Sgt Niel Flanagan - Falcon 2

Niel was born in Burnley, Lancashire in May 1982 and joined the Air Force as a Physical Training Instructor (PTI) in Jul 2000. Once qualified, he completed tours at the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering Cosford, RAF Benson and the Falkland Islands before starting his Parachute Jumping Instructor (PJI) training in 2006. As a PJI he spent over 3 years in Military Training Flight (MTF) at RAF Brize Norton before being selected for duties as an RAF Falcon in Dec 2009.

Niel is married to Zoe and has 2 children, Edie and Oscar. His interests include supporting Burnley FC and taking part in most sports, especially football where he has represented Command and the RAF U25’s.

Sgt James Bruce - Falcon 3

James was born in Portsmouth in August 1984 and is the youngest member of the team. He was educated at The Blandford School before studying Sport Science at Weymouth College. He joined the RAF in 2003 as a Physical Training Instructor, completing tours at RAF Halton, RAF Benson and completed a detachment in Kosovo. He was selected for Parachute Jumping Instructor Duties in 2007. He initially served on MTF at RAF Brize Norton before being selected for duties as an RAF Falcon in Dec 2009. James enjoys all sports but mainly Snowbarding and Football where he has represented Command and the RAF U25s

Sgt Mark Clayton - Falcon 4

Mark was born in Norwich in February 1980 and educated at Eaton CNS where he studied A-Levels. Mark joined the RAF in Sep 1998 as a Physical Training Instructor and has completed tours at RAF Innsworth, Al Kharj, SHAPE, RAF Marham and JSSU (Cyp) Ayios Nikolaos. Mark was selected for Parachute Jumping Instructor duties in 2003 but returned to PTI duties soon after. In January 2008, Mark was posted to Brigade Parachute Squadron located at Wattisham Airfield working as a PJI for 16 Air Assault Brigade before being selected for duties as an RAF Falcon in Dec 2009 and is now beginning his second season with the team. He likes to keep himself fit and enjoys all sports, especially Snowboarding and Football.

Cpl James Dempsey - Safety Equipment Engineer

James was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire in 1982 and joined the RAF as a Survival Equipment Fitter straight from school in 1999. Having completed trade training at DCAE Cosford he was initially posted to 617 Sqn, The Dambusters at RAF Lossiemouth, with whom he served in Iraq twice. A 5 year posting to Northern Ireland followed by a short tour at RAF Marham, 2 years at Wattisham Airfield then saw James selected to support the RAF Falcons in 2009. James is an avid motorsport enthusiast and represents Combined Services in the World and British Rally Championship. He also spends a lot of his spare time cross-country and downhill mountain biking.