Skydivers

Freefall parachuting – the beginnings, 1954

“Although ad-hoc delayed opening descents had been made at PTS with manually operated parachutes in the early 1950’s, (a flavour of which can be found in this fascinating narrative from John Saxby, OC 2 PTS in 1947:

“- it seems a long time ago when Stannard and I tried out a free fall from 10,000 feet at Aqir in Palestine in 1947 using wrist watches. I was about to hand over command of No 2 PTS and proceed on demobilisation and it seemed a jolly end to my RAF career. Group Captain Geoffrey Wood was the Station Commander and took a bit of persuading. Before I left Stannard and I took a Dakota up to 10,000 feet over the station, Aqir – bloody cold – to let them all see what a drop looked like. Our usual DZ was Yibna some miles away. At 1000 feet as I remember the school instructors did a demonstration jump with Statichutes as usual, and at 10,000 feet Stannard and I baled out wearing standard Pilot Type parachutes. I spent a lot of the previous night trying to be sure that my maths was right – 120mph = feet per second ??? = how long dare I wait ??? We used our wrist watches to time the drop before pulling the release. Knowing no better I adopted the standard exit position and reached TV in that position – surprised to feel myself ‘standing’ in the air with the wind whistling past but no feeling of falling – how naive we were. But then I began to tumble and was sick, remembering to keep my boots out of the way! Finally I saw Stannard’s parachute deploy and decided to rely on his maths and deployed my own”)

… the first formal recognition occurred when Sir Raymond Quilter, co-founder of GQ Parachute Company, approached No 1 PTS in 1954 asking for jumpers to train for the forthcoming World Parachute Championships. After four weeks training (from scratch!) in basic freefall techniques six instructors were selected for the British team at this second WPC which was to be held at the former French National Parachute Centre, St. Yan, (Saône-et-Loire). They were Flt Lt Doddy Hay, Sgts Alf Card, Danny Sutton, Timber Wood, Norman Hoffman and Tommy Moloney (Below)

BRIT TEAM 1954 — 2nd WPC. Dumbo Willans, Arthur Harrison,Tommy Moloney, Norman Hoffman, Alf Card, Timber Woods, Doddy Hay and Danny Sutton

Alf Card logbook – freefall training 1954

ALF CARD LOGBOOK 1954 — Logbook extract courtesy Graeme Card

BRIT TEAM 1954 ST YAN SS — British Team at St Yan

SINGLE BLANK ss — GQ Single blank gore canopy used by the British team

At this competition the British team were the only jumpers using a ‘steerable’ canopy, as above. The positioning of the blank gore was designed to reduce forward right drift on landing, and was quickly seen as totally unsuitable as an accuracy canopy. Subsequent versions – used up to 1961 at PTS – had the single blank positioned in the rear.

ALF COMP LICENCE ss — Alf Card Competitor licence

The team returned from France without any medals, but having gained valuable experience in terms of freefall techniques, canopy handling and free fall equipment. Disappointment ensued as the then PTS establishment showed little interest in developing these new ideas, it being felt that there was no requirement for freefall jumping in the Service. The parachutes were returned to GQ, and the cadre dissolved. Only two men had other ideas, which they were determined to put into practice.The prime movers in taking freefall jumping forward at PTS were Alf Card and Norman Hoffman. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ obituaries/1443195/Norman-Hoffman.html.”

NORMAN WESTON (IRELAND) — Norman Hoffman

On their own initiative, Alf and Norman formed a weekend group operating at Weston using the 47 Squadron Flying Club Tiger Moth as the sole jump aircraft.

47 SQN TIGER MOTH — Tiger at RAF Abingdon. Gerry Schellong second left

The pilot was Master Signaller Gerry Schellong, a Czech national, who had survived Russian internment, then escaped from occupied Czechoslovakia to serve in the RAF as a fighter pilot during WW2. The fledgling club attracted a lot of interest, mainly from the younger staff members, although the number of parachutes available was limited, as was jump altitude. Most unfortunately this venture survived only for a few months before they had a fatality and the club was forced to close. The jumper was ex Flight Lieutenant Neil Perry, recently retired as a PJI. He over-delayed from 2500 feet, pulling at about three hundred, with the inevitable consequences. Progress stagnated until 1959 when Alf started an operation at Kidlington airfield with Keith Teesdale and Pete Denley. Alf stored the parachutes in the coal shed of his Married Quarter.

(Brevet pp.10-12)

At about the same time, Norman formed the British Skydivers with jumpers from Boscombe Down operating out of Thruxton.

