Baselines    -    page 6

When Rhapsody Angel is off duty, she enjoys ‘relaxing’ among the clouds – and to her there is no better way that gliding.

Rhapsody takes up the story: “Gliding is flight in engineless aircraft or sailplanes, making use solely of natural air currents.  The earliest man-carrying machine was designed by Sir George Cayley and travelled about 500 yards across a valley in 1853.  However the first serious efforts took place in Germany in 1919 and were more successful.  Several years later, gliders proved of endless value for ‘silent’ operations in World War II.   As I became experienced I learned how to keep my glider rising, using the warm air currents.”

A ‘natural’ glider pilot, Rhapsody has reached over 42,000 feet, remained airborne for over 60 hours and had travelled hundreds of miles non-stop.

“In an engined craft, you rely mainly on equipment and the craft’s capabilities.  With gliders, you’ve nothing to fall back on – save your piloting skill.”

And skill is what Rhapsody has plenty of – as a Spectrum Angel, she’s one of the World’s leading pilots.  

Captain Scarlet’s hobby offers both excitement and danger – he is an expert pot-holer.

“When I first joined Spectrum, I decided to take a hobby I really would enjoy.  I thought about my missions in the air, on land and underwater, and then it came to me – I hadn’t gone underground!”

He started by exploring the well-known, pot-holing caves, but those were soon too easy.  He wanted to go deeper than any man had been before, so equipped with oxygen and supplies, he went into the deepest cave in the world – the Trovetora, in Greece, accompanied by a few trusted men who would assist with his descent.

News of his venture reached the press and they were waiting for him when he and his team reached the cave, but undeterred Scarlet began his descent.

It took weeks for him to reach his target, but   finally Scarlet’s voice was heard over the radio – reporting that he was two and half miles below the surface of the earth! 

Days later, when the team hauled the Captain back into the outside world, he was tired, but elated by his achievement.