Rutland Reindeer
 

Please excuse the intrusion from the Military forum. Last weekend on Sky I caught a few minutes of the James Stewart film ‘No Highway’ or ‘No Highway in the Sky’ in the US. The ground shots of the “Reindeer,” including when Stewart’s character retracts the undercarriage on the ground to stop it flying into disaster, Seem to feature a highly modified real airliner. I’ve tried good old Google and the dreaded pprune search buttons, no joy. It looks as if it was some mark of Avro Tudor. The film was made in 1951, I think that this was about the time some marks of Tudor lost C of A to carry passengers, so they may have been a few airframes kicking around. Anyone know about this? Mind you it was 55 years ago now.:confused:

Based on the book "No Highway" by Neville Shute.

I have some vague memory of it being a modified Viscount.

I agree with circle kay, I think it was a much altered Tudor or similar.
The Viscount would have been brand new when the film came out so I think it unlikely they chopped one up for the film!

I think it was a mockup; partially filmed at Blackbushe; I recall seeing a photo taken there depicting its biplane rear end! Another film later on (something about 'Blind Flying' starring Bernard Lee [M])used the Avro Ashton (Tudor Mk 6?), so maybe someones getting confused with the two.

I just remember watching an old BW film on telly about - gulp - 30 years ago now, which I thought was this one, it definitely starred a modified Viscount - the area on the nose around the cockpit windows is very distinctive. All they had done was stick a weird and very impractical upswept tail on the back of it. If not "No Highway", what was it?

Not containing the answer, but a lot of very interesting stuff around the book 'No Highway' and the film.

http://www.nevilshute.org/index.php

Incidentally, having just read No Highway, I can highly recommend it.

IIRC one of the airframes used was the prototype of an oddly configured four jet - vertical podding and straight wings ... Avro Ashton?? makes ting-a-ling noises - but that may just mean it's time for more tablets :ugh:

Cornish Jack, you stay off those tablets, you are right about the Ashton. Except the engines were mounted in pairs horizontally I think, rather like the B-52 pods. The Short Sperrin had the engines mounted vertically in pairs I think...

The fueslage is still around at the Newark museum... http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/mus/uk/newk/Ashton_01.jpg

Wasn't the film starring Bernard Lee called Cone of Silence? Something to do with him flying by the book re: take-off speeds etc, when all the other crews added a few knots extra.

Been trying to get a copy on DVD for a while with no luck.

AQ

My information is that it was a Halifax or possibly a Halton.

Yes that's the Bernard Lee film; entirely different to No Highway and made about '58 or '59 and definitely using an Ashton; probably one of the Boscombe Down ones.
Piccy at Newark is unlikely to be an Ashton in BOAC markings 'cos it never entered service with them.

'Tis the Ashton at Newark, but I assume the BOAC markings are decidedly spurious! If memory serves it was with the defunct Cardiff museum beofre moving to Newark.

May have to wait a long time as it is not issued on DVD.

You say 'defunct Cardiff museum'; is that the one they bulldozed to make it defunct (and create a car park).

Aye, that sounds about right. I don't recall the denoument, but from what you say, I presume they were given "notice to quit" - bit tricky with grounded aeroplanes... As I recall there was nice Viscount there amongst other things...

No Highway in the Sky is on Sky CInema 2 tonight 8 June at 19:00

If I remember correctly the book was written before the BOAC Comet losses and the film later; the book having very strange (considering the author's background) pseudo-scientific basis for metal fatigue wheras the film is fairly accurate as to RAE Farnborough's investigation