View Full Version : Man in the sky
Dan Winterland
4th Aug 2004, 09:30
I recently watched the documentary about David Perrin, the solo performer in the Rothmans aerobatic team in the 70s called 'Man in the sky'.
Despite being dated by lots of Kevin Keegan haircuts, does anyone else who's seen it agree with me that it's one of the best flying films ever made?
Sadly, David was killed in a flying accidednt shortly after it was filmed. RIP
Disco Stu
4th Aug 2004, 10:12
Dan, ignore what I wrote. Memory is a very hazy, it was many years and many thousands of miles away. I must have been thinking of another accident. There have been too many of them anyway.
Disco Stu
CamelPilot
4th Aug 2004, 10:26
Dan, I was given a copy of this only a few weeks ago and it is certainly very good. Doesn't quite do justice to David's incredible skill though. He was truly a one off.
He was killed in a Helo accident while making High Road to China I think I am right in saying. The aircraft crashed into a canyon in Hungary. I could be corrected however.
David was a member of Sportair at Biggin as was I. Along with one or two others we allowed ourselves to be thrown around while he practised his art of aerobatics. Mostly in an RF5 but sometimes in something more inetresting - because he was not yet old enough to have a licence. He was always seeking perfection and I think he achieved it.
Came his 17th birthday he arrived at the airfield and 30 minutes later he was performing his style of aeros over the airfield in an RF4. This time solo. It was a touching moment for us all. To say it was also exciting would be an understatement.
He is still talked about with affection. The funeral at Biggin Hill was attended by so many that there was not enough room inside. Everyone who knew him wanted to be there.
stiknruda
4th Aug 2004, 10:49
I have the vid and do watch it fairly frequently.
I, too, agree that it is one of the best flying documentary films that I have ever seen.
His hesitation rolls over the cliffs are so precise it is breathtaking!
Stik
treadigraph
4th Aug 2004, 11:27
Yep, David was sadly killed in an Alouette while filming "High Road to China" in Yugoslavia. He was offered a lift in the helicopter after his Stampe suffered a tech problem - so was Tony Bianchi, but he stayed behind to fix the Stampe. The Alouette hit a cable as I recall.
I agree - superb film, have watched it quite a few times since acquiring it. Last year I walked the Seven Sisters cliffs between Eastbourne and Seaford and was imagining Spitfires and Me109s dogfighting down those valleys - then I saw David performing aeros exactly there on the video! Awesome!
The display at Biggin is excellent as well, just the right sort of music - must have been that year that he parted my hair with a low low inverted pass while I was pushing my bike past the end of the runway!
Tim Mills
7th Aug 2004, 12:38
I managed to liberate the David video, and one of the Rothmans on a visit to Egypt, from a flying school which was closing shop here in Oz. I was very interested to see it, having been with the Rothmans team when he joined.
I think I am right in saying that he was the first non ex service pilot to be a member of the team, certainly the youngest (I was a grandfather by then!), and having little, if any, formation experience, he slotted in, both as a person, and as a pilot, as though he had been at it at least as long as any of us had. In fact he took over the slot vacated by Neil Williams, half way through the season when Neil had to go and do other things.
I well remember, we ended up doing line abreast stall turns, while Iain Weston and Mike Findlay did the same thing at the other end of the display line. Not to mention the other formation unusual positions we found ourselves in!
A lovely fellow, and a great loss.
Snakecharmer
7th Aug 2004, 16:39
Cracking video... I take it off the shelf fairly often.
Lovely late evening clips to classical music (Tsaichowsky? sp?!)... not David Perrin, but the Cairo town centre display sequence is great - especially the stall turn - the skyscraper is revealed to you by the rear-facing camera during the second half of the manoeuvre!
Magic!
Zlin526
7th Aug 2004, 20:00
Most of the music from Man in the Sky is by Mahler, his 1st Symphony. The closing music is Mozart's Piano Concerto No.21 (Elvira Madigan). I'm not a Classical music buff, but when I bought the video, I also bought the CDs..:ok:
Snakecharmer
16th Aug 2004, 16:45
Bral / Zlin...
If I wasn't quite so lazy, I'd have checked my own CD collection... it's there somewhere!
Showed the vid to my father, who had crossed paths with Mike Cairns in RAF days.. his comment: "yeah.. that's him.. scruffy bugger!... not his voice on the voiceover, either!". Some people are just so picky!
Zlin526
16th Aug 2004, 22:17
I think the voiceover is by an actor, Edward Judd. Obviously short of quality acting work at the time!:ugh:
treadigraph
17th Aug 2004, 06:49
Does anyone know who the rock music accompanying the Biggin Hill sequence is by? Seems familiar...
Zlin526
17th Aug 2004, 09:15
"Child of Vision" by Supertramp. :ok:
And now a question from me:
Where was the "lonely farm strip, close to Beachy Head" which David Perrin used?
And wags, the answer I'm NOT looking for is "Quite close to Beachy Head"!
Tally ho:ok:
treadigraph
17th Aug 2004, 12:09
Thanks Zlin - I knew it seemed familiar!
To answer yours, it's near Friston, behind the Seven Sisters, East Sussex, just west of Beachy Head and Birling Gap. If you look at a 1:25000, I'd say its a place called Gayles,, but that's a guess!
You could zoom in on Beachy Head on this (http://www.magic.gov.uk/website/magic/viewer.htm?startTopic=magadminareas&chosenLayers=) link!
Cheers
Treadders (off to Our Price...!)
Friston was, I believe, used for the Spitfire docu-soap Piece of Cake.