RAF Sealand has a secret double life as a bikers' paradise.

The station invited Dee Banks school from Chester to witness the world-famous RAF White Helmets motorcycle dis-play team in action.

The team trains at the station for six weeks every year and performs an array of stunts such as riding backwards while juggling or reading a book, or leaping through a flaming trailer of hay.

What makes these feats more amazing is that a third of the team had never ridden a motorbike before February and most still do not have a licence.

'The team are the dispatch riders for the Royal Signals Corps,' said team leader Captain Alistair Youngman. 'We have been doing this since 1921 when we used horses.

'In 1936 we changed to motorbikes and soon afterwards started to train at RAF Sealand. It is perfect for us as the airfield is a huge wide expanse of field.'

There are 30 members of the team and whether they are forming a nine-man pyramid, jumping off ramps supported by a team-mate or doing chin-ups on a bar carried by two moving bikes, the effect is always breathtaking.

All the team members have trades and are fully-operational soldiers.

'They usually stay in the team for three years,' said Cpt Youngman. 'We aim to recruit 10 new members each year and put them into full-time training.'

But the dangers of these death-defying stunts are never far from the mind.

After the main display, while performing a few extra tricks, one of the riders fell off and injured his back.

'We travel at around 60mph most of the time,' said Cpt Youngman.

'There is very little margin for error. The rider was not hurt too badly but as it was a back injury our paramedics arranged for the air ambulance to convey him to hospital.

'This is a good reason why people shouldn't try these tricks at home. We train full time and we still make errors.' As well as the school pupils, who all got a chance to sit on the bikes and in some cases go for a little ride, a former member of the team was also there.

Ken Morrison from Liscard in Wirral was 19 in 1947 when he joined the team.

'Back then we did a lot of the same tricks they do now,' said Ken.

'I would love to have a go again but I'm a little too old.

'I'm 72 now and I still ride. I have a 250cc Honda because the wife won't let me get a bigger one!'