Restorers TV Series Coming Soon ?

OK This forum has a lot of enthusiasts. And a lot of restorers. And a few folk interested in magazines. And a few with an interest in filming.

So Guys- Can I have an open declaration of interest?

If you have skills, interests, and access, Put it up front, and maybe we can have a package from the melange.

Wasn’t there mention hereabouts 2 – 3 weeks ago of the TV series shown many moons ago covering the restoration of Moth G-ABYA?

Roger Smith.

I once was in a shop where a guy was sitting on the wing of a rare P-47 variant. He was studying copies of ancient Republic engineering drawings, trying to figure out how to do something. It was more like watching a chess match and your typical DIY show.

I recall chatting to a lady volunteer at Duxford about thirty years back. She was sitting on a workbench hand-sanding a wooden component about four inches (10cm) across. “What are you doing?” I asked, “Working on a Sea Hurricane restoration” came the reply.

Moggy

Hi All,
J Boyle,
I agree with everything you have said, I was just really wondering as the first series has already been filmed and I assume the company are in the process of filming the second ? Why nobody has picked this up not even the smaller channels for example ‘Yesterday’ that have the more obscure series on non-mainstream topics.

At the end of the day I can understand why these more obscure subjects actually go straight to DVD these days as it obviously cuts costs in the long run, while it caters for a niche Mkt as with what you explained. Just a shame really, I am sure their was a programme on Turbo that had some chap (Assumedly well known in the aviation community) presenting an aviation themed programme but it only did one series then it was gone so like you pointed out taking so long for little content…….. :apologetic:

Geoff.

The trouble with a series on restoring aircraft is that the process is a long one.
Outside of (probably expensive ) nature documentaries where they can afford to send a guy to the wild for a year to get 5 minutes of tape, most productions can’t wait around for a few years waiting for the project to end.
That’s why the home repair and car “restoration” TV shows usually have some sort of self-imposed deadline and even well-meaning but simplistic series like “Wheeler Dealers” neglect to mention that often weeks pass in getting parts and specialist work done.

Also, people can relate to fixing a house…many have done it, and nearly everyone owns a car and has at least a passing interest in older cars.
I’m not sure that would translate into older aircraft. While people may love to see a Spitfire or Mustang and might enjoy an occasional documentary on restoring a significant particular airframe, I’m not sure they’d find it fascinating to watch engineers perform their rebuild magic week after week. Having taken part in a restoration, weeks go by without anything visually dramatic being done. The time consuming hydraulic or electrical work isn’t very dramatic to watch. You don’t do something visual, like hanging a wing or painting, everyday. I once was in a shop where a guy was sitting on the wing of a rare P-47 variant. He was studying copies of ancient Republic engineering drawings, trying to figure out how to do something. It was more like watching a chess match and your typical DIY show.

In other words, we might like it…not sure about general viewers.