Just watched it. It's okay. There's a load of things that looked odd to me though. Was it commonplace for military aircraft back then to leave the nav lights off... at night?
When he spots the shepherd why didn't he dive along side immediately instead of buggering around with a dodgy radio and risk losing sight of it?
Did those early gas turbine exhausts really glow in the dark?

Not a bad effort spoiled for me by a few slip ups which could easily have been avoided by using an ex RAF advisor from that era. The main thing that annoyed me was the 'american style' saluting which was particularly egregious when saluting without a hat which just would not have happened. Flying at night without any lights was suprising given that JT is a pilot also I don't think the vampire pilot would have got away with the length of his hair and the actors continued the long standing tradition of not knowing how to wear a beret. However, I suspect that these things would not be noticed by most of the viewers who would have enjoyed it as heartwarming Christmas tale.

bspatz
My wife (whom I assumed was not following the story): "That was lovely, I really enjoyed it!" So did I.

At the end, one of those film 'footnotes' suggested shepherding saved many aircrews' lives. Is that so, or just an occasional occurrence?

CG

Can't you 'cast' it from your iPad to the TV? You certainly can with a Android tablet.

You can either cast it onto the TV or plug your Ipad into an HDMI on the TV, see

https://www.wikihow.com/Connect-an-iPad-to-a-TV

Technology sets traps that we all fall into sooner or later😞.

Thanks Sally and Nutty, casting has failed but I have found a cable that fits the I pad at one end and the tv at the other so that is tonight’s project. As to the lack of nav lights that has been commented on; didn’t he have a total electrics failure?

There's some very amusing criticism here. Having watched it last night, it was very enjoyable, particularly the end twist; but let's get real, beards, saluting, aircraft lights; it's about a ghost!!!

You need to look at the shadow cast by the Vampire to see it.. ;)

re lights: if you read the original book, (as I did last night) it makes a specific point that the accompanying mosquito was deliberately flying without lights in the fog / cloud to avoid being blinded by the reflection. (haven't seen the film yet)

I noticed it when he was taxiing out and on the take off roll.

So, finally got to watch it: Disney+ £4.99, Firestick £34, and it was….Ok. But the credits indicated that there were such things as “ Shepherd” pilots in WW2. Obviously there were cases of helping a wingman down but were there really specialists in that role?

Not just aircraft, an entire organisation, though mainly to rescue those that ditched rather than lead them home - though that undoubtedly happened when a damaged aircraft was located and an escort reached it. ( P-47, not Mosquito.)

https://toflyandfight.com/down-in-th...glish-channel/

….”The duty day at Saffron Walden started much the same as at the bomber and fighter groups, with the arrival of the 8th AF Field Order, by teletype, in the early hours. The duty controller then plotted the “IN” and “OUT” courses to be flown by the bombers and fighters, and based on this, he chose the rendezvous points in the Channel and the North Sea, where he would place his boats.

The same would be done for Detachment B’s P-47s, and all units were then notified of courses and RV points, and times to be on station. The boats required 3 hours minimum notice, with 1 hour for the P-47s and the other spotter aircraft.

The P-47s always operated in pairs, one to stay low and orbit the customer in the water, the other to stay high and handle communications and to provide a “target” for the fixing stations, and to provide armed cover. When their fuel state required it, they would be relieved by another pair.

The duty controller also brought all of his fixer stations, ground and air based radio relay units into operation, and the ASR service was ready for the day’s work.

From the beginning of 1944, all Allied aircrew’s direct link with ASR assistance was through channel “B” on their VHF radio. Using the universal distress code MAY-DAY, they were in immediate contact with the ASR controller, who would often ask for a long transmission if the pilot’s circumstances allowed it.

This improved the chances of the fixer stations getting a bearing. A pilot wounded or with damaged equipment could often only provide a brief and fragmentary transmission, which made it very difficult to obtain a fix.

This data was passed on to the appropriate rescue squadron and the closest launches. (The boats routinely monitored “B” channel themselves.) With the passage of time and experience the system worked well for the aircrew with the proper training to do their part, and a healthy dose of good luck.

The contributions of anonymous ASR controllers and the operators of the fixer stations brought hundreds of airmen home from the deep.”….

Would you be so kind as to tell us what day it aired - the link simply gives the radio show's main page and then you have to scroll through the days. As an instructor and examiner for the for the ROC-A certificate (formerly RRO-A) I cringe when I hear American misuse of ICAO radio procedure. Recently I heard an ATC recording of a speedbird calling 'Mayday' and ATC asked him 'are you declaring an emergency'!

Go to post #10 on Page1. There's a YouTube link to a recording of the broadcast.

I've heard - but not seen, that there was an almost identical story - the Shepherd is also a ghostly Mosquito - published in "The Aeroplane" in 1954, It is called "A Christmas Story" by an R. Leach. Can anyone confirm/deny?

One I always thought would make a good film is Franz Stigler’s

Just watched it on my Android Tablet in Gibraltar. With no additional costs....however I did enjoy it as a piece of Christmas hokum.
Regarding the lights surely the Mossie would not have been running with lights on...there was a war on don't you know??
Did show as others have noted the feeling of loneliness single aircraft single pilot at night over the sea with instruments not working.... Surely in real life there would have been a wingman from Germany to Norfolk ...just in case .... This happened

Kiltrash,
The story was set in the 1950's, old boy.........

But JK was flying his Mossie and doing his shepherding in the 40s, old boy:ok:

CG