Helmet Parachutists, RAF instructors display team helmet
For some reason I was sure it said instructors on the label, but it did not, it says;
at the top it says Contract number K/A66a/682, then below it has Parachute Helmet, then size 7&1/4, then Helmets LTD, WD arrow.
It is identical to James’s para instructors helmet, same maker I think (as only one maker made these or so I was told), and it must be early as it only has the size in Imperial, though I do not know what was on James’s examples label, except it was 1971 dated but I do not know the sizing on his, perhaps he can show the label in his sometime.
I know this is an instructors helmet as I have his PJI wings, two sets of them. Also, these orange tape covered lids were the trademark of the RAF Falcons parachute display team which was formed in 1961, two years before the Army Red Devils parachute display team which was formed in 1963.
https://www.raf.mod.uk/falcons/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Falcons
The Falcons are still in existence today and are based at RAF Brize Norton and were formed from a team of six parachute jump instructors, the original team known as the big six because all were rather short.
The RAF Falcons have enjoyed a long and distinguished history as one of the premier display teams in the world. The team was originally formed in 1961 by six instructors from the Parachute Training School at RAF Abingdon: Flt Lt Hearn, Flt Lt Thirtle, FS Moloney, Sgt Peacock, Sgt Robertson, Sgt Mcloughlin.
The team were nicknamed The Big 6 as most of the members were shorter than 5 ft 6 in! The team trialled different ways of exiting the aircraft, initially jumping from the Blackburn, Beverley and Hastings aircraft. The Big 6 made their debut display at the Farnborough Air Show in 1961.
The displays performed by The Big 6 made them an immediate hit with the public. The demands became so overwhelming that in 1965 it was decided to increase the size of the team to twelve men. At this point the team was renamed the RAF Falcons, taking the name from a bird of prey which represented their displays; swift, swooping, elegant and aerobatic in flight. Within two years of the birth of the Falcons they were setting new records and introducing many exciting innovations into the sport. At the end of the 1966 season the Team started to experiment with formation skydiving. The same year saw the introduction of the helmet mounted camera to film this in-air work. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s the Falcons continued to break records and performed in front of Her Majesty the Queen during the RAF 50th Anniversary display at RAF Abingdon, their home station. They have since performed many times for the royal family and for numerous heads of state worldwide.
Display techniques
Display techniques have changed dramatically since the early years of The Big 6. Progression saw the introduction of a close non-contact stack with each parachutist trailing coloured smoke and the coach carrying a flag into very challenging arenas. The changes to the display have reflected the developments in parachuting. In 1965 the RAF Falcons flew the round Para Commander parachute which was used until the inception of the highly manoeuvrable square parachutes in 1978.
The first square canopy used was the Strato Cloud Ram Air Parachute. This was subsequently replaced by the GQ236, then the XL Cloud in 1985 before the Fury parachute was introduced. This has been superseded by the state of the art Performance Design Silhouette Canopy, the canopy currently used by the team.
The aims of the Falcons have also changed enormously over the decades. In addition to completing displays, there is a requirement for team members to qualify as Military Free Fall Instructors and High Altitude Instructors by the end of their three year tour. During their time on the Falcons, each team member will accumulate 1000 jumps, many of which are on training detachments worldwide.
The RAF Falcons have been privileged enough to perform in front of millions of people throughout their history. It is a great honour to be an RAF Falcon displaying all over the country, demonstrating skills and promoting the RAF to the general public. By providing their own unique freefall display, the Falcons remain one of the worlds leading free fall display teams and continue to be a major attraction wherever they perform.
