European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 20, 1959, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Jef Aero Bafs of the Raf trailing smoke Blackjack Blue Hawker Hunters Fly tight formation mp177 a yrs sri svs i As vv1 i i v " nine planes Man Euver As one for spectators at a Pitburg Germany air show this year. Formation seen from cockpit of mine s f6 Hawker treble one men partway through an inside Loop. Straight Down about to pull out of inside Loop. The bomb burst finale brings gasps from crowds. 175 a 1.4000 it 2.ccoss typical sequence of r3rmatiom a Manger we of /5 f manoeuvre with split second precision Hawker Hunters of treble one s acrobatic team take off for another show appearance. They show the Flag about 50 times a season. O is photos by red Grandy the Raf aerobatic team the Blac arrows of 111 Squadron Haye a great Deal in common with an american professional football team. They re pros and perfectionists and they re a casual lot when not performing. Like any professional outfit they re Al ways trying something new. Their latest was splitting the team into groups of nine and five at the recent Paris air show for eight minutes of continual  ones acrobats were described by the French newspaper Figaro As presenting celestial  another attribute of a pro outfit is winning Outlook. With British Good Man ners they make no boasts that they re Thebes aerobatic team in the world. But visit Raf station Wattisham for a few Day Sand observe their preference for letting Aerial actions speak louder than ground words. Squadron Leader Peter a. Latham 33,has commanded treble one since octo Ber. A native of Birmingham he joined the Royal air Force in 1943 after attending Cambridge University the imaginative Leader has flown jets for 10 years and has logged More than 2,000 Jet hours. He and 15 pilots show the Flag wit their f6 Hawker Hunters throughout Europe about 50 times from May to septem Ber. All Hope that rumours of a trip to the states late this year will  Winter months the Squadron works on operational training the team Latham Boss says has three principal purposes the Raf s Prin Cipal Means of showing the Flag showing the British taxpayer that fighter command is still Active and efficient part of National defence and a recruiting stimulus. Any Raf Pilot can Volunteer. Well take look at him for a Ynonah. This cuts Down the business of people saying Well i could do it better a i started doing our synchronized stuff with be and five groups this Spring. In Aero batting you must do something new to hold the crowd s attention. Re member our biggest competitors Are thebrewers.". Treble one has a tradition of innovation. It claims to be the first team of International standing to perform with five aircraft and it has put 22 Jet fighters into the Ste at one time for Maneu vers. As the pilots whose average age i somewhere around 26, gather in the Pilot s room about a Hundred Yards from their by Paul Spiers staff writer parked fighters their technical Lingo Dur ing the briefing is a mysterious concoction of. Wing Over for voodoo. Nine Loo around for a wineglass. Half Swan. Pullout of a card five. Box formation. Big nine. Line abreast formation. Roundup into the bomb burst. Soon the Hunters Are looping and Rollin above Suffolk county seemingly spaced As close together As a professional football team ready to run a straight t formation play. Latham leads the Blackjack red Section of nine aircraft. Flight it Brian Mercer Squadron Deputy commander leads Black Jack Blue of five aircraft. The two leaders give their sections Only continued on Page w front Row members of Blackjack Blue flight it James m. Oakland left flying officer Roger e. Hymans flight it Brian Mercer flying officers Norman Lamb and Anthony Aldridge. Blackjack red members Are second Row left to right flying officer William r. Clayton Jones flight it Patrick b. Hine Squadron Leader Peter Latham flight it Matthew b. Kemp flying officer Marcus s. Wild and third Row left to right flying officer Stanley w. Wood flight it Francis l. Travers Smith flight it Lesme a. Boyer and flight it David j. M. Edmondston. The stars and stripes monday 20, 1959 the stars and stripes Page 13