3.BRITISH SKYDIVERS THRUXTON. c1959jpg — British Skydivers Demo Team Thruxton 1959. l-r Norman Hoffman, Jake McLouglin, Dennis Lee, Geordie Charlton, Mike McArdle

4. BRITISH SKYDIVERS. RAPIDE EMPLANEjpg — British Skydivers Team emplane in the De Havilland Rapide: Hoffman, McArdle, Lee, Charlton, McLoughlin

No 1 PTS continued to provide jumpers for following WPCs in 1958 (Czechoslovakia) and 1960 (Bulgaria).

1958 ss copy — 4th WPC. Jake McLoughlin, then at Boscombe Down, on the right. Photo from Mike Reilly “Alone in the Sky” 1963

BULGARIA ZOOM — British Team 5th WPC Sofia, Bulgaria 1960. Peter Hearn, Geordie Charlton, Mike Reilly, Italian competitor, **Alf Card,** Dennis Lee. Photo courtesy Peter Hearn

HANGAR PACK ss — Self, C Hangar repack job 1962

C9 TU ss — My USA military surplus C9 canopy modified to a 5-gore TU configuration

During this whole period, as mentioned above, in parallel with our work at PTS, Norman Hoffman had formed his own Display Team, the British Skydivers, operating under BPA regulations. Norman, Jake, Tommy, Geordie Charlton and I were jumping each free weekend and competing in the annual National Championships with some success and representing Great Britain at World and International Championships from 1961 onwards. In June of that year we entered a junior and a senior team in the International European Championships at Leutkirch in Allgau in southern Germany. Dave Francombe and myself were in the junior team, with John Thirtle and Jake McLoughlin in the seniors.

SENIORS ss — Seniors: **John Thirtle,** Les Howe, **Jake McLoughlin**

JUNIORS ss — Juniors: Jeremy Johnson, **Self, Dave Francombe**

JT H34.ssjpg — John Thirtle pre-emplane H34

KOHNKE ss enh — Windspringer (Drifter) Leutkirch 1961 with Kohnke triangular canopy

The following year, June 1963, Norman Hoffman, Geordie Charlton and myself again represented Great Britain in the European competition at the same venue, and took gold medals in the team event, against strong opposition including the US Army team, the Golden Knights.

COMP ss

1963 medals

On our return to Abingdon, we were summoned to the OC’s office, presumably to receive official congratulations. Wrong. In company with Jake and Snowy, we were summarily given to understand that we would all be posted off PTS at the first available opportunity, the reason given being that, in the opinion of the OC, we had been around the Parachute Training School for long enough. Wing Commander Bernard F. Stannard was undeniably the boss and, by the end of the year, Norman had gone to Kenya, Geordie to Aldershot, Jake and Snowy to Singapore and I was on my way to Cyprus. With Peter Hearn also posted to Singapore, and Tommy commissioned into the RAF Regiment, the diaspora of the sport jumpers from the hangar was complete…

… Meanwhile, pace the OC, at PTS all our sporting initiatives had not been in vain. Moves were underway to create an official RAF Abingdon Sport Parachute Club, presumably on the premise that if you can’t beat them, join them. Under the chairmanship of Squadron Leader Mike Stamford this Club came into being in August at Weston on the Green.We had taken delivery of a de Havilland DH89 Dominie trainer from the Royal Naval Air Service, at a cost of £400. 00. This princely sum included numerous spares, including two extra engines. On 28th August 1963, with Mike Stamford running the programme we flew three inaugural lifts, two at 5,000 feet and a final lift to 7,000 feet. Jumpers were Norman Hoffman, Tommy Moloney, Jake McLoughlin, Geordie Charlton, Robbie Robertson (“Big Rab”, not Snowy) Mike Stamford and myself. Our pilot for the day was 47 Squadron Beverley captain Flight Lieutenant Crawley. The RAF Abingdon Sport Parachute Club, later to become the Royal Air Force Sport Parachute Association, was born.

(Brevet pp 54-55)

2.RAFSPA 1964 G-ASFC — RAF Sport Parachute Club 1964. Back row l-r: Brian Jones, Mike Stamford, Robbie Robertson,Norman Hoffman, Pilot Gerry Schellong. Kneeling front: Geordie Charlton, Brian Clarke-Sutton, Dave Francombe, Tommy Moloney

: British National Champions 1964. Geordie Charlton, Norman Hoffman, Gerry Schellong, Brian Clarke-Sutton, Tommy Moloney

CISM Inaugural Parachute Event 15-23 June 1964 PAU

CISM enh ss

CISM 1964 ss — PTS Instructors Brian Clarke-Sutton, Tommy Moloney, Norman Hoffman, John Thirtle, Geordie Charlton

