Used for initial parachute training - certainly into the 1980s.

He mentioned in a lecture last month that it's no longer flying; I think he said something about issues with the ejector seat.

Of course of course ............. fortunately jumping from balloons was not a Met. duty, although I could tell of a naughty prank involving a large sonde balloon, a wallet and a pompous S Met O.

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Five swords. Four Sabres & One Rapier Ahlhorn 1958

Only Vulcan involved that day was the 1st prototype VX770 - it entered service in '56 (a Victor and a Valiant prototypes also took part in the flypast)

Sabres on static dispay at were 12 RCAF (410/439/441 Sqns), 4 RAF (2TAF) out of c300 a/c The flypast included 50: 36 RCAF, 24 RAF out of c.600 aircraft in total.

Even nerdier fact prompted by New BoB Film thread., the Station Commander at the time was Gp Capt J A Kent DFC* AFC aka Kentowski - Flt Cmdr with 303 Sqn during the Battle of Britain (CO 92 sqn for the last 6 days of the Battle)

The aircraft are lined up along the shorter now RW only runway, if they were taking off Westish or SouthWestish the roads are very close.

As a teenager I thought the Silver Jubilee Review at Finningley was impressive - however, only 74 a/c but I suspect as loud if not louder given F-4s, EE Lightnings, Harriers, Vulcans, Victors and Canberras + Gnats, JPs etc. (and an RAAF F-111)

The ultimate Sabre, powered by Avon.


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The balloons used for parachute training were effectively re-purposed Low-Zone barrage balloons designed in 1934, with the addition of a cage for the trainee parachutists and instructors/despatchers. Following the disbandment of Balloon Command in 1945, the balloon operations squadron worked with 1 PTS from Ringway, Upper Heyford, Abingdon and then Hullavington; and were deployed to training sites across the UK and Europe as required. It was not officially disbanded until 1995; when the basic design of their balloon was over 60 years old.

I suspect those in the 1953 review were there to demonstrate the capability; the photographs of the royal 'drive-by' show the balloon inflated and flown at only 100 ft or so, perhaps in readiness for the flypast. In the colour photo above, I think you can also see the silver envelope deflated and on the ground behind the row of Ansons.

During WWII, the balloons were manufactured by the aircraft section of the Lea Bridge Rubber Works and their successor company, Airborne Industries, still manufactures (or, at least, advertises) them today - last seen in use by the Belgian Army, as well as Thai and Korean units. (Other manufacturers of lighter-than-air aerial vehicles may be available!). Hope that solves your mystery, Langley....

And with a Tornado prototype as the finale.

Lousy pictures, but this was 77 Sqn RAAF (MOGAS*) passing through Tengah on their way home to Oz in early 1969. Landed and taxied in as pairs, neatly turning into line on the main dispersal to shut down -a lovely example of ground-based formation flying!

* MOGAS = Malaysia's Only Group Attack Squadron.

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Re. balloon history, It certainly does educate me, thank you very much: PPRUNE at its best.

It went back to the USA about ten years ago.

That was one Haydon-Baillie's old T-33s, failed to get airborne at Duxford and went through the hedge. Both crew survived with some injuries. H-B did have half a dozen F-86s, ex German or something but they never flew with him, sold on by his estate after he died in a P-51 crash.

The balloon - image snapped from the book 'Coronation Wings' by Eric Bucklow, which details all the aircraft that took part in the Review

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Not all home based, in addition to the RAAF and RCAF units there were some 2ATAF/ RAF Germany aircraft in both the static and flypast.

Canberras, Valettas, Neptunes and Varsities. And a single RNZAF Bristol Freighter

Single examples of the prototype Victor, Valiant and Vulcan took part in the flypast

I last saw one of those at Queens Parade, Aldershot in about 1995.
The jumpmaster often used his boot to 'assist' the para in his first jump; if you stood at the edge of Queens Parade you could clearly hear them screaming as they exited the cage because they were only jumping from 800ft agl and the main parachute took so long to deploy you might not have time to use the reserve.
A new contracter later in the year used Short Skyvans operating in/out of Farnborough dropping at the already existing Hankley Common DZ. There were plans to re-develop the grass strip at Gypsy Hollow, Longmoor in order to shorten the transit time between the takeoff point and the DZ (I saw the plans) but this was overtaken when Nos 1 and 3 Paras moved to Colchester instead.

I recall the balloon at Hankley Common (near my alma mater) often visible from the A3 as the next stick of victims was dropped! Also used to get a C-130 (not RAE's Snoopy!) on a seemingly endless low level orbit there, too low for para dropping I'd have thought, but maybe kit deliveries? (Probably asked before but don't remember the answer!)

<br /><br />Author and ex Gurkha officer John Masters tells a marvellous story of a Gurkha unit being asked to volunteer for Para. No volunteers.<br />"How high" they wanted to know.<br />Definitely no volunteers.<br />"But my dear old Gurkhas, the parachutes always work"<br />"Ah, PARACHUTES!"<br />At which they all volunteered.<br />Digression but definitely aviation of a sort.

Langley,you may know how JM got his MC,but otherwise `google` Wiki,`Operation Claret`;right at the bottom are `external links`;`How John Masters received an immediate MC`...Thread drift/digression but there is aviation content,I know,I was there...
Sadly JM died of C a few yrs ago....

The T.33 did get airborne at Duxford, but at too low a speed. It failed to climb, but avoided some trees when crashing, and the back seater, Mr. Francis, escaped completely unhurt. He subsequently was awarded a bravery medal for rescuing his pilot, who was not in the best shape. Years ago, I had a long chat at Duxford with Mt. Francis, whose first name has escaped me, a couple of weeks after the crash.

We regulalrly had Hercs operating from Farnborough for 1 & 3 Paras at Aldershot and Ghurkhas based at Church Crookham for droppng at Hankley Common.
On one occasion when they dropped some Ghurkhas we were asked to have an ambulance standing by when they landed back at Farnborough.
Apparently one of them managed to break a leg before he jumped. This would have been in the mid '90s because the MOD withdrew ambulances from Farnborough when Experimental Flying moved to Boscombe Down in '94 but under other MOD rules, an ambulance service was still required to be present during flying operations (we weren't yet a civil airfield where there is no requirement to have ambulance services based there) so the good old St John Ambulance Service were contracted to provide the service. When we told them they were to get an actual casualty, they were over the moon and transported the Ghurkha to Frimley Park Hospital in well under the required 7 minutes; I know because I timed them.

Yep, 48-148 returned to the USA in 2014, and returned to the air after an overhaul in 2015. Its owned by Heritage Aero of Rockford, Illinois.