Gerry Anderson, Thunderbirds creator, dies

[CoffmanStarter]

Sad news ...

Whilst not Military Aviation ... Gerry must have inspired many youngsters back in the 60's and 70's to get in to aviation with all his futuristic flying machines ... from Super Car, Fireball XL5 and Thunderbirds along with many more TV21 creations.

http://pipedreamsfromtheshire.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/gerry_anderson.jpg

Gerry served with the RAF on National Service.

FAB Gerry ...

[NutLoose]

And some of those designers must have taken inspiration from him to get into aircraft design...... RIP, you formed a major part of my youth.




..

[air pig]

And the Angels as well ...

[P6 Driver]

Gerry Anderson was called up for National Service in 1947 with the RAF and started his time at RAF Wilmslow in Cheshire. He was sent to RAF Cranwell to train as a Radio Operator and on passing out as an LAC, was posted to RAF Manston.

LAC Anderson worked in the VHF/DF section on the south side of the airfield, assisting in bringing in aircraft using QGH procedures. He also spent much time in Air Traffic Control where he monitored one of four radio channels. When talking to him about me writing a newsletter article about his career back in 2006, He could even recall in one of our conversations that the frequency he monitored most was 118.1.

He was promoted to Corporal while at Manston and left the RAF in 1949, returning to work for Gainsborough Pictures.

His brother, Lionel, served as a pilot during WW2 and was killed on his second tour of operations when his Mosquito was shot down over Holland on 27th April 1944. Flight Sergeant Anderson was 22 years old.

When I spoke to Gerry, he had a genuine fondness about his time in the RAF and came over as a complete gentleman.

[NutLoose]

SIG....... :(

[Onceapilot]

Thankyou for those great, inspiring and forward looking themes that inspired my youth.
Sadly missed!

OAP

[The Old Fat One]

RIP

A bit ahead of his time as well

Got JATO, ski jump and female aircrew in the 60's

Fireball XL5 - Start & Theme Song - YouTube

[CoffmanStarter]

NutLoose, TOFO ...

You are both so right ... whilst difficult to know who exactly inspired who ... but the UFO Skydiver looks so Fiat G91

http://davidszondy.com/future/UFO/skyOne1-M.jpg

Not to mention that the Angel Interceptor probably provided some of the DNA for the Tiffy

http://captainscarlet.sfdaydreams.com/angel1.jpg

[Tashengurt]

Not to mention that the Angle Interceptor probably provided some of the DNA for the Tiffy

It's certainly acute looking aircraft.

I'll get my coat.

[Dan Gerous]

Bought the complete Thunderbirds on DVD years ago, must dig it out again. Being a bit of a saddo I can't help looking to see which aircraft kits have had parts used in making the futuristic airframes. Funny also, how anything crashing would manage to hit the only building for miles. There is a lot of stuff in them that would be so uncorrect and never seen in anything made these days. :E

Thanks Gerry.:ok:

[NutLoose]

see which aircraft kits have had parts

Hey I do that, like the Millennium Falcon in Blade Runner :)

[Tashengurt]

Funnily enough, my son was given a Thunderbirds DVD by his grandparents for Christmas. I think we'll have to watch it together!:8

[Milo Minderbinder]

20 years or so ago I went to a special screening at a local "arthouse" cinema of "Thunderbirds are Go" and was shocked to hear that they were screening the ONLY surviving film copy
Even then it was badly patched together and broke twice during the performance, requiring instant taping together.

[CoffmanStarter]

Thanks Tashengurt :ok: tooooo much port yesterday !

[just another jocky]

Certainly an inspiration for a generation of us. I was an avid fan of all his productions in my youth and would still happily while away an hour today watching any of them.

Sad.

[Plastic Bonsai]

NL:"And some of those designers must have taken inspiration from him to get into aircraft design...."

Why yes... yes they did...

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff347/Plastic_Bonsai/aaaaa_zpsed5f660f.jpg]

Not by me but by an extremely talented friend.

[ORAC]

yeah, but there are spaceships and subs and spaceships and subs..... :E

http://www.ufo-contact.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Submarine-Jet-Liner-in-Dry-Dock.jpeg

[ShyTorque]

Not to mention how many future RAF policemen he must have inspired with "Four Feather Falls" and "Torchy the Battery Boy".

