Hi John.
I don't remember Leading Edge (what a name for a helo engineer!) but I do recall a P.O. Wren who was partial to a fun 5 minutes on the flot bag in the back of the venerable Wessex - but that was definately when said Wessex was on the ground!. The change in C of G when airborne does not bear thinking about!.
As far as cheese is concerned, I reckon some of the new 'Light' brands should be acceptable