PENARTH Town Council is gearing up for the annual Summer Festival with less than three weeks to go.

This year’s Carnival Day on Saturday, July 19, will feature not only a fun-filled family day with inflatable go-karts, donkeys and caricature artists, but also the RAF Falcons display team testing their limits performing a series of breathtaking parachute jumps and stunts.

The RAF Falcons are the only centrally funded professional, military parachute display team in the UK. The RAF Falcons conduct high quality parachute displays around Great Britain and Europe throughout the summer.

Since being formed in 1961, the RAF Falcons display has evolved enormously.

Their display incorporates an array of advanced freefall manoeuvres and falling speeds of up to 120mph. You will also see their unique, non-contact canopy stack which has become synonymous with the Falcons over the last 50 years.

The team is supported by crews from both military and civilian jump platforms in the form of C-130 Hercules, Chinook helicopters, light aircraft and occasionally the Dakota from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

The RAF Falcons pride themselves on performing to the highest of standards but also spending time with the public who travel to see the team. The RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team are unique to many other air displays in that they are able to land and provide an immediate, and more intimate interaction with the crowd.

The Falcons consist of 16 members including 10 display jumpers. All the display jumpers joined the RAF in the Physical Education Branch. After completion of at least one tour at an RAF station gymnasium, they are eligible to be selected for Parachute Jumping Instructor duties and subsequently able to volunteer for selection into the RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team. During their three year tenure with the Falcons, each display jumper will be taught the necessary skills to become Military Accelerated Free Fall Instructors to subsequently instruct Freefall Parachuting at a more advanced level within the military.

The RAF Falcons will be jumping out of the aircraft at 3pm on July 19 to land , hopefully, smack bang in the middle of the landing zone on the pitch n putt area of the clifftop; this is one class act and is certainly not one to be missed.

The RNLI will be in the water below acting as the safety boat prior to their own display with the Sea-King in front of the Esplanade at 3.45pm.

Once the Parachute display is over please make your way back down to the esplanade.