The Team Jump & Aerial Commentary
The Team jump, The Red Devils will exit the aircraft from 10,000 feet falling at 120 miles per hour trailing colourful smoke so the spectator can easily see the skydivers building formations in the sky. In addition to the normal ground based commentary, commentary is also given throughout the display by a Red Devil on the jump team to give a second-by-second account of the demonstration from the aircraft, during freefall, and under canopy, right up to the time when he lands in to the display arena. Through a good public address system the airborne commentry is clearly audible to all spectators. This is all made possible bya miniature FM transmitter working in conjunction with a helmet - mounted boom microphone and a special antenna worn by one of the parachutists, usually the Team Commander. The transmission is picked up by a miniature transistorised receiver, and broadcast through the public address system. This thrilling innovation, pioneered by The Red Devils, had taken three years to perfect and enable spectators to hear clearly for the first time the voice of a man falling earthwards at speeds of 120 miles per hour. After the "CRACK" of the parachutist's parachute opening, they can hear a detailed first hand account and an explination of the parachutist's every manoeuvre as he glides himself in to the display arena.
A Note For The Historian - A World First! On the 9th August 1969 the first ever two-way conversation by radio, in freefall , between the Team Commander of "The Red Devils" Major Peter Schofield and ground control, took place at a public demonstration at the Tyneside Summer Exhibition, The Exhibition Park, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England. The equiptment used was a LUSTRAPHONE "RADIOMIC" system specially designed for The Red Devils Free Fall Team.
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