Skies Above Britain - BBC TV Series
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Quite a lengthy interview with a Terminal Control Supervisor at Swanwick, as a follow up from Wednesday's programme. Very interesting to a mere SLF like me!
http://youtu.be/_4E0jzeRCdI
http://youtu.be/_4E0jzeRCdI
I seriously doubt that the Typhoon pilot on his first solo was doing aerobatics, as was suggested by the way the footage was cut.
Paxing All Over The World
I have only seen the first and let me pay it one compliment: The footage of the folks, inching their way up a blind alley, with walls they cannot see and snapping winds they cannot anticipate - was breath taking. However ...
All the external footage, and much of the internal, could have come from half a dozen different documentaries. It was so much 'copy & paste' wallpaper.
When we had the one senior controller explaining that they had to get the lot on the ground to swap with the lot in the air by just using her hands in a one second gesture? Where were the graphics to explain to people how it's done? When they showed computer trails to indicate the flight paths - they just allowed them to build up into a solid mass = incomprehensible! What I was expecting was to see an explanation (not too detailed) of how the channels are organised and how they get machines to go through them in an orderly fashion.
Start with the big picture. Then show how an aircraft gets from SOU to EDI and one from LHR to JFK when they leave at the same time, to explain the basic process. THEN build up the repetition to show the complexity as the basic process is repeated umpteen times.
All we got was endless images of screens with many moving images - no explanation for the uneducated viewer.
The examples of the different users were over the top. Watching a family with loads o' money and smugness was nothing we needed to see. If they wanted to show a glimpse of some of the folk who ride the sky - these were of no more than 60 seconds interest.
The chopper people were great but we've had dozens of such programmes over the last decade - they showed us expertise - but nothing new.
Then there was the usual 'bated breath' commentary, written and spoken to pretend that imminent disaster was upon us - to try and keep people watching. All of the above swamped with music that made it difficult to hear. Not that there was anything to learn!
As is so often the case now - a waste of money and opportunity. The prog was even worse than I had thought it could be.
All the external footage, and much of the internal, could have come from half a dozen different documentaries. It was so much 'copy & paste' wallpaper.
When we had the one senior controller explaining that they had to get the lot on the ground to swap with the lot in the air by just using her hands in a one second gesture? Where were the graphics to explain to people how it's done? When they showed computer trails to indicate the flight paths - they just allowed them to build up into a solid mass = incomprehensible! What I was expecting was to see an explanation (not too detailed) of how the channels are organised and how they get machines to go through them in an orderly fashion.
Start with the big picture. Then show how an aircraft gets from SOU to EDI and one from LHR to JFK when they leave at the same time, to explain the basic process. THEN build up the repetition to show the complexity as the basic process is repeated umpteen times.
All we got was endless images of screens with many moving images - no explanation for the uneducated viewer.
The examples of the different users were over the top. Watching a family with loads o' money and smugness was nothing we needed to see. If they wanted to show a glimpse of some of the folk who ride the sky - these were of no more than 60 seconds interest.
The chopper people were great but we've had dozens of such programmes over the last decade - they showed us expertise - but nothing new.
Then there was the usual 'bated breath' commentary, written and spoken to pretend that imminent disaster was upon us - to try and keep people watching. All of the above swamped with music that made it difficult to hear. Not that there was anything to learn!
As is so often the case now - a waste of money and opportunity. The prog was even worse than I had thought it could be.
In ep2, the 'pr--ck with the drone' could, we suppose, read the instructions on the box his toy came in, but not the rules on its operation. Gives Village Idiots a bad name !
Oh, and do we really need another 'fear of flying' class feature, almost a cliche of such shows now...
Rant mode - off . 'ZG
Oh, and do we really need another 'fear of flying' class feature, almost a cliche of such shows now...
Rant mode - off . 'ZG
Paxing All Over The World
Well, I watched the second and it was more of the same.
- All the opportunities to explain things in plain language and graphics - were not. When the BA with a hydraulic problem was approching LHR they said 'extended centre line' and 'landing 27Right'. All it needed was a simple aerial photo of LHR and showing where 27R is - so that folks could identify with the location and the problem.
- More radar screens full of figures and numbers without an explanation as to why it's actually safe.
- The stories of folks doing other things in the sky were quiet interesting but they was just filling up time. All the other components have been featured in various progs - if they shot them afresh they wasted the money.
My trick (before drinking at control positions was banned) was to get myself some water and just after the visitors arrived, I would take a swig and announce very loudly 'there's no gin in that!'
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This show strikes as rather mundane.
