Vintage home movie - Farnborough Airshow 1949

[Adrian N]

May be of interest to some - a colour home movie shot by my grandfather at the 1949 Farnborough Airshow.

Enjoy!

Farnborough Airshow 1949 - in colour - YouTube (http://youtu.be/1r06V_svnB8)

[ChrisVJ]

That looks like a Westland Wyvern towards the end of the film, though I can't see the strakes that were added to the hor. stabiliser. Looking on Google I can't find a program for the show, if it was a Wyvern it might have been flown by Harald Penrose or my stepfather Mike Graves.

[India Four Two]

What's the little four-engined aircraft right at the end?

[longer ron]

Armstrong Whitworth Apollo

[Flyer Flier]

Right, I think I have most of them: Starts with flying shots of the HP Hermes V airliner which is larger than the Viscount which is also shown in taxi between those opening flying shots. Then the good old Bristol Freighter, then the Viscount and the Hermes again. Then after the Bristol lands, it shows an Airspeed Ambassador reversing, as a Shorts Solent flying boat passes overhead. Then a Balliol T2 trainer takes off, followed by a Percival Prince. Then the lovely Vickers Seagull,followed by the fabulous tri rotor Cierva Air Horse powered by a Merlin! Then the Westland Wyvern TF2 naval aircraft and finally the unusual fin of the Armstrong Apollo.
I might have a copy of the Flight Magazine for that week, I see if I can dig out a copy for you.

Obviously I may need to stand corrected on some,..... :ouch:
Cheers
Steve

[Warmtoast]

I might have a copy of the Flight Magazine for that week, I see if I can dig out a copy for you.

It's online here: westland wyvern | 1949 | 1579 | Flight Archive (http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1949/1949%20-%201579.html)

...follow the link pages downwards for umteen pages of nostalgia. Including pictures of Vampires and Meteors with re-heat. Something I'd totally forgotten about.

[Speedbird48]

I think you will find that it is a Hermes IV. The Hermes V had turboprops and the one shown has Hercules which can be seen in the exhaust stacks, unless my old eyes have had it??.

Speedbird 48.

[ChrisVJ]

Thank you Adrian N and Warm Toast,

That was indeed my stepfather demonstrating the Wyvern. Strange coincidence, Michael Adrian Graves.

[alisoncc]

Have a copy of a DVD "Farnborough: The Golden Years - 1949-1959". A compilation of Pathe News clips from that time. It's available from the South American river shop at

Farnborough - The Golden Years 1949 To 1959 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Farnborough - the Golden Years: Film & TV (http://tinyurl.com/39us9e2)

Dead impressive, a time when the UK was a real force in aviation.