The RAF Falcons
Pre-Season Training
The start of the 2010 season saw the team commence their 5 week pre-season training detachment in Arizona. During this demanding and challenging training the team carried out 8 jumps a day, from heights of 2,500ft up to 12,000ft, working on all of their parachuting skills and practicing the world famous non-contact stack which will include up to 11 canopies this season.
History of The RAF Falcons
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 Parachute Jumping Instructors from No.1 Parachute Training School which was then based at RAF Abingdon. The Team were nicknamed ‘The Big 6’ as most of the members were shorter than 5 ft 6 in!
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 12 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 flight. 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 was the ‘Strato Cloud Ram Air Parachute’, which was subsequently replaced by the ‘GQ236’, a canopy notorious for collapsing once inflated! This was replaced by 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 This has been superseded by the state of the art ’Performance Design Silhouette Canopy’, the canopy currently used by the Team.
Display techniques have changed dramatically since the early years of ‘The Big 6’. Progression saw the induction of a close non-contact stack with each parachutist trailing coloured smoke; previously the Team would jump with flour bags!
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 Freefall Instructors and High Altitude Instructors by the end of their 3 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 world’s leading Freefall Display Teams and continue to be a major attraction wherever they perform.
