A member of the Red Berets from PTS parachutes into HMAS Albatross for Australia's Museum of Flight air show, held recently. Photo provided by PTS

Red Berets wow Nowra

By Cpl Damian Shovell
THE Red Berets wowoed a crowd of more than 10,000 when they parachuted from 6000 feet at Australia's Museum of Flight air show hosted by HMAS Albatross in Nowra recently.

With red smoke canisters streaming from their boots, WO2 Rick Smith, Sgt Marcus Ferrer, Pte Michael O'Leary and Sgt Jamie McCoy, dropped from a Cessna 206 to deploy their red and white Army marked chutes at 3000 feet and land within metres of their target.

Sgt McCoy, who also released a large Australian National Flag on his way down, said that the two demonstrations they conducted as part of Defence's tri-service contribution to the event were big hits with the crowd.

"The Roulettes also put on a fantastic aerobatic display, as did several civilian jet and piston driven aircraft," he said.

"A Navy Squirrel also presented a flying demonstration while 723, 816 and 817 Sqns gave a static display of their helicopters on the ground."

A highlight of the day for many of the aircraft enthusiasts was when Connie, the historic Super Constellation arrived from her Albion Park airport home and graced the sky above with her massive wingspan.

Face painting, hot food, and model aircraft displays all kept the crowds entertained between events and helped make the day a resounding success.

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