SE5 replicas

I was about to ask if the film was completed, but decided to investigate for myself! Wikipedia as follows

”Ex-RCAF pilot Lynn Garrison supplied the aircraft, crews and facilities for von Richthofen and Brown and personally coordinated the flying sequences for Corman’s film. Garrison had purchased the collection of hangars, aircraft, vehicles and support equipment accumulated for filming 20th Century’s top grossing film, The Blue Max, in 1965. The collection included replica Pfalz D-III’s, SE-5s, Fokker D-VII’s, Fokker Dr.I’s, plus Tiger Moths, and Stampe SV4C’s.

Corman used an Alouette helicopter, along with a Helio Courier, for aerial photography, supported by a number of specialized camera mounts Garrison developed for use on individual aircraft. This allowed footage of actors, such as John Philip Law and Don Stroud “flying” the aircraft. In actual fact, Lynn Garrison trained Law and Stroud to the point where they could take off, land the Stampe, and fly basic sequences themselves, from the rear seat, filmed with a rear-facing camera.

Corman used a filming schedule that included so-called Blue Days, Grey Days and Don’t Give a Damn Days so that the aircraft were used no matter what the weather presented.

On September 15, 1970, Charles Boddington, veteran of The Blue Max and Darling Lili shoots, was killed when his SE-5 spun in during a low-level maneuver over the airfield. The next day, during the last scheduled flight on the shooting schedule, Garrison and Stroud were involved in a low-level sequence across Lake Weston, in the Stampe, when a Jackdaw struck Garrison in the face, knocking him unconscious. The aircraft then ran through five powerlines, snap rolled and plunged into the lake inverted. Garrison and Stroud were rescued from the waters. Stroud was uninjured while Garrison required 60 stitches to close a head wound.

The film contains many factual errors:

Von Richthofen is shown flying a Fokker D.VII before flying the Fokker Dr.I, when in fact the Dr.1 came out earlier than the D.VII
Hermann Göring was not in the ‘Flying Circus’, until he took over command of the squadron several months after von Richthofen’s death.
Lanoe Hawker and Roy Brown were never in the same squadron. Furthermore Hawker died in November 1916 and Brown did not begin flying combat missions until March 1917.
Roy Brown and his squadron were flying Sopwith Camels, and not S.E.5s on the day of Manfred von Richthofen’s death
It is heavily debated whether or not Brown really fired the fatal shot to kill von Richthofen

John Phillip Law – Manfred von Richthofen
Don Stroud – Roy Brown
Barry Primus – Hermann Goering
Corin Redgrave – Lanoe Hawker
Karen Huston – Ilse
Hurd Hatfield – Anthony Fokker
Stephen McHattie – Werner Voss
Brian Foley – Lothar von Richthofen
Robert La Tourneaux – Ernst Udet
Peter Masterson – Oswald Boelcke ”

YESTERDAY

Posted by Blue Max 15 Jan 2007- Search for WW1 survivors thread

Did you not find this when you asked in September?

”Sadly i can, both of the full size SE5 replica’s built by FG Miles for the Blue Max Film were lost in fatal accidents.
Initialy registered as G-ATGV and G-ATGW in 1965 and issued permits to fly. Reregistered to 20th Century Fox Productions as EI-ARA and EI-ARB.
Folowing the finish of filming they were transfered to Shillelarge Productions Inc and were used in several other WW1 films, including “Darling Lili” (see pic)

Ei-ARB was lost in an fatal accident on the 18-8-70 in a mid air collision with the camera ship, Alouette G-AWEE, durring the filming of “Zepperin” This claimed the life of all on board the Alouette and the pilot of the SE5.

EI-ARA was lost in a fatal crash at Weston on the 15-09-70. The A/C spun in durring a low level dog fight durring the making of “Von Richtofen and Brown”
This accident claimed the life of my father Charles Boddington, I remember that day like it was yesterday”

So do I. Charles was doing a sequence with Derek Piggott when he crashed.
The entire unit wanted to quit.

I insisted that we press on with the final sequences.

