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In 1965 the club returned from Carlisle to operate in Scotland at Glenrothes before
finally settling down at Strathallan in 1966. The first lifts from Strathallan were
made on the 15th January 1966 jumping onto the moor at Gleneagles Hotel; the first jumps onto the airfield were made on the 8th October that
year.
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In the early days at Strathallan, students were dropped
onto the moors at Gleneagles Hotel - the airfield was considered too small to use as a student drop zone.
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The airfield facilities at Strathallan were very different to what is there now. Originally the runway was in front of the castle, and an old hangar still remains,
used as one of the farm buildings. The
current club building was erected in 1965, though this was for the use of the aviation business that the Roberts family
owned.
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The parachute club was a small operation, but had enough of a focus to arrange the National Invitational Championships at
Arbroath.
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SPC was the only freefall club north of Manchester at
this time
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Training courses were run over 6 weeks with one
evening training per week at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee Territorial
Army Halls. The main membership source was TA
members at this time.
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Doc Robertson emigrated to Canada in 1965, leaving the club in some very capable hands
including Tom Dickson,
Mac Fraser, George McEwan and Gordon Fernie.
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Doc visited Scotland and the club a few times after leaving for Canada, and was guest of honour at
the 1968 AGM. Doc was back over for most of that year for some postgraduate
medical
study.
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In 1967 Sir Fitzroy McLean MP, CBE became Club President
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Also in 1967, Tony Smith makes his first jumps,
having been an associate member since 1964 at the age of 14. Tony
went on to become CCI and Chairman amongst other positions
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In 1968
Gordon Fernie gained his instructor rating, with which he served the club until
1993