Bit of a long shot...anybody remember this flying flea prog.

[magpienja]

Must have been 10 maybe 15 years ago I watched and recorded it onto VHS at the time but it got recorded over unfortunately,

A very nice old semi documentary about a guy that built and was flying his Flying Flea from his very large garden/field somewhere in the UK,

It was filmed in the 30/40s I would think....I would love to see it again...if I only knew its name or had some more info about it,

Cant have been many programs on the box all about the flying Flea,

Anybody any ideas.

Nick.

[kevmusic]

You might be better off posting this in the Aviation History and Nostalgia forum. Good luck!

[skwinty]

Are you referring to Harry Dolman's flying flea?

The Original Flying Flea - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/embed/oiCuHpMEOCc?feature=player_embedded)


http://eclecticephemera.********.com/2011/03/harry-dolmans-flying-flea-housed-in.html

[magpienja]

No unfortunately thats not the one I'm thinking of....it was a very middle class English man and his wife...smashing old movie.

Nick.

[skwinty]

On completion the Replica G-BFIP was flown on some ten occasions at RAF Swanton Morley in the 1980’s. A BBC television film was made of one of the flights and was broadcast on a number of occasions. The Certificate of Airworthiness expired in 1982 and the Monoplane was moved to Shidham in 1994.


The Wallis's ~ The Complete Story ~ British Isles Genealogy - (http://www.bigenealogy.com/wallis/page120.htm)

[coldair]

I know the film you are refering to. It's called 'Flying For Fun' An Army Major persueds his wife to let him buy a monoplane. A lovely tale, there uesd to be a clip on Youtube but I cant find it at the moment.

I have a bit more info somewhere but not to hand at the moment.

[Sir Niall Dementia]

It was a lot longer than 10-15 years ago, closer to 20-25.

The guy was an artillery major and he bought an Aeronca "Bath Tub" and flew it from Larkhill.

It was a lovely gentle programme about the days when flying was free and easy.

SND

[skwinty]

This one ????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SvQis3Q08o




FLYING FOR FUN - "An affair with an aeroplane" 1 DVD £5.50
Dramatisation of the book by Jack Parham, about flying a very small, very slow aeroplane around southern England in the 1930s. (G-AEFT Aeronca C3)
40 mins
Click HERE (http://classicaviationtv3.webs.com/apps/webstore/) to order

Classic Aviation TV | Rare and deleted technical aviation and motoring tv. (http://www.freewebs.com/thousandways/othervideosavailable.htm)

[magpienja]

'Flying For Fun'

You know that maybe the one I'm thinking of....funny how the memory plays tricks....I would have sworn it was about a Flea....also thought it was black and white,

And thank you for the youtube link...looks familiar....I will order that one...looks well worth watching...and its probably the one I'm thinking of,

Thank you so much chaps.

Nick.

[Sir George Cayley]

At the end he take t'engine off and turns it into a glider.
SGC

[vintagemember]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6465463717_550c4318fa.jpg

Glider? Only for the film!

[SlipSlider]

Ok, sad anorak posting follows... :8

Jack Parham's Aeronca was actually G-ABHE an Aeronca C2, which in 2008 was actually restored to the register by the current owner of the Aeronca C3 G-AEFT (nice photo, vintagemember!), which was the 'star' of the film and is still active. At the end of Parham's book, he states that after conversion to a glider 'HE was gifted to the Dorset Gliding Club; I wonder how much of 'HE remains.

The C3, or it's UK-built licenced version the 100, is the aeroplane at the top of my wish-to-fly list.

Slip
per Aeronca ad Astra :)

[vintagemember]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7168/6493448675_ca26c3a453_z.jpg

Nothing wrong with being an anorak..... This is the spot where the tin hangar was built for the film 'Flying For Fun', you can probably guess the identity of the airfield, the film was made during the summer holidays when the usual incumbents were on holiday!

[magpienja]

Well I'm very much looking forward to watching the DVD that I now have from the link on this thread....its an Xmas present off my wife so I have just got to patient,

But thank to everybody that helped me find it....I will report back when I have watched it.

Nick.

[skwinty]

Enjoy the festive season with some armchair barnstorming. :ok:

[scrambled]

vintagemember

Pretty accurate placement of the pin.....;)

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h418/highergreen/scan0001.jpg

[vintagemember]

Oh that's tremendous, a picture of the tin shed and taken from the very machine.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6493449079_029913d26f_z.jpg

This is the puppy shed at Oxney Farm, rebuilt in 1936 using wood and tin sheets from Jack Parham's original hangar.

[magpienja]

Just spent a very enjoyable hour watching the DVD/Film mentioned earlier in this thread "Flying for fun"

Its a lovely film to watch of a much gentler era but unfortunately not the program I was thinking of...although very similar to the one I am looking for,

So if anybody can remember such a program feturing a Flying Flea please let me know,

But anybody looking for a very nice video for a present or just for yourself...I can highly recommend the Flying Fun Fun video very very enjoyable to watch....even my wife enjoyed it.

Nick.

[vintagemember]

Flying For Fun Pt 1 - YouTube

Here it is, a charming little film.

In 10 parts.