The following day, Derek Piggott and I took off to do the last shot that would show Roy Brown down the Red Baron. I was in our Stampe with actor Don Stroud in the back seat. We had a camera located in front of the cockpit that filmed the back seat, making it look like Stroud was actually flying the sequence. (As a point of interest, I taught Don Stroud, and John Phillip Law, how to fly during the production.) As we swept across Lake Weston at low level ( about 4 feet) a jackdaw came through the propeller arc and hit me in the face, knocking me out. I pulled up into 5 power lines, then snap rolled into the water.

Derek was impressed with the flashes, as power lines broke, and the splash.

Stroud and I floundered around a long way from shore until we were rescued. Two people were given Deeds of Valor – an Irish award for heroism, for their part in the rescue. They swam out to us. Paddy Corcoran and Bruce Morrison. My son was named Patrick Bruce Garrison in their honour.

With my accident, the entire unit closed down.

Somewhere between hitting the jackdaw, and then the water, without thinking, I managed to remove the key from the Stampe’s magneto switch. I found it in my flying jacket pocket some weeks later.

………….and also in France , ULM SE.5A replicas – as indicated by the following image (which I can’t credit – it came to me, uncredited, from a contact – so apologies to the photographer).

SE5’s in France

Hello all,
are you all aware of the fact that there are still SE5 (replicas) flying in France?

The attached F-AZCY was taken at La Ferté Alais.. (I must have a pic of a green one also, I think..)

Greetz

Aerovet

Lynn Garrison is now a member

Hello- I am Lynn’s son, and wanted to let you all know that he is going to be able to communicate with you all here. I made this profile for him after our Birthdays had passed, and think it will be nice for all involved to carry the conversations regarding the Blue Max and other collections.
Please send him mails with any questions, and also see the photo album that is included with the profile for him here.

Happy Landings to you all!

Thank you for sharing that, BM.

The shadows seem long, it must have be quite early in the day.

We can only imagine how emotionally charged that image must be.

Dailee, would be very interested in any info on the two Miles Built SE5’s i would be most interested. Particularly if any drawings come to light. I do have pictures of the A/C durring filming in irelandif you are interested, these were talken by or of my father at the time. He would often give his camera to someone else to take the pctures while he was flying.
I was recently very kindly sent some picture by Lynn Garrison who owned the A/C post “Blue Max”
The one atached was talken of my father taking off for the last time in EI-ARA on the morning of the 15th September 1970 at Weston Aerodrme, Lexilip, Dublin.

Thank you very much for your inputs. When I asked the members of George’s design team, nobody could recall any useful information for a book that I am writing on the products of the Miles group of companies post Beagle

Posted by Blue Max 15 Jan 2007- Search for WW1 survivors thread

Did you not find this when you asked in September?

”Sadly i can, both of the full size SE5 replica’s built by FG Miles for the Blue Max Film were lost in fatal accidents.
Initialy registered as G-ATGV and G-ATGW in 1965 and issued permits to fly. Reregistered to 20th Century Fox Productions as EI-ARA and EI-ARB.
Folowing the finish of filming they were transfered to Shillelarge Productions Inc and were used in several other WW1 films, including “Darling Lili” (see pic)

Ei-ARB was lost in an fatal accident on the 18-8-70 in a mid air collision with the camera ship, Alouette G-AWEE, durring the filming of “Zepperin” This claimed the life of all on board the Alouette and the pilot of the SE5.

EI-ARA was lost in a fatal crash at Weston on the 15-09-70. The A/C spun in durring a low level dog fight durring the making of “Von Richtofen and Brown”
This accident claimed the life of my father Charles Boddington, i remember that day like it was yesterday”

There are other posts on here already concerning the aircraft from The Blue Max and I am sure others can give far more information than I can but G-ATGV and G-ATGW became EI-ARA and EI-ARB respectively.
Another of the SE5 replicas EI-APW was destroyed in a fatal mid air collision with an Alouette helicopter during filming for a later film and this is covered in other posts on the forum. If you have a look at some of the other posts particular the one about Caudron Luciole G-ATIP which contains a link to some photos of the replicas from Blue Max and a good deal more information.