Screen Shot 2019-02-26 at 15.25.13 — TU Canopy

CISM 1954 HODs ss — Heads of Delegation. John Thirtle middle row third right

Fast forward 1968

British National Championships Netheravon 1968

NATIONALS RESULTS 1968 — BPA Magazine August 1968

9th World Parachute Championships Austria 1968

GEORDIE RAPIDE — Geordie Charlton Weston 1968

WPC RAPA TRAINING 1968 — Team training Rhine Army Parachute Centre Bad Lippspringe August 1968. Ken Mapplebeck, Geordie Charlton, Self

World Parachute Championships poster

GEORDIE CHARLTON — Geordie reaching for the disc

AUGUST BRONZE 1968 — First British medals at a WPC – Team Accuracy

2014 — 46 years on. Photo courtesy Paul Charlton

CLOSING BANQUET - STYRIA copy — Styrian Landscape

We returned to the crew room after a few days off, with a sense of déjà vu. Life continued at PTS and, medals or no medals, the main task remained. The team split up, Geordie was scheduled for Hereford, and Ken went to Cyprus; whilst I, having been promoted at the beginning of July, was back on the floor as a Syndicate Flight Sergeant. I would rate 1967–68 as the most intensive period of jumping of my career; in all I made over six hundred descents, a respectable number for that era. I would also rate Geordie and Ken as the best two individual competitors the School has ever produced. Geordie represented Great Britain at four World Championships, Ken at three. Both possessed a fiercely competitive instinct and it would be invidious to separate them in terms of ability. Suffice it to say we enjoyed an unforgettable two years together, and that Ken and I would continue to work together in the international arena for many more.

(Brevet p.92)

British National Championships Netheravon 1969

RAFSPA NETHERAVON 1969 — RAFSPA Overall Team Winners: Bob Swainson, Tony Born, Tony Dale, John Robinson, RAF Abingdon Station Commander Gp.Capt. Thompson, Mike Deakin, Self

RAFSPA 1972 – 1977

When we returned to Abingdon after the Falcons final Hongkong demos, the boss called me into his office…. Peter Hearn asked me to work full time at Weston to expand and upgrade the weekend Royal Air Force Sport Parachute Club into a full time Centre. This was a dream job indeed. We were now to run parachute courses for service personnel under the auspices of the new Adventure Training Scheme, with the following remit:

“The aim of Adventure Training courses is to provide an opportunity for personnel to participate in adventurous activities which are challenging and involve controlled exposure to risk. The training is designed to develop many of the personal attributes and skills vital to operational capability, including leadership, teamwork, physical fitness, self-reliance, physical and moral courage, initiative and determination. This aim will be met through the medium of training in basic static line and freefall parachuting. ”

All the basic facilities were of course already in place; now the Club was to be expanded into a full time Association. The directing staff were Flight Lieutenant Peter Burgess, OC Weston, as Association Secretary, and Flying Officer Peter Smout as officer in charge. Snowy Robertson and myself were to provide the experience and freefall expertise. I handed over the Falcons to Andy Sweeney, put on my tracksuit, and headed for Weston…

(Brevet p.138)

WOTG 1976 ss — Weston-on-the-Green Dropzone

RAPIDE 1972 — RAFSPA jumpship DH89A Dragon Rapide 1972. Photos Mike Hand

KEN WESTON ss — Ken Mapplebeck briefing, with Terry Cooke

TERRY COOK WESTON ss — Terry Cooke, landing training

NATS POSTER ss2 — British National Championships Weston

GERRY SCREENSHOT — RAFSPA pilot Gerry Schellong receiving presentation from Air Marshal Fred Sowery 1972

RAFSPA jumpers at 11th World Parachute Championships Talequah Oklahoma 1972

KEN RAEFORD SS — Ken Mapplebeck Cessna exit in training at Raeford N.C.

TALEQUAH 1972 — Rear: Brian Standring, John Kemley **Ken Mapplebeck,** John Meacock. Front: Bob King, **Alan ‘Doc” Johnson Head of Delegation,** **Self,** Dave Savage

11th WPC TALEQUAH TEAM — Brit Team Talequah. Rear: **Self** , Dave Savage, **Ken Mapplebeck,** John Meacock, Bob King. Kneeling: Brian Standring, Sheila Luker, John Kemley

Weston Club jumpers

HARPER ET AL ss — Weston jumpers *circa* 1973 – Mick Skinner, Unknown visitor, Paddy Byrne, Mike Hand

M H PAPILLON ss — Mike Hand on Papillon canopy.

