View Full Version : Magnificent Men Movie
bottieburp
13th Sep 2002, 09:08
Can anybody tell me where the Antoinette replica - 'flown' by Edward Fox in the movie - is?
Rumour had it that it was in a museum in Ireland but this has yet to be verified.
Any information will be much appreciated.
LowNSlow
13th Sep 2002, 11:04
bb the 1910 Bristol Boxkite and 1911 Avro Triplane are at the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden. As for the rest ????
bottieburp
13th Sep 2002, 12:47
Hi LNS
THe Boxkite and Avro Triplane were pure nostalgia last weekend at OW.
The Demoiselle is in the reserve store at the RAF museum - the dinky little French machine with - it is rumoured - a max pilot weight of 7st (a slightly-built young lady flew it in the flm - name escapes me). It was looking pretty sorry for itself whern I saw it last year (like a few of the other 'exhibits'...). It was all in bits. No engine. didn't see the wings anywhere.
Wouldn't it be great if a/ the Antoinette could join the Edwardians at OW.
All of The Collectons edwardians flew. The Bleriot was wonderful!(THey even got the Lymne Trials English Electric Wren up to 50ft!) It is widely accepted that the last show was the best ever - I mean ever.
I haven't corrected my spealin because as soon as I try to do this I invariably lose the entire post. Why is this? It doesn't happen always but just enough to be annoying.
treadigraph
13th Sep 2002, 13:58
Think it was Joan Hughes who flew the Demoiselle.
I'd like to have been to the OW show - haven't seen the Edwardians fly yet.
Cheers
Treadders
If it's any help I saw the Antoinette, de-rigged, in a hangar at Redhill in Surrey in about 1972
Yes Treadders - It was indeed the one and only Joan Hughes who flew the Demoiselle in that great film.
LowNSlow
14th Sep 2002, 04:21
bb lucky you,'I live 30 mins from OW but my work/leave schedule has dictated that I miss pretty much every airshow this year. Rats. AH well, next year will be better........
Lowtimer
14th Sep 2002, 11:19
There was an excellent book by Air Commodore Allen Wheeler "Building Aeroplanes for 'Those Magnificent Men' ", published by G T Foulis & Co in 1965. Keep an eye open for it at the second-hand book stalls at airshows.
The Antoinette, despite its apparently conventional layout, was one of the trickier beasts to fly and they found the design really rather dodgy, both structurally, and aerodynamically. I imagine that's why it never turned up at Old Warden. Allen Wheeler reckoned that only a fairly dramatic redesign, to the extent that it would no longer be an Antoinette, would make it truly flyable in the way that the Blackburn, Boxkite, Avro Triplane and Bleriot designs were.
Joan Hughes was indeed the Demoiselle pilot on the grounds of weight as well as her undoubted finesse. She said it was an excellent and highly airworthy machine at the proper weight,. The performance with larger pilot was marginal, due to Santos Dumont, a diminutive eight-stoner, having designed it around himself. Incidentally, every time I see one of the earlier tailwheel Thruster microlights, or Propellerhead fame, it always reminds me of the Demoiselle.
N.B., the spine of the book makes it hard to spot on the shelf as it simply says "Building Aeroplanes - Wheeler"
Simtech
15th Sep 2002, 01:10
bb - Have to agree, the last display at Old Warden was superb - perfect weather and wonderful old aeroplanes. I even enrolled Mrs Simtech as a member of the SVAS! :D
Pity that the Sea Hurricane couldn't take part; apparently it had an argument with a patch of soft ground which resulted in minor damage to part of the undercarriage.
PLovett
15th Sep 2002, 03:56
As an aside, you may be interested to know that a technical college in Tasmania, Austalia is in the process of building two Bleriot monoplane replicas.
The engineering head at this college is an aviation enthusiast and designs his course structure around a project. One of his first efforts was to design and build a self-powered aircraft. They were able to do this succesfully and I believe the aircraft is now in the museum in Launceston, Tasmania.
Try this website for more information:
http://www.geocities.com/Pipeline/Ridge/2450/bleriot.htm
CurtissJenny
15th Sep 2002, 09:39
A Bristol Boxkite replica from the movie, as I understand it, a non-flying replica, came to Australia and these days is in the Australian Army Museum at oakey, Queensland.
A Demoislle from the movie also came to Australia. This one has made a few hops with a lightweight pilot. Current location unknown.
bottieburp
17th Sep 2002, 16:55
Still no luck on tracing the Antoinette??
Help please!
BottieBurp