I went to RAF Brize Norton to join up with the Falcons, the RAF's elite parachute display team, as they prepared to jump at the Fairford Royal International Air Tattoo 2004. When I arrived at their base, I met Sergeant Mick Jones, who was enjoying a pre-jump game of Ping-Pong. Mick is in his third and final year with the Falcons and the Fairford jump would be his 1000th. I thought that this was quite an incredible achievement but Mick just shrugged it off as 'just another jump'. Meeting the rest of the team, you can instantly see that they're a close-knit bunch. But I guess you have to be to perform as a synchronised display team. The atmosphere before the flight was surprisingly relaxed with all the members of the team playing games and watching TV. I would have imagined that they would all have been deadly serious but they seemed to be extremely chilled out. But I guess that after having jumped many times together, leaping from a plane thousands of feet above the ground holds no fear for them. 
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Nervous A short bus journey later and I found myself standing on the runway outside a Hercules C130 transport plane. I have to admit that I was slightly nervous as I imagined myself looking out over the Gloucestershire countryside at 8,000 feet with the main rear ramp open. Still, the sheer excitement of flying in a Hercules managed to overcome any of those fears! Outside the Hercules, we joined up with the French parachute display team from the Armée de l'Air, who were also jumping at Fairford. They were going to jump first, followed by the Falcons. Taking off from Brize Norton I was standing in the cockpit for takeoff - there were no seats or seatbelts for this one and I had a great view from just behind the pilot. Taking off, the Hercules was incredibly smooth - there was hardly any noticeable sensation of lifting off from the runway. It was just a gentle glide into the air as the plane gathered speed. The cockpit gave me some fantastic views over both the Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire countryside as we headed to RAF Fairford. I also managed to take a look out along the roof of the Hercules via a special 'viewing bubble'. It was quite an amazing sight to see an unrestricted 360 degree view of the clouds and sky around the plane. We steadily gained height for about thirty minutes as the Falcons waited for the appointed time to make the jump. Eventually Sergeant Stu Amory, who is also a member of the Falcons display team, gave me the nod to come to the back of the plane. As both the British and French display teams prepared for the jump, I was fitted with my safety harness. A sensible precaution as the flight engineer told me that he didn't fancy filling in mountains of forms if I fell out of the plane! Looking around the rear of the Hercules, I could see the two teams preparing for the jump and making last minute checks of their equipment. Once everyone was set, the flight engineer opened the rear ramp. At this point, I would have imagined powerful wind blowing through the plane but there was nothing of the sort - instead, it was a low, dull roar. I could now see the fluffy white clouds around us and the Gloucestershire countryside far below. At this point, we were at 8,000 feet as we lined up for a run on Fairford. Standing on the edge Before the two teams made their jumps, I was invited to 'stand on the edge' to film from the ramp. Standing on the edge of the ramp at 8,000 feet may seem like a bit of a brown trouser moment but I have to admit that I was surprisingly calm. It all seems a bit surreal up there - everything below seems so small that it's hard to be scared. Aided by one of the Falcons, I edged out into position and began to film. I stood less than a metre from the edge for about a minute, looking over the Gloucestershire countryside far below. Despite the fear factor it was an awesome experience to stand there amongst the clouds. After that, I edged back into the plane and prepared to film the two parachute teams. First to go were the French. They ran along the ramp and jumped out of the plane one after another. I edged out again and saw their red-white-and-blue parachutes opening far below. I imagined that it must be quite an amazing rush to do what they had just done. Falcons are go Moments later, the Falcons were ready to go but their set-up was completely different. A group of four crouched on the ramp and linked up together. They all set off their smoke canisters in unison and jumped out as one. They were closely followed by two sets of two jumpers. Then, finally, the last remaining Falcon literally threw himself out of the plane. Before the ramp closed, I could see the smoke trails from their canisters streaking through the sky. I have to admit that it all looked like amazing fun, and even standing there in the plane I could just about imagine the adrenaline thrill of parachuting. As soon as the ramp closed, we descended from 8,000 feet to just 250 feet in no time at all. I felt as light as a feather as we made the drop. Then, after removing my safety belt, I made my way back to the cockpit. Fairford fly over The last task for the Hercules was to make a low pass over the Fairford airshow crowds before returning home to Brize Norton. The Hercules banked over at nearly 90 degrees as we made a turn towards RAF Fairford. Despite being side-on to the ground, I found myself pinned to the floor from the sheer force of the turn. The pressure on my thighs was incredible - it felt as though I was being squashed into the floor. We levelled out and passed the spectator stands at the Royal International Air Tattoo before banking steeply away for our return to Brize Norton. The return flight was incredibly quick, and I could see the runway looming large in front of us. The landing was one of the smoothest I've ever had - the Hercules seems to have a incredibly light touch for such a large, bulky plane. We eventually came to a stop right next to where the Red Arrows Display Team had parked their jets - just how cool is that? After unloading me along with a load of surplus equipment, the Hercules took off again. I was left on the runway at Brize Norton, thinking back on the wonderful experience I'd just had and imagining what it's like to parachute. It took hours for the excitement of the flight to fade, by which time I was completely exhausted. Being a Falcon must be one of the best jobs in the world... ever!
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BBC Gloucestershire's Nic Baddeley hitched a ride with the RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team as they prepared to jump at the Fairford Royal International Air Tattoo...
