High Flight

[XN593]

A heads up for the film High Flight on Talking Pictures tonight, 13th October at 17:15
A brief extract from Wikipedia says:-
The film was made at various RAF airfields including Cranwell and Leuchars and released in 1957.
A group of flight cadets arrive at RAF Cranwell to begin a three-year training course to become RAF pilots...The use of RAF Percival Provost piston and De Havilland Vampire T.11 jet training aircraft and operational Hawker Hunter fighter aircraft heightened the authenticity of the film.......One Hunter was converted into a "PR" camera platform, specially modified at great cost, to carry a forward-facing Cinemascope camera. A screen was drawn on the front windscreen of the camera Hunter with a Chinagraph crayon. The pilot was instructed to fill the windscreen with aircraft​​​​​​.
It​​​​​ is on Freeview 81, Freesat 306 and Sky 328

[Wander00]

I hate to admit it, but one of the footprints on the way to my wanting a cadetship at Cranwell. mind you, I have never regretted the decision

[Dutystude]

I hate to admit it, but one of the footprints on the way to my wanting a cadetship at Cranwell. mind you, I have never regretted the decision

Me also.

I watch this this now and then on YouTube.

[radar101]

A heads up for the film High Flight on Talking Pictures tonight, 13th October at 17:15
A brief extract from Wikipedia says:-
The film was made at various RAF airfields including Cranwell and Leuchars and released in 1957.
A group of flight cadets arrive at RAF Cranwell to begin a three-year training course to become RAF pilots...The use of RAF Percival Provost piston and De Havilland Vampire T.11 jet training aircraft and operational Hawker Hunter fighter aircraft heightened the authenticity of the film.......One Hunter was converted into a "PR" camera platform, specially modified at great cost, to carry a forward-facing Cinemascope camera. A screen was drawn on the front windscreen of the camera Hunter with a Chinagraph crayon. The pilot was instructed to fill the windscreen with aircraft​​​​​​.
It​​​​​ is on Freeview 81, Freesat 306 and Sky 328
Watch out for the landing at the end - it starts over the N German plains and ends at Nicosia airport with my dad ( Happy 92nd birthday today Dad) as part of the rescue team. I spent many happy hours sitting in that “blood wagon” reading a huge stack of American comics.

[pulse1]

I recently met at a party a chap who learned in that era and in those aircraft as a National Service pilot. I'm hoping to take him flying soon even though our combined ages are 162. Another link to the film for me is that an old friend's uncle was the main camera man for the film, spending many hours in the back of a Beverly.

[Haraka]

As I have recorded before, one A Squadron Towers Flight Commander in '68 (Keith Williamson) himself starred as a Flt.Cdt. in 'High Flight".
(Or rather his boots did ,marching up and down)

[DeepestSouth]

Slight but I hope excusable thread drift. A book I read recently 'The Cry of the Jets' by John Du Cane (that was his nom de plume real name John Wilkinson) deals with almost exactly that same period. It is a novel but is very closely based on his experiences as a Flight Cadet and junior pilot before branching off into politics and life as an MP. Before my time but some PPruners may have known him. If you enjoy the film (as I do) you'll almost certainly enjoy the book - at least until it slopes off into Cold War skulduggery and some very un-officer-like conduct.

[Tankertrashnav]

Quite apart from the aircraft in it, there are some great cars including a MkVII or IX Jaguar and an Austin A99 Atlantic, which is quite a rare beast.

Got it set up to watch later, that's my Saturday night sorted. Mrs TTN can read her book!

[Pontius Navigator]

As I have recorded before, one A Squadron Towers Flight Commander in '68 (Keith Williamson) himself starred as a Flt.Cdt. in 'High Flight".
(Or rather his boots did ,marching up and down)
I think just before this, as a wealthy bachelor, he treated himself to Jensen Interceptor. It was being delivered to the Mess but was written off before delivery. He was not best pleased.

[Wander00]

So which Entry's Graduation featured. Just watched, end was a tadge cheesy but by standards of other aviation based movies, not bad. Hope in reality they inserted the seat pins before rescuing him

[Dora-9]

By coincidence I've just watched (and enjoyed) it again. A markings question - note how the Provosts sport the Cranwell blue fuselage band but not the usual yellow trainer wing bands (the same markings, or lack of them, applied to the initial batch of Chipmunks too) but the Vampires have both the blue fuselage (tail boom in this case) and yellow wing bands. Can anyone offer an explanation please?

[k3k3]

The film will be broadcast again this coming Friday at 1815.

[Tankertrashnav]

Just watched, end was a tadge cheesy but by standards of other aviation based movies, not bad. Hope in reality they inserted the seat pins before rescuing him

Oh come on Wander00, be honest, it was a load of old tosh from beginning to end, although admittedly it was enjoyable tosh. I noticed the pins too, but if you had been making notes of errors you would be have been well down the second page of your A4 pad by then. The pilot failing to recover from hypoxia after several minutes (never mind several seconds) at low level was a classic one.

Great Hunter shots though. I can never make up my mind if the Hunter or the Victor B1 was the most elegant post war RAF aircraft - Hunter by a short head I think.

Oh and Mrs TTN put her book down and said she enjoyed the film.

[sycamore]

Dont`cha just love that mournful wail(blue note) of the Hunters doing aeros...don`t remember hearing it in the jet.....
Thought Section Commander Harvey might have been in it to keep Beagle happy...!!
Great flying by all the guys involved.....

[99 Change Hands]

Well that was great fun, thanks for the 'heads-up,' the locations and the camera-ship info. Some lovely low flying, loved the pairs approach for the wheels-up landing.