[Gene Genie]

I found an episode of Joe 90 on you tube the other day, my 5 year old lad was mesmerised by it; oh the memories of my youth. Last time I took GG jr flying he was convinced he was in TB 2!

Thanks Gerry for being such a huge part if not only my youth, but of my son's too.

FAB!

[NutLoose]

Then for £14 you can make a 5 year old happy.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Joe-90-Complete-Series-Box/dp/B00006FI5Z/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356633390&sr=8-1

[Gene Genie]

Thanks Nutloose, that's top banana! It won't just be jr whose chuffed with that...

GG

[tartare]

Many hours spent as a kid in pyjamas after dinner watching Joe 90/Thunderbirds/Stingray/Supercar etc.
Wonderfully imaginative stuff.
Have often wished that the next Peter Jackson film(s) would be a live action Thunderbirds - rather than that awful piece of American dross a few years ago.
He's about the only filmaker at the moment with the vision to be able to capture the fascination with technology, flight and atomic age futurism that made and still makes the original Thunderbirds such a great watch.
RIP Gerry.

[NutLoose]

Some good news,

UFO the movie is on the way

UFO - Official Movie Site (http://www.ufo-themovie.com/shado/)

As is

Space 2099

Why Space: 2099 Won't Be a "Dark and Gritty" Reboot of Space: 1999 (http://io9.com/5884500/why-space-2099-wont-be-a-dark-and-gritty-reboot-of-space-1999)

Can't keep a good idea down :)


..

[Kitbag]

NL, sadly that UFO site doesn't seem to have changed in the last 2 years apart from moving the release date back on a regular basis.

I would love to see both these projects come to fruition and not in the way Thunderbirds was bastardised. I guess the exemplar for Anderson was the update of Captain Scarlet which certainly worked for me

[Navaleye]

I am very sorry to hear of Gerry Anderson's death. My fav series was always UFO. I bought the remastered DVDs when they came out. He was a way ahead of his time and he has gone to join most of the great characters that made his programmes great such as Ed Bishop, Michael Billington and many others. It was a long time ago. He provoked my interest in aviation as a boy as I am sure he did for many others here.

RIP Gerry, gone but far from forgotten.

Navaleye

[brokenlink]

Very sorry to hear of his passing, a visionary if ever there was one.

Think I have still got some of the J90 toys somewhere, must re-aquaint myself with them.

[CoffmanStarter]

Just for you Navaleye :ok:

http://www.sixtiescity.com/Ufo/uf16.jpg

[Biggus]

I seem to remember that some of the female uniforms worn on Skydiver were very revealing....certainly of great interest to a teenage boy!!

[NutLoose]

Biggus your imagining things, see, nothing revealing about that!

http://bp2.blogger.com/_2hwiLzOjm6M/R3LIThYM1ZI/AAAAAAAAHsE/I11kbrarjzQ/s320/skyOp-T.jpg

[CoffmanStarter]

Nutters old chap ... suggest you pop down to Specsavers :8

Clearly modelled on the standard issue RAF Fire Fighters String Vest :E

[Geezers of Nazareth]

Nutloose, that pics a bit small, any chance you could make it a bit larger. Some of used who are getting on in years can't see small pictures like that.

Maybe make it full screen-width, there's a good chap; I'm sure you will be thanked.

[NutLoose]

Hello.... It's for you

http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1339/539984611_6148e2456e_z.jpg?zz=1

Georgina Moon who played Lt Sylvia Howell

http://www.scifibabes.co.uk/images/GeorginaMoon.jpg

[ORAC]

They weren't really officers, it was just a titular title.....

[Navaleye]

I met Peter Gordeno (AKA Captain Carlin) when he was doing cabaret on the QE2 in the late 80s. He told me how much fun it was to work on UFO and what a hard task master Gerry Anderson was. UFO was far too complicated for American audiences and they never understood it, although we did. The third series never happened and turned into Space 1999. The first episode "Breakaway" was the best, but both still attract a huge following. I hope the new UFO movie gets made. I'm not holding my breath.

Happy 2013 to all here.

Navaleye