No new content, if anything seems to be constant montage of random aircraft taxiing with creepy music in between various 'stories' and 2-3 minute peaks into TC at Swanwick.
Seems they have totally disregarded that there is also the Area Control ops room at Swanwick, but don't worry about that!
Latest episode didn't have much to offer, situations arising at TC which were not explained at all.
Who really cares about these stories in between various features of posh ****s flying around in their vintage aircraft?!
No new content, if anything seems to be constant montage of random aircraft taxiing with creepy music in between various 'stories' and 2-3 minute peaks into TC at Swanwick.
Seems they have totally disregarded that there is also the Area Control ops room at Swanwick, but don't worry about that! Latest episode didn't have much to offer, situations arising at TC which were not explained at all.
Who really cares about these stories in between various features of posh ****s flying around in their vintage aircraft?!
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This is slightly 'off-track', but I admit to being a tad disappointed by this show.
however if you can cope with Gregg Wallace, the 'Inside The Factory' episodes about Heinz Beanz and Walker's Crisps are well worth watching. The statistics, processes and scale of production of both of these products are astonishing.
however if you can cope with Gregg Wallace, the 'Inside The Factory' episodes about Heinz Beanz and Walker's Crisps are well worth watching. The statistics, processes and scale of production of both of these products are astonishing.
Having been involved in a production unit that cut/sliced/grated 1000 tonnes of cheese a week, I would say that few of us realise the technology that goes into our everyday foodstuffs.
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I wonder if they're going to bother pointing out that NATS are not the only company controlling over the uk. I'm pretty sure in episode 1 there was a quote from someone in Swanwick along the lines of' we control all the aircraft over the U.K.' and in the latest episode the FIS controller 'controls all the traffic outside the main airways system' .
Maybe there's an episode coming up acknowledging all the other ATC staff.....
Maybe there's an episode coming up acknowledging all the other ATC staff.....
I wonder if they're going to bother pointing out that NATS are not the only company controlling over the uk. I'm pretty sure in episode 1 there was a quote from someone in Swanwick along the lines of' we control all the aircraft over the U.K.' and in the latest episode the FIS controller 'controls all the traffic outside the main airways system' .
Maybe there's an episode coming up acknowledging all the other ATC staff.....
Maybe there's an episode coming up acknowledging all the other ATC staff.....
While that distinction is clearly important to non-NATS ATC staff, I suspect the program makers were either unaware of it or decided it would be lost on the viewing public, consistent with the overall dumbed-down (and, in places, inaccurate) approach of the programme.
"Hibalstow", anyone ?
"Hibalstow", anyone ?
Last edited by DaveReidUK; 1st Sep 2016 at 08:23. Reason: creeping Americanism removed
I have to admit that the references to Leeds East had me confused, until I discovered they'd re-branded Church Fenton!
I wonder if it's on RYR's list of future destinations...?
I wonder if it's on RYR's list of future destinations...?
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Nothing new again in last night's episode.
Following rich t***s about flying in their precious aircraft in uncontrolled airspace, hardly representative of the other users of the airspace
And more poor editing, cut to the ATCO at LHR chatting about night time ops at LHR, how nothing stops and they get on with maintenance... Interesting, tell us more. No that's it, 40 secs of him talking and a few random bits of footage. Cut to more c***s flying around in Class G.
Zero real content, more about "real life" stories of rich kids flying round the UK. Not educational or enlightening, and poorly produced and edited.
Following rich t***s about flying in their precious aircraft in uncontrolled airspace, hardly representative of the other users of the airspace
And more poor editing, cut to the ATCO at LHR chatting about night time ops at LHR, how nothing stops and they get on with maintenance... Interesting, tell us more. No that's it, 40 secs of him talking and a few random bits of footage. Cut to more c***s flying around in Class G.
Zero real content, more about "real life" stories of rich kids flying round the UK. Not educational or enlightening, and poorly produced and edited.
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Heathrow still ticks along all night as I can confirm, having be awoken for some tug to go from A-B many times!
Pity mummy didn't use the soap-in-mouth treatment on you T250......
Pity mummy didn't use the soap-in-mouth treatment on you T250......
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I'm sure LHR does continue all night. And I wanted to hear more about it in the programme. Especially if the BBC as a publicly funded broadcaster goes to all the trouble of getting access at LHR only to broadcast less than 60 secs of footage, in favour of endless drivel about rich kids flying various aircraft around the countryside.
This program is a lost opportunity, more like a soap opera of random rich pilots flying balloons, planes and skydivers showing off.
But never mind, eh
This program is a lost opportunity, more like a soap opera of random rich pilots flying balloons, planes and skydivers showing off.
But never mind, eh