STUDENT LAND ss — Student on C9 LL canopy

Blue Peter visit Weston 1973. Bob Souter on cine, Ray Willis still camera. Photos courtesy Ray Willis

SOUTER AND NOAKES — Bob Souter with Blue Peter John Noakes 1973

RAY WILLIS 35mm NIKON — Ray Willis with 35mm Nikon

RAFSPA Robins Display Team 1973

Robins 1972 — *RAFSPA Robins Demo Team, Abingdon March 1973: Self, Ken Mapplebeck, Harry Parkinson, Peter Hearn, Peter Smout, Graham Pierce*

JOHN STAPPARD — Abingdon Airfield with pilot John Stappard

ME AND BOSS — *With Peter Hearn over RAF Abingdon 8 March 1973. Photo Ray Willis*

PLANEpg — Mk 1 Paraplane over Abingdon Airfield March 1973. Photo by the author

Visit of 38 Group AOC Sir Denis Crowley Milling to Weston May 1973

1973 AM CROWLEY MILLING. BREVET P148JPG — Left to right: Pete Smout, Self, Graham Pierce, Dave Bennett, Sir Denis, Ken Mapplebeck

RAFSPA 1975 – 1977

March 1975 saw the introduction of our new jumpship – a five place Cessna 206, registered G-ASVN. This aircraft was the replacement for our Rapide, which had been sold. When the Cessna arrived, concurrently, and to his vast disappointment, Gerry Schellong had been deemed redundant. He retired from parachute flying and concentrated on his equally beloved garden. A true legend, covering two decades of Sport parachuting, no account of the period would be complete without acknowledging the sheer enthusiasm, unstinting support and professional expertise which Gerry Schellong rendered to RAFSPA. He was simply one of the very best.

(Brevet pp. 151-2)

RAPIDE:SCHELLONG ss — Gerry Schellong 1972

Farewell to the Rapide. Belfast Hangar Abingdon Feb/March 1975

RAPIDE BELFASR HANGAR ss — Engineer, Pete Smout, John Mace, Unknown, Stn. Cdr. Gp. Capt. G M Maloney, OC PTS Brian White, Keith Field (Pilot), OIC ATF Dave Stillman, Ken Mapplebeck, Joe France, Engineer

Hail to the Cessna. Weston March 1975

206 ARRIVAL WESTON ss — Unknown, Dave Stillman, Unknown, Keith Field, Stn. Cdr., Brian White, Bob Souter, Joe France, Ken Mapplebeck, Snowy Robertson. Both photographs courtesy Dave Stillman

G-ASVN — New RAFSA jumpship. Photo Mike Hand

… At Weston we continued to be occupied with competition training, and it was encouraging to see the emergence of new Classic competitors from our Club jumpers. Prominent were Peter Dowling, a solicitor, based in Reading and Paddy Byrne, a Junior Tech based at RAF Benson; Paddy went on to make the National team at the Zagreb WPC three years later. Mike Hand, although not a competitor, was an ever-present on the scene and a very useful air-to-air photographer to boot. In August we hosted the Nationals at Weston for the fourth year in succession. Our best result was that of Ken, who took second place in Style, whilst RAFSPA took second place in Team Accuracy behind the Duck End team starring Bob Hiatt and Bob King. Top jumpers at this Meet were established as John Meacock, Ken Mapplebeck, Scotty Milne, Bob Hiatt and Bob King. All five were all to continue to figure prominently at future World Championships. Although not directly within my remit, PJIs Ray Willis, Bob Souter, Joe France, Ty Barraclough and Henry MacDonald won the National 4-Way event at Dunkeswell and represented Great Britain at the first World Relative Work (Formation Skydiving) Championships in Germany.

87 PADDY BYRNE EXIT 1975 copy — Paddy Byrne Cessna Exit

PADDY BYRNE — Note stopwatch as sole instrument. Photos Mike Hand

… The Cessna came back on line in September and the following month we were visited by the Air Officer Commanding in Chief Strike Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Denis Smallwood. The Weston cloud base was about fifteen hundred feet solid; nonetheless the AOC expressed a wish to fly the 206 on a live sortie. Squadron Leader Fred Marshall (OC Advanced Training Squadron) volunteered to accompany me in the back. We threw a WDI below the cloud, then climbed and ran in toward the bottom end of the DZ at three thousand feet above the white shining carpet. I could see nothing at all. The AOC glanced back over his shoulder seeking enlightenment and, not wishing to disappoint him, I gave him a confident five right correction. A momentary gap revealed we were right above the turkey farm, very deep, so I gave the cut, hopped out and pulled high on five seconds. I came out of the cloud, fortuitously set up for the cross in front of the control tower, and touched down right on target. Fred Marshal followed close behind, and we were both standing in front of the tower as the AOC landed and taxied over. We naturally congratulated him on his excellent run in and everyone was happy, OC PTS Brian White in particular.

(Brevet pp.171-172)