I'd love to Beags. In fact, there was talk within the Collection a year or so ago of getting him into the Boxkite for a hop or two, but I'm not sure why it fell through the net - I'll check.

On the subject of this weeks prog, I have to say, I wasn't too impressed. The recent progs have been good, informative and humorous, but the one on the jet was sadly lacking in substance. However, it'll not stop me liking the guy, or watching next week!

BTW HCE, the attributes of:

'pompous, sarcastic, self indulgent, racist, rude, untidy, tall, curly haired, ill informed, wears jeans with sports jacket, great easy job(s) and opprtunities but STILL f'#!"@@ing moans about how hard done to he is, thinks hes funny blah blah blah.'

were an asset on all the fighter Squadrons I've served on, so he can't be that bad.....can he..?

Airbedane.

Mmmmm, so they are the attributes that made the RAF the great fighting force it once was eh A ??
I presume you were a single seater - should have expected that from you lot!!

If he went to OW he would probably bemoan the lack of leg room in the box kite or the fact that the wren does 0-60 in only, well it doesnt actually do 60 but either way he'd probably throw up.

Nah, leave him on the ground in his leggy sports cars squealing round corners and queue jumping to get a Ford GT40!!

Just realised his initials are the same as my favourite expletive when I see his ugly mug on the box!

Too right it was single seat - would you share a cockpit with anyone like that.........?

;) :D ;)

A

I'm with Beags on this one.

I think a lot of you are missing the point. He's giving out a bit bit of historty that someone with no idea will understand and find interesting, hence a bit of humour. Can you imagine how dull and mind blowingly boring a programme about the development of the jet engine would be? I can because I had to sit through lectures about it during Basic Flying Training.

I thought the bit about the naming of the Comet was hilarious - but then, I am warped.

I also think it's unfair to label him racist. That's what PC idiots mistake for patriotism and pride in being English.

Reichman

Reichman..... Quite!

And let's all not forget (dare I say it) that there is supposed to be an element of entertainment in such programmes, which I think was provided.

Jeremy Clarkson also showed how to make the best 'Mess Cannon' I've ever seen on an earlier programme in the series.

Spolied brat presenter? No - just someone with a wicked, nay 'aircrew' sense of humour and genuine enthusiasm for the subjects he reports on. His 'Meet the neighbours' series was excellent - the piece in the replica East German hotel was hilarious.

His 'comment' in the Sunday Times is a weekend highspot.

And what did you expect in a TV programme about the jet engine? A programme about thermodynamics?

Dress him up in period leather flying coat, gauntlets and goggles and take him for a hop in the Boxkite, Airbedane! But perhaps the BBC luvvies might worry about his insurance...??

Why oh why oh why did he have to walk round New York in damp clothes? :yuk:

Apart from that, I really enjoyed it. Yes he played to the cameras, yes he sat up the front (wouldn't you if you had 5 days on an aircraft, were that tall and someone else was paying for it?) and yes he whinged and moaned. But more people are likely to watch that than some dry, fact-packed lecture on jet engines. That has to be a Good Thing.

May I make a few remarks?

OK then.

I don't have a TV (to the amamazement of the Licencing bods) and it's interesting that though there are more aviation progs apearing on it, none of the comments posted on this forum (and others) have so far made me feel I'm missing anything much.

I don't like Clarkson, but I can't comment on the prog or his (specific) performance, so I won't. However, from the other occasions I have been exposed to his 'skills' he is clearly someone who has a reputation for being a wit by being rude. Very easy, very good TV, very light, worth missing (IMHO).

However, Airbedane saying he's like a fighter pilot is interesting, as while that may be true, that don't make him any good with words. I find many drivers, airframe like artists (or indeed footballers) - fun to see what they do, but frankly unable to articulate anything worthwhile about it. There are, of course, exceptions, but pilots generally are bad pundits, as are artists and footballers in my experience. (Perhaps a good teddy containing debate from some drivers here?)

