Discovery Wings
 

Have many of you watched the excellent programmes shown on Discovery Wings. There are some real beauts but one gets on my tits something rotten and that's Flightline with Brendan (Far Out, Cosmic) O'Brien.

Is it just me or are there others out there that want to smash the screen everytime they see his supercilious face screaming 'far out' as he tries to stall an A340.

Personally I would rather circumsise myself with a blunt knitting needle than watch anymore of his drivel. As for Celia........

Well, if I had a chance to play with a real A340 I bet I would be grinning and dribbling like a kid :) I don't know the guy but I believe that he is an accomplished and respected pilot. What do you want anyway? A boring stiff-upper-lip Nigel presenting? (with apologies to all non stiff-upper-lip Nigels) :)

Bring back Raymond Baxter and the Ex Concorde pilot turned presenter. (I can't remember his name)

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You fly em we'll fill em!

The guy is a prize chiseller - I watch the show purely to see him make a cheese of himself. Out of interest, does anyone know what his aviation background is at all?
To be fair, the woman on the show is alright except for her flying suit with sodding collar turned up.
http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/darkvisor.gif

Brendan 'I love myself so dam much' O'Brien:

At an airfield he often frequents he swanks around in such a stupid manner, casually peering around to see if any of the mere mortals are watching him in amazement.

A true bell end through and through.

Anyone slagging of Celia has to get through me first :)

The guy gets up my nose a bit as well , but to answer a queery about his aviation background , (which was the subject of another thread a year or so ago) , he has been flying for 20-odd years , and is reckoned by those who know him(I don't) as a fairly good operator. I may have seen him many years ago in the bar of the old Skean D'hu(spelling?) in ABZ. There was a character there who used to fly Bandits and always wore flying gloves when he came into the bar. It might have been HE(HA!)

An excellent channel. Watched it for the first time just a few weeks ago. Terrific programme about the geebee racer replica just the other night. Yes, Brendan whotsisface is a pain, but there are plenty of presenters on other channels to match him.

Ah dear boy. Known him since he joined a club at Biggin I was a founder member of in 1969. Full of himself always. Has a definite way of getting peoples backs up by his superior demeanour. That's the kind of person he is.

There were a few people there in those days who were well into sport flying, and the Tiger Club was where the real stuff was at.
I am afraid he alienated everyone. He didn't stay.

As for his aviation background it started as above and he literally pushed his way through, and does have good flying qualities. But in my view, and it's in a book I am writing, he will one day be the eleventh person I listed as most likely to end up killing themselves - the other ten already have.

As for Flightline. Well it's time for changes and he and Celia must go. He gives flying a far too flamboyant nature. In real life it ain't like that!

I'm not sure if IFR meant "Bend'em" O'Brien alientated people at the Biggin club, or the Tiger Club. If the latter, I don't think that's quite fair.
He's always been a larger-than-life, flamboyant character, and although his "When I was ......" stories are best taken with a healthy pinch of salt, they were no less amusing for that, even the 27th time of telling! Like good wine, his stories improved with age.
I remember him as a good-natured guy, always ready for a laugh, and although he had a slight tendency to boast, and probably to fantasise a little, it was fun when he was at the Club - whether you laughed with him, or at him!
He's been involved in some good display routines over the years. One was a pair of motorised gliders doing a synchronised close formation "aerial ballet" routine to suitable background music (can't remember what it was.) Sounds dull, but it wasn't, and included the two aircraft only a few feet feet apart, one inverted over the other.
His "Trucktop Landing" display in which he landed a Piper Cub on top of a 40' artic as it drove along the runway was always enjoyable. Brendan's a natural showman and the crowd loved it as he built up the "Will he/Won't he" atmosphere - way off at the first attempt, only just missing the second time and then, to the roar of the crowd, always success the third time!
It's true that it was sometimes difficult to start the next display because Bend'em was still taking his bows from the top of the trailer as it drove back along the runway, but the crowd loved it - so did Brendan, of course!
I haven't seen him for years, but I don't suppose he's changed, or ever will. I can easily understand his imagine his style irritating professional aviators - but I bet Joe Public enjoys it! :)

Desk Driver: The Concorde Captains name was John Hutchinson.

dave_jones49: I believe the tune for that motor glider display was Albatross by Fleetwood Mac.

As for Flightline, good show. I shall not pass judgement on Brendan as TV rarely shows a person in true light.
I didn't know he was that nutter who did the truck thing or that glider display though....

When will your book be ready IFR? Sounds interesting.

VFE.

The Discovery Wings program I enjoy is Flightdeck.

I've just watched the BAe 146 program (again...). The bit that always makes me smile is seeing the Captain tell himself off after landing on a 1200m runway with a 50-degree xwind at 18G29 knots and not greasing it on.

And the part of the programme which makes me laugh is the comment saying that he's just landed on a 1200 foot runway http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif

---Mik


[This message has been edited by mik (edited 21 January 2001).]

That is Dave Rees Mik. Ex Navy pilot and a bloody nice guy. Can fly better than anyone I know. Also another ex Dan Air pilot.

Yes yes, IFR, but when is the book ready ?

About September I hope. But limited edition only. I originally did it for my grandson but have been 'persuaded' I should.....well we'll see.

I.F.R.
Put me on the list. You have my attention now.

Thanks to all for contributing to this topic. I didn't think it would evoke so much comment when I posted it, it just goes to show.

Slightly off topic but very funny all the same was the Extreme Machines programme featuring Jeremy 'Understeer' Clarkson bringing up his breakfast, dinner and tea whilst taking a rear seat ride in a F15 Eagle. I could watch that again and again and.............

Ditto Evanalpus!!

What I'd give .....blah blah.

A bit harsh Stoppers, but probably fair. Brendan O'Brien does have the face I would never get tired of smacking, but the Kench woman annoys me even more, not for her manner but because she knows f&&k all about flying or aviation in general and is presenting a programme on something she knows nothing about. Her poncing around in a flying suit doesn't help either, but then I suppose we have the producers to balme for that. Personally I would rather see John Hutchinson present the programme, at least his is a POV I can respect.

When I saw Brendan O'B do the display with the synchro motor gliders (Super Falke's, I think), they were called the "Unipart Duo", after their sponsors.

The music was "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd.

For a quiet display with low-powered aeroplanes, I thought it was very impressive.

For a high-powered display with music, you couldn't beat the Vulcan with the "Theme from Harry's Game", by Clannad - fantastic.

[This message has been edited by Wycombe (edited 22 January 2001).]