HEADS UP! 2 Part programme 50's and 60's aircraft.

[PPRuNe Pop]

The first part is at 2100 on BBC4 on 22nd August. The Vulcan is of special interest apparently along with other developed types. Doesn't say its a repeat but you never know. I guess part 2 is the following week.

[BEagle]

22 Aug 2012 at 2100 'Military Marvels' (60 min).

29 Aug 2012 at 2100 'The Shape of Things to Come' (60 min).

Both are original productions, filmed earlier this. Many of us met the production people at Newark Air Museum during the V-force reunion and they seemed to be very interested in producing something rather better than the usual series of library shots with dubbed Harrier taxying sounds....

[NutLoose]

Posted on Flypasts forum, Bruntingthorpe has also bee involved so possibly Lightning Buccs Hunters Canberra's etc..

As posted earlier in the year, various groups around the UK were visited by the BBC during the spring to film a series of TV programmes; details of the broadcast dates have just been circulated to everyone involved; below are the details

“Dear all,

Thank you very much for your contribution in helping to make “Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies”. This is now the official title for “The Golden Age of Flying”.

Programme 1 – ‘Military Marvels’ will transmit from 9pm-10pm on BBC 4 on Wednesday 22nd August 2012

Programme 2 – ‘The Shape of Things to Come’ will transmit from 9pm-10pm on BBC 4 on Wednesday 29th August 2012

I hope you enjoy the programmes.”

They should be good!

[NutLoose]

Re Newark

Newark Air Museum Archive (http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/newsItem.php?id=521)

[Pontius Navigator]

The interview with the Vulcan pilots, Mike Melvile and his copilot Nick Dennis of 12(B) Sqn is around 30-40 minutes in to the programme.

[Willard Whyte]

Wonder if they might do one about the research and/or prototype aircraft of the era. That would really be a 'do-not-miss' prog.

[NutLoose]

So we're not going to see Beags drooling and repeatedly saying ohhhh Susannah York..

http://www.daveswarbirds.com/bob/pics/cast/tn-Susannah_York.jpg

[500N]

Just Beags ?

I thought more than half the forum drooled over her based on how
many photos get posted and comments made:ok:

[Roadster280]

She didn't age too well though. (http://i2.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article174026.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/susannah-york-pic-getty-images-image-1-499717715.jpg)

I'm sorry she passed, especially from the big C, but she was a bit short & dumpy for me. And Mr Warwick should have doubled her to the CO for speaking to him like that :ok:

[Lyneham Lad]

Should be well worth watching.

Military Marvels

Episode 1 of 2
DURATION: 1 HOUR
In the heady post-war years of the 1950s and 60s, British flying was at its zenith and its aircraft industry flourished in a dazzling display of ingenuity and design brilliance. Having invented the jet engine, Britain was now set to lead the world into the jet age with a new generation of fighters and bombers. (snip)

[Trim Stab]

Stand by for a long list of complaints about all the facts the useless journo's got wrong!

[Dockers]

Do Keep up. Thread started on 17 August: http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/493200-heads-up-2-part-programme-50s-60s-aircraft.html

[Lyneham Lad]

Whoops. In mitigation I did do a search but as it was on thread titles only, nothing showed up. Presumably a friendly Mod can merge or delete this.

[green granite]

Trim Stab I'm convinced that some people here only watch such programmes for that reason. I can understand it if history is completely re-written as it was in that operation crossbow programme but some of the trivial things they moan about are silly.

[Tankertrashnav]

As this is the third thread on this I might as well give you a link to the one I started!

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/492564-advance-warning-bbc4-programme.html

Of special interest to ex V Force as they did a fair bit of interviewing at the V Force reunion at Newark in April.

[Rosevidney1]

We shall see the results of their efforts shortly. How many mistakes will it contain? Will those who point them out be labelled as pedants?
A phrase from the first century BC went:

“Invitat culpam qui peccatum praeterit” which roughly translates as “Pardon one error and you encourage the commission of many”.

Admittedly they did not have TV channels with long and inglorious records of cock-ups to dissect at their leisure!

[Wander00]

For night birds, it is repeated at 00silly tomorrow morning

[Rosevidney1]

As a matter of interest I only spotted 5 errors, a low number in 60 minutes airtime. Overall the program was very good.

[Tankertrashnav]

I enjoyed it too - spotted one or two of our contributors, including our own Victor Pilot at the controls at Bruntingthorpe (wheels remaining firmly on the runway on this occasion!)

I only spotted one error, Rosevidney, but I bow to your vastly superior expertise! ;)

[NutLoose]

Only five errors, it was worse than that..... I Spotted ME!!! :O:}



..

[27mm]

Not a bad effort, but sad to see the Bucc totally omitted....:sad:

[sangiovese.]

For a mainstream programme - I loved it. Even the Mrs was fascinated

Well done Beeb

[BEagle]

I thought it was a very well made programme, with some rare clips (e.g. the Meteor flying the 'Zurabatic Cartwheel' at Farnborough) and only a few minor errors. Although the account of John Derry's accident in the de Havilland 110 was somewhat inaccurate.

Good to see the genuine enthusiasm of pilots such as Norman Tebbit, John Farley and Tony Blackman - the don't make 'em like that these days!

I can't see elf 'n safety allowing such filming of that Avro 707 landing these days though....:hmm:

[green granite]

Very enjoyable programme, as has been said one or two minor errors but hey it's a huge subject with sometimes subtle nuances to get right.

I too would love to see a programme about the experimental stuff although we did see a couple last night.

