"Airline Pilot" film

[fireflybob]

In the late 1960s BOAC/BEA made a film called "Airline Pilot" which traced a pilots training at the College of Air Training at Hamble to conversion to the VC10 at PIK.

Does anyone know if this film is available anywhere?

Thanks for any help.

[XL5]

It was available in VHS the best part of a decade ago, also contains footage of the introduction of the L-1011 into BA's fleet. It was actually one of a series (about five in total?) released to the commercial video market. I've searched for it in DVD - no joy.

[390cruise]

Hi Guys

There was a previous thread that stated a DVD was available.

IF you have no luck I will copy my (poor quality) VHS.

390

[Captain Airclues]

'Airline Pilot' was produced by BOAC in 1968. it follows the progress of Steve Radcliffe from initial selection to flying on his first trip to India and Singapore. Steve was the youngest pilot ever to join BOAC. The filming actually started during Steve's simulator training on the VC10 and followed him to Shannon where he did his base training. Some 40 landings were carried out in those days as well as upper (and extremely lower) airwork (I remember it well!). There are some lovely air to air shots of the VC10 which has to be one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built.
After base training the film follows Steve on his first trip with Captain Phil Hart-Lovelace who was one of the nicest guys and most competent trainers that you could ever meet (as well as a war hero).
As the filming only started during the sim course, all of the shots at Hamble were staged, including the selection and Steve's 'first solo'. Steve had a great time flying the Chippy and the Baron without the pressures of the course. The cadets in the bar were on the course at the time of the filming. They all retired from BA several years ago.
Steve was a very good friend and I shared a flat with him and two other pilots for a couple of years. Sadly he died in an accident in Spain in 1971 (not aviation related).
The film will be shown at the College of Air Training reunion at Hamble on 11th May.

Airclues

[fireflybob]

The film will be shown at the College of Air Training reunion at Hamble on 11th May

AirClues, could you let me have details of the reunion? Thanks

[rondon9897]

Hello all, I was the guy that posted the original query about the original AP film.

First of all there were TWO films, the first one was made when the used the Chippies for ab initio training and the second one was an update when they used the PA 28s. Both films seemed to follow the same theme, i think. Both films were available in 16 mm and were shewn at flying clubs etc one I think was shown on TV.

As a result of my first post someone suggested I try BENSONS for a copy of the film and they did in fact have it listed and i ordered it only to be told it was then not available.

I think someone mentioned the type of a/c used for jet conversion in the first film--I seem to remember it was a VC10 at Shannon that was used for circuits and the look on the first officer's face when he landed it for the first time is very memorable and the only thing i remember from both films!!
These two films are an important historical record of BA and Hamble and should be widely availlable, so can interested parties put the word out at the re-union and get these films in circulation.

regards to all

[fireflybob]

rondon9897, thanks for that - I have still not managed to source a copy. I had not realised there were two versions - the only one I have seen is the Chipmunk version.

[Albert Driver]

Bob
The film was included in the British Airways Great British Airline Classics series of videos from the BA Archive Collection, produced by A.R.T. Film & Video, i-Mex House, 6 Wadsworth Road, Perivale, Middx, UB6 5BB, released in 1992 and still to be found in one or two of the less popular aviation museum shops quite recently.

[cardmaker]

Found a boxed set on Ebay currently going for £374!!!

[magpienja]

Wow this one goes back a bit,

AIRLINE PILOT - BOAC , 40790 - YouTube

[Mike6567]

There is a boxed set (Great British Airline Classics VHS) on ebay at present - "Buy it now" £60.

Note: I am not sure how well these VHS tapes last. I have Volume 7 and 8 of the above and they no longer play properly.

[PPRuNe Pop]

Like all magnetic tapes they do deteriorate. Some of mine are getting poor and that is true of music too. Sad fact of life I am sorry to say.

[joy ride]

Thanks for that great link, magpienja!
On a vaguely similar theme I bought an excellent DVD from Video 125 (from ebay or Amazon) which is a collection of 6 "Look at Life" films called Civil Aviation, highly recommended! The "Spirit of Brooklands" film looks at the VC 10 and "City of the Air" looks at Heathrow. There are some lovely period shots throughout the films and include such sights as the lovely BEA split-level airport coaches.

[mmitch]

There was a BBC film made in the 1960s, I believe called 'The Pilots'.
It featured a BOAC crew flying a 707 out to the Far East and BEA pilots on their more 'local' ones. It was made by Richard Cawston before he made 'Royal Family' I believe. Has anybody ever seen it available on DVD?
Google only throws up a previous enquiry several years ago....
mmitch.

[PAXboy]

Thanks for poasting magpienja. The one item of information that brought me up short was very early on. As the new boy starts his line training, the narrator tells us that the aircraft will soon be on it's way with "112 passengers" WOW!!!! That really tells you how few they were!

