A civilian observers story. About 20 years ago sitting on the beach on the Luce Bay range listening and trying to spot a Harrier dropping munitions.
As Harrier clears a Hercules begins a run over West Frugh airfield at around 500' and drops 3 paratroops then circles around and drops 3 more. So I jump in my car to drive over to get a better look. On rounding a bend in the round I find a RAF Landrover parked in the road and a parachutist with his canopy fully covering a large tree and needing a ladder. The delay it caused ended with the airfield announcing to the pilot it was now closing and the plane and its occupants would have to stay the night!
Another memory of that holiday was watching a Herk fly by the cottage I was staying in but below it in the valley in twilight!
mmitch.