Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
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Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
I have just written an email to the above UK TV channel to complain about the shoddy research and programme quality and now wish to catalogue some of the all too numerous cock ups and inaccuracies that abound, so that a fuller complaint can be sustained. I need your help!
Please post any howlers here, giving the nature of same, the programme and the time transmitted. For starters...
Ultimate Strike Aircraft, Sat Jan 14th @ 0415 (I know - head aching so can't sleep) Subject, 2 X F15 doing ACM, but lo!!! The no 2 suddenly becomes an F-14.
Come on chaps and chapesses. Lets' shame them.
Conan
Please post any howlers here, giving the nature of same, the programme and the time transmitted. For starters...
Ultimate Strike Aircraft, Sat Jan 14th @ 0415 (I know - head aching so can't sleep) Subject, 2 X F15 doing ACM, but lo!!! The no 2 suddenly becomes an F-14.
Come on chaps and chapesses. Lets' shame them.
Conan
Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
What bugs me most is when they try to use some modern videoclips in 'period' documentaries, rather than research the availability of genuine material. For example, in that 'Victors, Vulcans and Cuba' thing, most of the images were either of Victir tankers taken 30 yers later, or of '558 displaying. Surely there must be some period film stock available.
Though, that said, they did have a good weekend last year when they showed a few genuine old aviation documentaries.
Though, that said, they did have a good weekend last year when they showed a few genuine old aviation documentaries.
Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
A lot of dross, interspersed with a few good bits, like the "Classic British Aircraft" series from last year. The recent "building the A380" series was worth watching too, but they need to stop showing "Flightline" ("Hi, I'm Brendan O'Brian...."), and "An ex-RAF navigator flies..."
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Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
What bugs me is how they always refer to aircraft performance in meters and kilometers.
A service ceiling of 20,000 meters means nothing. Aircraft height is measured in Flight Levels or thousands of feet. Not meters, unless in Russia !!
The same with speed. Use knots or mach numbers.
And another thing that gets me is how so many USA programms are so biased towards them. But thats not just on this station I suppose.
And another thing. The timing of their programms is often wrong. The number of times I have set up the video on timer only to find that I have missed the start/end because the programm started late or early.
There you go, rant over but I do feel better now.
Clint.
A service ceiling of 20,000 meters means nothing. Aircraft height is measured in Flight Levels or thousands of feet. Not meters, unless in Russia !!
The same with speed. Use knots or mach numbers.
And another thing that gets me is how so many USA programms are so biased towards them. But thats not just on this station I suppose.
And another thing. The timing of their programms is often wrong. The number of times I have set up the video on timer only to find that I have missed the start/end because the programm started late or early.
There you go, rant over but I do feel better now.
Clint.
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Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
In a similar vein, the recent program on C5 about the development of the bomber had an (overlong) section on the amazing US Norden bombsight.
This allowed the USAAF to bomb with extraordinary accuracy etc. etc.
Yes indeed, the USAAF specialised in the Area Bombing of Precision Targets, while the RAF specialised in the Precision Bombing of Area Targets.
And as for introducing the B-17 as "the first strategic bomber"?
Weren't Wellintons, Stirlings and Halifaxes bombing Germany before the USA even entered the war? And weren't Lancasters in service before the B-17 arrived in Europe?
This allowed the USAAF to bomb with extraordinary accuracy etc. etc.
Yes indeed, the USAAF specialised in the Area Bombing of Precision Targets, while the RAF specialised in the Precision Bombing of Area Targets.
And as for introducing the B-17 as "the first strategic bomber"?
Weren't Wellintons, Stirlings and Halifaxes bombing Germany before the USA even entered the war? And weren't Lancasters in service before the B-17 arrived in Europe?
Last edited by Saab Dastard; 16th Jan 2006 at 21:47.
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Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
Keep it up folks. I would love to get this thread to fill up and have sent a nicely worded "teaser" to the channel asking for a point of contact. It would be good to hit them between the eyes with the responses of an at least nominally well educated audience.
The programme that I watched this morning and referred to in the initial post, had another two points worthy of mention. The Typhoon factory in Clogland was called "Preston Airbase" and for a programme called Ultimate Strike Fighters, the lead in/out was a piee of film showing the dramatic shot of the runway on take off shot from just behind a twin nosewheel, belonging to the doyen of Air superiority/strike aircraft, the much feared C-130.
This is just bone idle and shoddy research. Come on - Let us put together a good list for them
Conan
PS If you can, include the name of prog and the date/time of Tx. Many thanks!
The programme that I watched this morning and referred to in the initial post, had another two points worthy of mention. The Typhoon factory in Clogland was called "Preston Airbase" and for a programme called Ultimate Strike Fighters, the lead in/out was a piee of film showing the dramatic shot of the runway on take off shot from just behind a twin nosewheel, belonging to the doyen of Air superiority/strike aircraft, the much feared C-130.
This is just bone idle and shoddy research. Come on - Let us put together a good list for them
Conan
PS If you can, include the name of prog and the date/time of Tx. Many thanks!
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Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
I think the trusty zeppelins (lighter AND heavier than air) could lay claim to being the first strategic bombers - only about 20 years earlier than the B17!
