Introduction

Display parachuting is one of the most difficult types of parachuting and requires hard work, a high level of skill and most importantly, trust in other Team Members and their equipment. This is why the RAF Falcons are Britain's premier Parachute Display Team.

Preparation

Approximately 2 hours before display, a detailed brief is given by the Team Coach on the type of display the Team are going to undertake. Many factors are taken into consideration such as the weather, wind direction and hazards on the drop zone. The weather plays an important factor as this can determine which one of the shows will take place. The Team will then perform whole demonstration on the ground from exit, freefall and canopy control to the landing pattern. A mental rehersal of the whole display known as the 'Dirt Dive'.

The Exit

10 Minutes before the jump, either the ramp at the rear of the aircraft or the side para doors of the C-130 are opened so the Team Coach can visually locate the drop zone, orientate himself and calculate the release point of the Team. If the cloud is particularly low, then the team will exit from the side para doors individually, but if the cloud base is high, the Team will exit off the ramp as a group or in pairs. 2 minutes before the exit the Team will practice their emergency drills in the unlikely event that they encounter any problems. The team then position themselves on the very edge of the ramp and await the light signals from the aircraft Captain. Red On, Green On, Go...

Freefall

Once the parachutists leave the aircraft they immediately begin the freefall phase of the display and within seconds they reach 'terminal velocity' - that's 120 mph, straight down!

Simply by altering their body position against the airflow, they can move around the sky with precision enabling them to group together and create formations. At a predetermined height and following a signal by the Team Coach, all the Team members make their way to the set up area and deploy their parachutes. Each member is responsible for deploying their own parachute by throwing a small drogue parachute into the air stream. This in turn pulls their main parachute out of its container.

Canopy Stacking

Once all the canopies are fully open, which normally takes about 4 seconds, the Team Coach will start to build the canopy stack from the bottom man upwards. The Team use square parachutes which have the potential forward speed of 25 mph and are steered using steering toggles - hence making them very manoeuvrable. All 9 parachutists then form their trademark 'non-contact' canopy stack approxinately 15 feet above the man below. The Team use a technique called 'risering' to maintain the correct distance between each other and follow the low man and the rest of the Team into the Drop Zone. For safety and visual effect during displays, each man will wear smoke canisters attached to their ankles which they operate manually on a radio call from the Team Coach. The bottom man on the stack is always the very experienced Team Coach who trails white smoke and the 8 men above him trail orange smoke.

Final Approach and Landing

The approach into a small landing area is difficult enough for one parachutist so with the addition of 8 others, all trying to land in quick succession, this proves to be the most challenging part of the display. In order not to compromise safety, the parachutists stay directly above each other until it is their turn to land. Turns are fast and furious and, working as a team, the RAF Falcons are renowned for their ability to land in confined spaces under immense pressure.

The Salute and Fly Past

Once all the Team members are down safely, the drop zone Safety Officer (DZSO) will radio the aircraft Captain and request a fly past. At this stage the Team will be working hard taking off all their ancillary equipment and putting on their berets. On a signal from the DZSO, the Team Coach will call for the RAF Falcons to form up. Once the Team has formed up, the DZSO will march out in front of the Team and salute as the C-130 Hercules flies overhead at heights of 250ft and at speeds of 280mph - the culmination of a spectacular show.