Possibly so Drag,
I clocked just less than 5000 hours as a GE on Albert, many others dead heading somewhere (dead heading? That was GE'ing wasn't it?) and always did my best to avoid the para seats. The worst incident I saw was when doing the Arnhem Drop, with night stop at Deelen. On the approach to the DZ the seat support rail at the centre front came adrift and cracked a seated para across the head. At that point the troops had not been told to get their helmets on, and he had a really nasty cut across the top of his head. We got him up to the flight deck, and managed to give him a bit of first aid. The doctor at Deelen was more efficient, but it was very nasty. How it was missed out of Lyneham by the roley squippers is anyone's guess. I always appreciated the offer of a chance to see the landing from the Flight Deck, seemed safer somehow
Smudge