I'll stick my name on the bottom of My Grubby's list re: units as well. 'pc' or not, aviation is mostly imperial...
I'll stick my name on the bottom of My Grubby's list re: units as well. 'pc' or not, aviation is mostly imperial...
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Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
A service ceiling of 20,000 meters means nothing. Aircraft height is measured in Flight Levels or thousands of feet. Not meters, unless in Russia !!
The same with speed. Use knots or mach numbers.
The same with speed. Use knots or mach numbers.
With all due respect all pilots would refer to performance figures in knots or mach but not all people who watch Discovery Wings are pilots. I am a pilot and find it easier to compare aircraft performance in knots but the SI unit for distance is the meter which makes it fall in line with all the engineers and the normal people out there!!
It is not fair to say that because D.Wings are reporting a speed, distance, time measurement in a format different to your own that it is incorrect; different agreed, but still correct. Hwever, I do agree that mistakes are and will continue to be made. But credit where it is due. Atleast it's better than the wife making you watch 3 hours of soaps!!!!!!!! I don't care what units they use, as long as they stop the repeats! It's only a matter of time before Emmerdale becomes the viewing of choice.
The Reverand
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Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
2320Z Sunday 15 Jan
"Aircraft that never flew"
Talking of the B707 and yet showing a DC8
Conan
"Aircraft that never flew"
Talking of the B707 and yet showing a DC8
Conan
Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
Having recently received "Discovery Wings" as a Christmas present (very thoughtful yet makes the MQ look more like a council house than before) I am disappointed with how often the shows are about custom cars - a few fins maybe but no wings! eg "RIDES" This is mis-selling. There are only 3 hours of aircraft shows each night (then repeated 9-12pm) so 2 hours of cars pretty much misleads. That is what the Discovery channel is for.......after American Chopper.
You have reminded me to contact Discovery Wings and complain.
You have reminded me to contact Discovery Wings and complain.
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Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
What I want to know is why when I settle down for an evening of being a sofa orientated anorak do I have to watch some mega sized earth mover or car prancing across my screen with not an airfield in sight.
Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
My favourite is in program about the Battle of Britain. When talking about the fighters that won the Battle you are treated to a clip of a Spit doing a wing over followed by a clip of a Hawker TYPHOON complete with rockets on the underwing racks. Oops, bit of time travel going on there boys and girls....
Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
The Flying Through Time episode on the F-104 is...er.... ahh... interesting.
Apparently, we should infer that the F-104 would be able to hand a good thrashing to the F-15 in WVR air-air combat. There were some other howlers (I'd have to subject myself to the programme again to remind myself what they were), but it suggested that someone had written the script using the Boys' Big Book of Aeroplanes as the key source.
While there was some decent contemporary footage of the F-104, the script was ill-informed tosh.
Apparently, we should infer that the F-104 would be able to hand a good thrashing to the F-15 in WVR air-air combat. There were some other howlers (I'd have to subject myself to the programme again to remind myself what they were), but it suggested that someone had written the script using the Boys' Big Book of Aeroplanes as the key source.
While there was some decent contemporary footage of the F-104, the script was ill-informed tosh.
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Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
This is useful stuff! Early days yet and no point of contact has been made known to me as yet, but the gaffes on "Wings" are so common, that it would be helpful to illustrate a goodly sample of them from a known and and plausible collection of critics.
I really don't know who the channel is targeted at, given the amateur quality of much of the programming (even that is when you find something aviation related these days.) Let's keep the thread going and have a body of evidence to present them with.
Conan
I really don't know who the channel is targeted at, given the amateur quality of much of the programming (even that is when you find something aviation related these days.) Let's keep the thread going and have a body of evidence to present them with.
Conan
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Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
Bus429 - I agree. I think 'Aircraft That Never Flew' is the wrong title - some of the ac were chopped after the prototype flew [eg, SARO 53]. Perhaps 'Aircraft Ideas That Never Made It' would be more appropriate...
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Re: Discovery Wings - The Cock ups.
Quote:
Yes indeed, the USAAF specialised in the Precision Bombing of Area Targets, while the RAF specialised in the Area Bombing of Precision Targets.
And as for introducing the B-17 as "the first strategic bomber"?
Weren't Wellintons and Stirlings bombing Germany before the USA even entered the war? And weren't Halifaxes and Lancasters in service before the B-17 arrived in Europe?
Some days I visit this site and simply shake my head at the pedantry, then I read the above statement, and ON ONE says anything!
I do note that it is running down the cousins, but that is no reason to be horridly inaccurate, or blatantly wrong, especially in a thread whose subject is shoddy research……
Regards,
W.B.
Yes indeed, the USAAF specialised in the Precision Bombing of Area Targets, while the RAF specialised in the Area Bombing of Precision Targets.
And as for introducing the B-17 as "the first strategic bomber"?
Weren't Wellintons and Stirlings bombing Germany before the USA even entered the war? And weren't Halifaxes and Lancasters in service before the B-17 arrived in Europe?
Some days I visit this site and simply shake my head at the pedantry, then I read the above statement, and ON ONE says anything!
I do note that it is running down the cousins, but that is no reason to be horridly inaccurate, or blatantly wrong, especially in a thread whose subject is shoddy research……
Regards,
W.B.