Odd combination

[Tony B]

Have a look at this one from 2005 May 9th. The beach was the landing ground for many years.

http://jersey-airport.fotopic.net/p14783879.html

[AlienFTM]

I did a free-fall course at JSPC Netheravon in 1977. We jumped from an Islander, which was a good aircraft because by adding a step between door and undercarriage, the jumper could stand in the slipstream and was practically in the stable position before he even let go.

 

However, we found tucked in the back of the hangar a Dragon (might have been a Rapide) which was apparently a far better platform and preferred by the Parachute Club at the weekend, though I vaguely recall it was VOR at the time.

[Tony B]

The Rapide and the Dragon operated commercially from Jersey till the early 1970's. used to fly flowers about. The Beach at West Park, was used as an airfeild till about 1937 when the grass airfeild at St Peter's was built, then the most modern in the world after Croydon. The Luftwaffe considered it unsafe for anything but light aircraft, so never used it for operational squadrons. Funny that!

 

After the war the RAF wanted to use it, the old guy who had always cut the grass on the runways warned against it, he told The RAF wait till the gras grows. For the last 5 years he had been taking the mower to the officer in charge who had duly checked the cutter height at 4 inches, the required length. He had then lowered the cutters to 3 inches, cut the grass and reset the mower. The German Officer then solomley checked the height again and signed the runway off fit to use. The result of the 1 inch diffrence, everything skidded across the top. A German aircraft bound for the Island, carrying mail got lost once and ended up in Southern england, subsequently went to RAF as a co-operation aircraft.