There is a sheet of plastic stuck to it.

The only aircraft I have ever flown with delivery hours on it. It was pristine until the girls and boys got their filthy boots all over it.

Edited to add. Forgot I was on 'er computer Mine in for repair. Ex-Ascot.

How the mighty have fallen - from a shiny ten to a couple of squirrels, via a BN2A. Sad.

Alison

Yes, but more fun.

Quite, that was why I flew it and the piston G-DIVE and our C206 G-SKYE.

When I joined the airline I was operating the largest jet engine at the time on the A300-600R and at weekends the smallest on the BN2T. The latter was far more fun. The pay was not!

Exhilaration and adrenalin. Couldn't wait to get out the door and could barely contain myself once down in order to do it again.

A bit back in the stick and the blokes in front of me were in serious danger of being trampled in my eagerness to go when they opened the door.

First jump was on a civvy AFF course - you have your own chute, jumping with 2 instructors, from 15,000 ft. Remember not enjoying having to hold on to the outside of the aircraft for what seemed like ages, I was afraid of heights at the time (used to get dizzy & scared at anything above 15 feet up). The first 4 seconds or so of freefall was also unpleasant, not enough stability or airflow for control, and being ballistic next to others is something fighter pilots really don't like. After that it settled down, then after about 20 seconds of freefall I was enjoying myself. We all pulled at about 6,000 ft (in case I f#cked up), and the long descent under parachute was the best bit of the first jump. The landing was, well, landing number 1,500-odd. Just like landing anything else.
Once I got over my fear of heights (around jump #7), and got used to the ballistic bit, it was magical. I love falling on my back, hands behind my head, just looking up at the sky. Occasionally twisting a foot to induce a gentle rotation.

Meanwhile the Emile Celliers attempted murder case continues its tangled way through the courts here in the UK.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/emile ... 90956.html

Caco

I remember a couple of things vividly from me first jump.

First was how much the view out the aircrafts door in flight differed from the view out of the mock up in the hangar that we'd practised leaping from.

Second was the feeling of immense joy when the thing opened thus ensuring continued life.

Seen quite a few stunts but this is a good one.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -Alps.html

Gulp! What can you say? Certainly a 'one-way ticket' if the suit had been damaged.

Towards the end of our time at Dartmouth as Naval Air Cadets a few of us volunteered to do a parachuting course whilst we waited for our flying training to start. We were just about to begin and were told we couldn't do it as we were potential aircrew and if we were injured it would screw up our training.....

One of my course mates was no.1000 Martin Baker ejectee - from a Sea Vixen over Dartmoor - and the numbers are now up over 6000.

"and the numbers are now up over 6000." - over 7500 now.

I guess that using a parachute attached to an Martin Baker finest product it has to be one of the experience nobody wants to leave yet he/she is glad he/she did. I am not sure I would like to be in this club.

Yes, I can assure you that when the gale force wind and trashing around of my head, arms and legs stopped and I looked up to see a red and white canopy opening and then looked down to see the trees 40 feet below.....................

Yes, I am very grateful to MB.

Two of my ex-drinking acquaintances work for Martin Baker. Lovely blokes but two of the most eccentric Englishmen you could ever hope to meet.

I think the most extraordinary escape from an aircraft that was filmed in recent years was this one at Duxford not so long ago.

[bbvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xctYWSuwoYA[/bbvideo]

The chute opened at +- 300 feet.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... tage-plane

Ze perfidious Frenchman didn't even apologise!

Caco

They built the Douglas A-1 Skyraider strong!





Caco