Aircraft From Those Magnificent Men.

A Cessna 152 pilot renewed his DA at Old Warden earlier this year so I think its more than likely.

An interesting display from what I saw of it.

Does that mean that in 35 years time we will be treated to a Cessna 150 display at Old Warden? It is a trainer!!

Stranger things have happened. They won’t be around for ever. There will come a time when Cessna 150s at flying clubs are a thing of the past, just like Puss Moths and Austers. It is also, in its own sweet way, a classic. It is dull to fly but, as it says on TV all too often, ‘does what it says on the tin’.

This has made me wonder if any disparaging terms, like SPAM can were used on pre-WW1 aeroplanes. You know the sort of thing “Those Boxkites, they are all just tobacco boxes . . . “

MH

The Blackburn then was about 44 years old. About the same age as some straight-tailed Cessna 150s now.
Melvyn

Does that mean that in 35 years time we will be treated to a Cessna 150 display at Old Warden? It is a trainer!!

In the meantime, here are some topical shots from Sundays display

Did they forget that the Blackburn was original?

I doubt it but remember it was not as old then as it is now and ‘preciousness’ comes with age (to a degree).

The Blackburn then was about 44 years old. About the same age as some straight-tailed Cessna 150s now. To put things further into perspective, it was 21 years YOUNGER than my Reawin is now!

It would not get put in any danger now but 1960-whatever was a different world.

Melvyn

Has anyone who has seen the film recently noticed how close the Blackburn comes to destruction during the ground sequence with the tailless German/ motorbike / fire engine chase (can’t believe I just written that!!).
There is a point where the German and the fire engine come out of a hangar heading straight for the Blackburn. There is much twisting and turning and the three narrowly miss. I realise that the film is speeded up, but it still looks EXTREMELY close.

Did they forget that the Blackburn was original?

Willow

P.S. ‘Leave my fire engine alone’

I can confirm that BAPC 194 was at Brooklands Museum from 1987 on loan from the RAFM and I believe it has no link with the Mag Men film (confirmed when Tony Bianci inspected it when visiting in the early 1990s). It was only a static replica and not that accurate either and we dismantled and returned it to the RAFM (then still at Cardington) around 1998/99. The engine it had is still at Brooklands. The present taxiable Demoiselle exhibit replaced it on display in the main hangar.

No.
The Boxkites were in a sense the last Miles a/c as they were built by the Miles folks!

Didnt Doug Bianchi build all or most of the planes in the film?What a great organization Bianchi,s was(is?)do they still exist?……………….Tim…………

No it’s not – I enquired in HMV today. If you do a search on Amazon, you will only find it in Region 1 DVD. I can’t understand why so many British films are released in the States first on Region 1?

The simple answer for both yourself and Lord Kenley is to reprogram your DVD. It is really wasy as all you are doing is changing a software preset. 99% of DVD players can be done from the handset. Her Indoors did ours when she bought Finding Nemo (a fine film) in the US. It took her about ten minutes to find out how via a Google search and another ten minutes to do it.

MH

Does anyone know if this wonderful film is available on Region 2 DVD?

No it’s not – I enquired in HMV today. If you do a search on Amazon, you will only find it in Region 1 DVD. I can’t understand why so many British films are released in the States first on Region 1?

Albert –

I’m sure that I saw one in Krakow last summer. I’ll dig out my photos when I get home this evening and check.

You’re right! It’s listed in “European Wrecks & Relics”.

Magnificent Men DVD

Does anyone know if this wonderful film is available on Region 2 DVD?

The only surviving Antoinette in Europe appears to be the one hanging in the Science Museum in London.

There is also a fuselage with repro wings in the excellent Musée de l’Air

Visiting the collection of WW1 and pre-WW1 aeroplanes there should be compulsory.

MH

[QUOTE=Andy in Beds]My questions are: –
1) Can anyone do anything to cast light on the fate of the Antoinette monoplane? Melvyn says that this was a real beast. Can you enlighten me please Melvyn? (I’ve asked some of this before).
2) When the aircraft is landed over the heads of the old couple in the car during the film it looks like it has ailerons on the wings. Did the original aircraft have ailerons or wing warping? It looks wonderful during that sequence incidentally.

The Antoinette originally used wing warping for control, but during the filming the wing was modified and ailerons were attached to the rear spar.

For further Mag Men reading try ‘Delta Papa’ by Derek Piggott, I picked a copy up from the Aviation Bookshop. (Now at Tunbridge Wells).

Septic.

