Page 223 - Demo

219did not blame them. I was the only person who really had the full picture. To add to the problems, I had been given a creamie, Chris Topham, as one of my standardisers. He was very good and able and also wanted to be the Jet Provost low level air display pilot for the season. To do this he first had to win the Inter Station Aerobatic Competition. To be selected as the Church Fenton representative, he first had to win our own inter Squadron competition, The Wormald Trophy. I had shared a desk with Ian Wormald when I was on Exam Wing. He lived just outside Elvington at that time and was one of those who got the Yorkshire Air Museum established there. I had to fly with Chris with a base height of 5000ft and see that he was safe to come down to 1500ft. To be able to do this I had to perform at 1500ft myself which I did not enjoy at all. Once I had cleared him and one of the other competitors at 1500ft he was progressively cleared to 500 ft. I had to watch every practise he did and they were also filmed. He had to keep current and if he went out of currency had to practice first at a higher height and then work down again. These practises usually took place at the end of the day when everyone else had landed. Chris won that Wormald competition and went on to win the Wright Jubilee Competition which was between the flying schools flying the Jet Provost and The Hawk. Thus he became the Support Command%u2019s Aerobatic Display Pilot for the yearI had to go with Chris Topham to a number of Air displays. We would fly down together, then I would get out to watch him display and then we would return. Displays included St Mawgan, Farnborough and Jersey. The Jersey display was mid week and we took 2 aircraft. One of the displays was at Guildford where my parents used to live. That weekend we also had been given tickets to a Sol Lumiere on Horse Guards parade in London by SSAFA. Gabby and I decided to go and camp for the weekend as my parents had moved. I could watch Chris on the Saturday, Gabby and I would then go to London for the Sol Lumiere by train and come back to Guldford before going home on the Sunday.