[Espada III]

I suppose that demonstrates the power of economies of scale. A Boeing 757 crosses the Atlantic with more passengers for less fuel than the 707 or VC10. Hence lower fares.

[fireflybob]

I like this clip from the halcyon days of airline flying - also interesting how eloquent the crew members are relating their experiences:-

BOAC Boeing 707 Crews

[fireflybob]

mmitch, take a look here you might unearth a copy (if you do please let me know as I would also like one):-

The Pilots (http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/376303-bbc-film-pilots-2.html)

There was a BBC film made in the 1960s, I believe called 'The Pilots'.
It featured a BOAC crew flying a 707 out to the Far East and BEA pilots on their more 'local' ones. It was made by Richard Cawston before he made 'Royal Family' I believe. Has anybody ever seen it available on DVD?
Google only throws up a previous enquiry several years ago....
mmitch.

[mmitch]

Fireflybob. Many thanks for that link.
mmitch.

[ZOOKER]

I'm fairly sure that 'The Pilots' was part of the 'Tuesday Documentary' series of programmes. I remember watching it in 1968 or '69.

[Slats One]

The training Capt in the Shannon sequences was Tom Stoney - ex RAF Bomber Command and BOAC Comet fleet. Wonderful chap so they say. In the LHR -SIN run film footage the SFO went on to be a well known name at BA 7474 fleet. Another good bloke.

Stunning film footage and the sounds of the Conways howling made me emotional.

Ah, wonderful years and I was a boy.

[PAXboy]

Just trying to imagine the cost of a machine off the line, + training crew + fuel + SNN costs for a WEEK??? :uhoh:

[fireflybob]

Just trying to imagine the cost of a machine off the line, + training crew + fuel + SNN costs for a WEEK???

a) It was a State airline with UK Government adding huge amounts!

b) Fuel was cheap.

c) They believed in given pilots proper Terms and Conditions in those days.

[cardmaker]

If anyone is interested, my father "Joe" Douglas was an instructor at Hamble from 1963 to 1974 and I have a photo of some of the instructors.

[Al R]

Periscope is a great resource, I could watch if for hours. And do. :{

Airline Pilot.

https://archive.org/details/40790HDAirlinePilotBOAC

[Chris Scott]

Just trying to imagine the cost of a machine off the line, + training crew + fuel + SNN costs for a WEEK??? :uhoh:
In case PAXboy is still interested in a response five years on (!), the fuel was somewhat cheaper in those days, and of course - to be tactful - money and profitability were not a critical problem for state-owned BOAC...

Captain Airclues succinctly describes (post #4, above) the background to the making of this historic documentary in 1968. It's not entirely surprising that Stephen Radcliffe, having come straight off the Piper Aztec (?) that Hamble was using for its Instrument Rating exercises in the late 1960s, would need about 40 landings on VC10 base-training before - as I understand it - starting route (line) training on revenue flights. The VC10 simulator at Cranebank was fine for instrument flying and systems training. But flying a visual approach and landing using the black hole-style visual display - for which a CCTV camera was being "flown" over a model of an aerodrome traffic zone - was something of a nightmare and certainly not representative of the delightful VC10.

In those days, as even today, it was uncommon for a cadet to come straight out of flying school and light twin-pistons into the right-hand seat of one of the largest long-haul jets. (IIRC, BEA were taking cadets with the same experience out of flying school on to the much "hotter", less-forgiving Trident.) The independents demanded much more flying experience, although they took pilots with a wide range of backgrounds and ages, and arguably with a less-rigorous selection procedure. The most experienced British independent in the late 1960s was BUA, which sponsored cadets to the AST flying school at Perth (Scone). (At the peak of its cadet requirements in the late 'Sixties, BEA/BOAC also had courses at Perth, as well as at Oxford.)

BUA cadets graduating with a basic CPL and IR at that time were invariably seconded to associate companies. The most common was BUAF on Bristol Freighters, but a few went to Mortons on Herons and Dakotas, and a handful to BUA(CI) or BUA(Manx) on Dart Heralds. Those fleets provided valuable handling and route experience for several years before a conversion to the BAC 1-11 with BUA itself. My own experience involved waiting over 3 years and over 2000 hours on Herons, Dakotas and Dart Heralds before an atypical conversion to P2 on the VC10. The conversion from the Herald to the VC10 included less than 10 hours and fewer than 20 landings. In 1971 Base training was still all done at Gatwick (imagine that today!), as we only had 4 a/c and the training had to be fitted into the aircraft plot for our passenger schedules. We did the medium and high-altitude work (stalls, Dutch rolls, etc.) over the west country.

[Jn14:6]

Hamble used the Piper Apache in those days, not Aztecs. Later replaced by the delightful Beech Baron.