"Command" Films

[Dick Whittingham]

IIRC in the early '60s CAS decided that each RAF Command should produce a short film encapsulating their task. Whatever happened to the films?

Dick

[Herod]

In my time "Star Trek" (the originals series) was considered required viewing on any Transport Command LHS course.

[Dick Whittingham]

I declare my hand. I know a Flying Training film was made - I was involved in various ways - and I know it was used. I never heard of the others, if they were ever made.

Dick

[Bill Macgillivray]

Dick, you may get more joy on the Military Forum. I vaguely remember the FTC one but, like yourself, am uncertain about the other Commands.

Happy New Year, Bill :ok::ok:

[Ron Cake]

I too recall the FTC Command film from the early 1960's. It was a 16 mm colour film that ran for about 25 minutes and followed the progress of three aircrew candidates (Plt, Nav and AEO) from selection through to the award of 'wings'.

The pilot 'trainee' was played by a QFI from CFS named 'Dick Whittington' or something similar. His was the leading role which was meant to portray as a square jawed, steely eyed fighter pilot type. The two co-stars were meant to provide contrasting personalities - the Nav, a rather jolly and slightly oafish type who was always good for a jape and the AEO, a bookish nerd whose idea of fun was to lay on his bed reading books about wave guide theory.

For obvious reasons, most of the film covered pilot training and there was some excellent footage of JP flying. The few Varsity shots were done on the ground. To simulate the effects of being airborne someone was positioned on the wing with an arc light and told to shine it through a fuselage window and rock it about.

Looking back the whole thing seems a bit naff, but but it was probably a fair portayal of FTC at the time.

For many years I held a copy (which had unaccountably come into my possession) But I lost track of it. Perhaps it's still in the loft of some long sold off married quarter waiting to be discovered by a future historian

[bingofuel]

I have seen some DVD's titled 'Royal Air Force -The unseen films' which cover various decades, possibly some of the films you recall may be on one or other of these.