Someone said "no Bucc", there was no Swift, gnat or hawk either

[Pontius Navigator]

They got the wing span of the Victor 2 half right :)

[spekesoftly]

there was no Swift, gnat or hawk either

The Folland Midge is seen taking off about 15 minutes into the programme.

I suggest that the Hawk was too modern (first flew 1974) for inclusion in a programme covering the 1950s and 60s.

[jindabyne]

The absence of the Buccaneer was a huge omission in what was, otherwise, an excellent production. IMHO

[green granite]

I suggest that the Hawk was too modern (first flew 1974) for inclusion in a programme covering the 1950s and 60s.

True but as they were chuntering on about the last all British fighter and the Hawk although a trainer is also capable of being a fighter.

[Dockers]

There were some brief passing shots of both the Swift and Buccaneer. So brief, it was easy to miss them.

[rab-k]

Watch here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01m81f5/Jet%21_When_Britain_Ruled_the_Skies_Military_Marvels/)

[Whenurhappy]

No I can't. I live outside of the the United Kingdom, see?

[chopd95]

Just watched on iplayer (thanks for the heads-up) - excellent aeroplanes and even more excellent people. A fitting accompaniment to "Empire of the Clouds"

[JFZ90]

I thought it was rather good. Liked the way they rightly celebrated the export of Canberra and Harrier to the US and the achievement it was. Generally it reflected the good and bad in a balanced way that rang true, and struck the right chord on TSR-2, too.

Whenurhappy - you need expat shield - works a treat here (I'm not in UK).

[Willard Whyte]

Maybe the BBC thought the Buc was so ugly people would switch off?



Stands back and waits...

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

I thought it was above average for the telly. Almost subliminal image planting but a nice fleeting shot of the Boulton Paul P111. Did I miss the Fairey D2 and the "faster than the Sun" world airspeed record? They could have fed a few seconds of Short's SB5 for the Lightning bit and the SC1 for the Kestrel. There again, you'd then have to mention the Sperrin in the V Bomber story. Maybe the programme was too short. It didn't really give the impression of all the different jet types we had at the time.

Overall, :D and :ok:.

[Wander00]

Overall, and within the constraints of an hour's programme, pretty good. Only grumble is that although I like Barbara Flynn as an actress, not the best voice-over for this one.

[lasernigel]

Thanks for the link to i player. Just watched it, memories of going to Avro's as a kid to the Christmas parties.

Classic comment.."You shouldn't roll a bomber it's inappropriate" !:ok:

[exMudmover]

Green Granite

... the Hawk although a trainer is also capable of being a fighter.

Really? Just remind me how fast it went with a couple of 'Winders and a gun. How many wartime targets do you expect to catch at that speed?

[Tankertrashnav]

The filming at Newark was done by a BBC team led by Ellie James, who seemed very keen that the programme had as much input as possible from people who had actually flown and serviced the aircraft. I thought I would let her know the reactions on here so I have just emailed her


You may recall I was one of the organisers of the V Force reunion at Newark in April.

I just thought you'd like to know that the programme screened on Wednesday had a very good reception among a very critical audience on the Military Aircrew section of the PPRuNe internet forum. These chaps are not easily pleased and have an eagle eye for errors, nor in general is the BBC usually flavour of the month, being regarded by many of them as a dangerous left-wing organisation! However they were generous in their praise of the programme, and I personally enjoyed it very much.

Congratulations to you and to all concerned


Actually Ellie has subsequently left the BBC so I have copied the email to her successor, and I hope it is also forwarded to her wherever she has gone

[Pontius Navigator]

Did I miss the Fairey D2 and the "faster than the Sun" world airspeed record? They could have fed a few seconds of Short's SB5 for the Lightning bit and the SC1 for the Kestrel. There again, you'd then have to mention the Sperrin in the V Bomber story. Maybe the programme was too short. It didn't really give the impression of all the different jet types we had at the time.

Overall, :D and :ok:.

GBZ, in a word, yes. The FD2 and the Shorts both featured in footage although they didn't mention the world speed record bit was that the bit you meant?

What I didn't see was the HP115.

[BEagle]

Tankertrashnav, there were 2 lady journos with the various film luvvies at Winthorpe - was Ellie James the fair-haired one with the friendly smile? She was certainly keen that this would be an above average production and has certainly succeeded, in my view.

PN - there were indeed many R&D aircraft in the '50s that could have been included. But the programme included glimpses of the Avro 707B, Boulton Paul P111, DH108, English Electric P1, Fairey FD1 and FD2, Folland Midge, Hawker P1052 & P1127, Short Sherpa & SC1, Supermarine 510, 535 & 541 - plus engine development aircraft such as the Nene Viking, Olympus Canberra and Sapphire Canberra. So I don't think we did too badly!

But unfortunately no Saunders Roe SR53, Blackburn NA39 or Bristol T188 (except as a backdrop photo).

Perhaps the HP115 and BAC221 will feature in the next programme, if it includes Concorde?

[SOSL]

Loved it! But it would have been better with what's her name and her suspenders.

Rgds SOS

[chopd95]

Thanks Beags, Brizzle T188 ( Flaming Pencil ) was the one that ever diminishing grey cells couldn't recall. Though CMIIW (forgive txt speak learnt from no 3 sprog), one can drool over it at Cosford?
My view was that the programme achieved a reasonable balance between men and machines, both were magnificent.
Also the "cutaway drawings" from the Eagle etc - must be many of us of a certain age that were enticed into aviation by all such?
Were the "Paddy Payne" exploits in Lion or Tiger ?

[Courtney Mil]

So should Mrs C and I come to B'thorpe on Sunday?