Hi All
Firstly let me say thanks to all the input you’ve given on this thread.
‘Those Magnificent Men’ really is my favourite flying film and this thread has encouraged me to look more closely at the film.
After re-watching the film and re-reading all the above posts I’d like to summarise and ask some further questions.
Thanks to Septic and Melvyn I think the surviving aircraft list probably looks like this.

Flyable Bristol Boxkite at Old Warden.
Non-Flyable Bristol Boxkite in Bristol.
Avro Triplane at Old Warden.
Billing Biplane in Germany—being restored to flying condition (can’t wait).
Demoiselle, one in Australia (condition unknown) plus parts of another at Stafford.
Lee Richards (non flying) at Shoreham.

My questions are: –
1) Can anyone do anything to cast light on the fate of the Antoinette monoplane? Melvyn says that this was a real beast. Can you enlighten me please Melvyn? (I’ve asked some of this before).

I don’t know the fate but it was built and flown It was built by Hants and Sussex Aviation at Portsmouth.

2) When the aircraft is landed over the heads of the old couple in the car during the film it looks like it has ailerons on the wings. Did the original aircraft have ailerons or wing warping? It looks wonderful during that sequence incidentally.

According to the Allen Wheeler book some originals were made with ailerons and others with warping. It was, after all, a time for experimentation. The film one was made with warping wing and then altered.

3) The Italian character in the film flies a monoplane. Was this the Bleriot type aircraft mentioned by Melvyn above? Now at Compton.

No, I was getting mixed up. The film one is a Vickers-built Bleriot and the PPS one is a Manning Flanders.

4) Does anyone know where the gas balloons came from? Also asked by someone above.

No, just wave your arms around and blame it on the dog.

I notice during the take of from ‘Brookley’ (Brooklands) sequence the genuine Blackburn monoplane now at Old Warden flies past.So it was used if only briefly (apart from static shots). The deperdusin is also shown with it’s engine running on the ground at one point.

This was at Booker and you can see the hangers in the background of one shot.

Having watched the film again in detail I’m still convinced that this is one of the best flying films ever made.
It really is magnificent.
All the best
Andy 🙂 🙂 :confused: :confused: :)[/QUOTE]

The only surviving Antoinette in Europe appears to be the one hanging in the Science Museum in London. As ‘Black Knight’ says,cranes were used to simulate some of the ‘flying sequences’ so some of the types didn’t actually fly at all. Of course, that was pretty obvious with the types that Tony Hancock and Eric Sykes were ‘flying’.
However, the Antoinette does appear to really fly, so perhaps Alan Wheeler’s book will reveal all?

On the DVD there is a featurette on the film by the director. He tells of a system made of 2 cranes a couple of hundred yards apart with cables between them that the real aircraft were attached to so the actors could ‘really’ fly the aircraft for the cameras.

Survivors.

Hi All
Firstly let me say thanks to all the input you’ve given on this thread.
‘Those Magnificent Men’ really is my favourite flying film and this thread has encouraged me to look more closely at the film.
After re-watching the film and re-reading all the above posts I’d like to summarise and ask some further questions.
Thanks to Septic and Melvyn I think the surviving aircraft list probably looks like this.

Flyable Bristol Boxkite at Old Warden.
Non-Flyable Bristol Boxkite in Bristol.
Avro Triplane at Old Warden.
Billing Biplane in Germany—being restored to flying condition (can’t wait).
Demoiselle, one in Australia (condition unknown) plus parts of another at Stafford.
Lee Richards (non flying) at Shoreham.

My questions are: –
1) Can anyone do anything to cast light on the fate of the Antoinette monoplane? Melvyn says that this was a real beast. Can you enlighten me please Melvyn? (I’ve asked some of this before).
2) When the aircraft is landed over the heads of the old couple in the car during the film it looks like it has ailerons on the wings. Did the original aircraft have ailerons or wing warping? It looks wonderful during that sequence incidentally.
3) The Italian character in the film flies a monoplane. Was this the Bleriot type aircraft mentioned by Melvyn above? Now at Compton.
4) Does anyone know where the gas balloons came from? Also asked by someone above.
I notice during the take of from ‘Brookley’ (Brooklands) sequence the genuine Blackburn monoplane now at Old Warden flies past.So it was used if only briefly (apart from static shots). The deperdusin is also shown with it’s engine running on the ground at one point.

Having watched the film again in detail I’m still convinced that this is one of the best flying films ever made.
It really is magnificent.
All the best
Andy 🙂 🙂 :confused: :confused: 🙂

Indeed you should Robbo.

Whatever, it’s a recommended book.

I had a copy of the book pass through muy hands a year ago (bought it for, and sent it onto the RAAF Museum at Point Cook). I can heartily recomend it, a great read, and well worth laying paws on. That’s why it never appears very cheap I guess!

Cheers