The Black Arrows RAF Aerobatic Team 1959 

The best 22 aircraft formation loop ever! 👌

Thinking back to the mid 60s now, I can remember seeing the Black Arrows flying at the Denham airshow. The Denham airshow was organised by the owners of the privately run airfield, and to see the Black Arrows flying there was just amazing 👍

I was born just over a mile from RAF Wattisham, and I saw this "Look At Life" film in Ipswich. How proud I felt!

Living in the neighbouring Suffolk countryside back then as a young boy, we often got treated to free viewings when they were practising. Later, I used to go and watch the Lightnings take off and land. Happy days!

Those magnificent men in their flying machines .......... exceptional skill ! Bloody top hole !

The smoke did not come from canisters under the wings. The Aden gun pack immediately below and behind the ejection seat, was converted to a leak-proof tank which was filled with Derv (diesel fuel) pipes running aft from the tank inside the fuselage carried the fuel to a point just aft of the jet pipe. The Derv was pumped from the tank into the jet efflux, when selected by a trigger switch on the pilot's control column. The diesel fuel thus injected into the heat of the jet efflux, instantly vaporized to give the impression that it was smoke, and of course it could be dyed with different colours if required. Prior to this, experiments had been made in 1956/57, using canisters attached to the under wing fuel tank pylons. This was at at RAF North Weald. The results were unsatisfactory in that, on one occasion, the canisters were inadvertently, and unexpectedly, dumped, when 'smoke on' had been selected. Some landed in a garden where a lady was busy, or at least, I believe, talking over the fence to the local vicar. There were some silly reports in the local newspaper at the time. I know because I was there as a member of the ground crew from 1956 to 1959, North Weald, North Luffenham and Wattisham. Happy daze. I believe the pilot concerned was one who later as a Test pilot, had a remarkable escape from a Lightning, of which event there is a famous photograph. My first Christmas card every year comes from him!

I Frank l travers smith was my father. He flew the black arrows

Brian mercer who would later be leader was also leader of 92 sqn Blue Diamonds when the aerobatic duties when transfered to 92 sqn when 111 sqn re equipped with lightnings.. Also noticed flight lieutenant Lee Jones (another future blue diamonds pilot) who would go on to be leader of the Central flying schools yellow Jacks team which would in 1965 go on to become the red arrows... Jones flew with 4 aerobatic teams and would be leader of 2 of them.

The hey day, wonderful.... I hope I can get a Hunter flying in the U.K again soon...

Oscar Wilde No.5? a man of many talents!

Wattisham, I'll assume.