[BEagle]

The first time I saw High Flight was in 1968 on a small screen B&W TV at the De Parys Guest House in Bedford, where a number of us were being accommodated during our Flying Scholarship course at Cranfield. Every so often we'd have to put a coin in the meter attached to the TV, which meant we missed parts of the film. But now I have a copy of High Flight on DVD, which is of much higher quality than the rather washed-out version showed on Talking Pictures TV yesterday. A pity that they didn't use a better copy.

'Section Officer Harvey' would have been about 18 when the film was made :ok: , but was at RADA at the time.

If you watch the clip of the single seat Vampire taking off, it actually clips the grass before only just missing the camera crew. The low flying Provost shots were astonishing - imagine the nanny state allowing such things these days!

[Lima Juliet]

There is a copy on YouTube - no need to wait until next week.

https://youtu.be/8l4byhJVA8o

[MPN11]

YouTube will now occupy a wet and windy morning ... thanks for the tips!

[Wander00]

A few changes between single seat and 2 seat Vampires too. Seemed an odd time for the Hunter blue note - thought had to be fast and low level

[MPN11]

One could criticise 'continuity' on several occasions, including the 1 Sqn Hunter joining 43's. However, as a bit of 'period PR fluff' it was quite enjoyable. Made a change from reading Forums on a Sunday morning. :)

[Tankertrashnav]

Seemed an odd time for the Hunter blue note - thought had to be fast and low level

Yes, I never forget seeing and hearing a Hunter of 20 Squadron doing a fast overflight at Kai Tak in 1968, producing that amazing noise. A lot of onlookers holding their breath as he hurtled towards Lion Rock then pulled up at seemingly the last moment.

But now I have a copy of High Flight on DVD, which is of much higher quality than the rather washed-out version showed on Talking Pictures TV yesterday. A pity that they didn't use a better copy.


I heard an item on the radio where the bloke who owns the station was saying that he is always on the lookout for material, and even buys cine film clips from ebay. He may well be interested in a superior copy.

[AARON O'DICKYDIDO]

I was a patch kid at Cranwell when this film was being made. Lots of teenagers from the MQ patch were included as extras for the crown scenes. At the time my dad was working at Barkston Heath on Provost aircraft.


Aaron.

[radar101]

Hope in reality they inserted the seat pins before rescuing him

The rescue was filmed using an old wreck used for fire practice so no pins - no explosives.

[MPN11]

The rescue was filmed using an old wreck used for fire practice so no pins - no explosives.
Fond memories of the 'new' Meteor fire practice airframe at Manby. All the fire Crews were braced for the exercise, but sadly Plt Off Arthur ***** had left the signal Very pistol in the Landrover. By the time he got it, fired the Red cartridge, and the Crash Crew got there it was almost self-extinguished wreckage. i guess they got another one later.

[Lukeafb1]

Two of my Flight Commanders (Not at the same time!) were extras on the film and were held back from leave to take part with a monetary bribe. Later a good friend of mine told me that he had also been roped in as an extra and spent some time with Anthony Newley during filming. He was in the scene where Newley sings the "Open Boat Song"

[Finningley Boy]

I mentioned the filming of High Flight in Northern 'Q', the runway resurfacing at Leuchars over the period caused some problems along with the weather, I wonder if that's how they ended up doing some filming in Cyprus. I'm sure they made two versions, one in B & W which included some footage of the Farnborough air show from 1956 which, of course, included the display by 43's Hunters. Obviously there's a great deal of continuity breaches throughout the film, i.e. the idea of all officer cadets being prospective pilots, all passing through training, entirely at Cranwell, then straight to the same Hunter Squadron somewhere and followed all the way through by the same CO, Wing Commander Ray MIlland and all drawn from within the first tourists to form the aerobatics team!

FB

[Rosevidney1]

It is necessary to suspend disbelief in the world of the cinema! ;)

[polecat2]

I saw it in colour at the cinema many years ago and it included the Farnborough display scenes. I remember because it showed a Valiant taking off using rocket-assisted take-off.

Polecat

[BEagle]

The DVD I have is actually a copy from the VHS tape I had at the time, made some 14 years ago.

At around 1 hr 20 min it shows a short segment from the Farnborough Air Show, which includes the Fairey Ultralight helicopter, the Fairey FD2, the Vulcan and a rocket-assisted take-off by the Valiant.

My memory was a little at fault - the DVD is only as good as you would expect from a VHS-to-DVD transfer of an off-air recording.

[polecat2]

Beagle,

Do you still have the VHS tape? There are quite a few companies who profess to do "professional standard" VHS to DVD conversion. You may have what could be one of a few surviving copies of the complete movie.

Polecat

[BEagle]

The original VHS tape must be over 21 years old now as I taped it from BSkyB's The Movie Channel, which rebranded in 1997. I'm not sure whether I taped it from BSB's original Marco Polo satellite or from Sky's Astra though. Probably the latter as my BSB receiver and 'squarial' became redundant at the end of 1992 and I took advantage of a year's free 'dual movies subscription' compensation offer soon after when I replaced my system with a Sky analogue system in early 1993.

I will not make any further copies though - I only made my own DVD-R for 'format convenience' in case my VCR died and anything else would undoubtedly infringe copyright.

[SASless]

Youtube has the full length film for viewing.....free.

I happened to watch it last night.....except for some nice video of Hunters in formation.....better appreciated with the audio muted.....I can. understand why it is free.

Later I watched a documentary on the Lightning.....and very much enjoyed that video.

Listening to the "Bee" and some of the other pilots talking of their experiences in the aircraft was very enjoyable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l4byhJVA8o

[SASless]

The Lightning Video from last night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w34PMS4QtM