Bad lectures don't excuse TV light. I'm intelligent enough to expect to be streched as well as entertained, and frankly it rarely happens. When I eat, I don't want baby pap or fast food because it's 'what most people will like' and I expect, but don't often get the same from the entertainment media.

Just my 2d!

BTW, when are you pommy xenophobes going to decide if you are British or English? And If English, I'll leave it to your celtic fringe to point out what they've achieved aeronautically!

Comments?:p

However, Airbedane saying he's like a fighter pilot is interesting, as while that may be true, that don't make him any good with words. I find many drivers, airframe like artists (or indeed footballers) - fun to see what they do, but frankly unable to articulate anything worthwhile about it.

Oh, come now. There's loads of superb aviation literature from the pens of pilots. Not just top writers like Gann, Bach, and Lecomber, but lots and lots of others in books and magazines. Not many glider pilots in there, though. Too obsessed with competition to notice the beauty, perhaps?

Footballers I wouldn't know about. But I suspect, in UK at least, thatmost are not very highly educated and therefore not particularly articulate.

SSD

OK, I was being controversial. :cool:

Footballers. Hmmm. Insert sportsperson of taste. As an Aussie, I admire many Aussie Ashes players. The number that can write or speak well of the game? Few, very few. A special palm to Steve Waugh for for taking a lot of books to say nothing. Artists? Oh dear.

Perhaps it makes more sense put the other way around. If I want good authoratative comment, I wouldn't naturally go for an RAF Squirt driver (sorry) but someone like Gunston (or indeed our own Aerohack...)

Looking for more incoming teddies. Isn't that OK if Clarkson does it?

;)

Beags,

You've certainly hit on an interesting anomalie with the BBC and insurance. At Old Warden's 17th December show, a presenter from the World Service interviewed me and others. The plan was to take her up in the Tiger Moth and make it part of the presentation - she had a PPL and flew a permit arcraft as a hobby, so there shouldn't have been any problems.

Hooooweveeeeerrrrrr, the BBC wouldn't accept any of the Shutleworth pilots as fit persons to fly one of their staff. It seems that being a test pilot for a major UK Company, a commercial pilot, an instructor pilot, or ex-RAF aircrew is just not good enough anymore. As some of the Shutleworth pilot's work for the airlines, how do they reconcile that? In fact, the same pilot's may have flown JC.......

And before everyone gets too verbal about my 'fighter pilot' comments above, they were meant as a light hearted input to a light hearted thread, lets keep it at that level, please.

A

Airbedane's Fighter pilots' assets....

Thinks?... Now if I can show all those assets too (not difficult, most pilots I know can manage most of them) then will Airbedane be willing to take me up in the Boxkite? Can't promise an hour's entertaining programme on the Beeb, but might manage half a page in local parish magazine.

NO! I hear! Ah well. I enjoyed the programme, especially as it showed the misery that so much of modern day travel can be, even when slumming it in first class. And yes his comment about Concorde rings true, we have gone backwards since October. Have the cufflinks too.

Oh, I'd never take a pilot seriously, not even Pontious!:p

Well, I know Clarkson isn't everybody's cup of tea, and he did perhaps hijack the programme a little for some Government and Yank bashing thereby skimping on some of the historical detail, but if it were a choice of JC or an aviating anorak like Alain de Cadanet presenting a very dry, uncharismatic and uninteresting programme I'll take JC anyday.

Aviation is an exciting business in all it's forms and it needs someone woth a bit of personality (and main stream appeal - so out go any council house TV presenters that nobody knows) to make people sit up and take notice. Even if it is just to have a good bloody moan about the guy.

How did that jammy b*stard get on the flight deck?!?!?!?!?:*

More please.

I've got the cufflinks too. And some amazing memories of a jumpseat supersonic flight on G-BOAD:)

SSD

I was there at the time. I did, (rather sportingly I thought) offer to take the nice lady from the beeb's place in the Tiger. I even offered to take her camera instead of mine. Sadly she declined.

Oh well, I had to offer :E