Skyfall Helicopters

The ‘Lynx’ in Skyfall was actually a brand new Wildcat AH.1 (flown by AAC pilots and NOT on B Class markings – none of them have flown with any). They used one aircraft and filmed it from different angles to make it look like there were three. If you sit and watch the end credits you’ll see “With thanks to the MoD and the Lynx PT” – we look after both Lynx and Wildcat.

The ‘Merlin’ was, as I think has already been said, AW101 demonstrator G-17-510 flown by AW test pilots Andy Strachan and Don Maclaine – again, noted in the end credits.

Skyfall helicopters

Wandering the topic slightly….:o

…but do I recall a then Strubby based Bond helicopter…I mean the Bond helicopter company;).. A MBB 105 being used in an espionage style tv series.??

Would it have been the one that used an ex Coningsby? Pembroke down at Roger Windleys perhaps.???

Thank you,
Clive.

Dunno about the MBB Bo105 (will need further research) but I do recall the Pembroke. The TV Series was called “The XYY Man” and was a Granada TV production for ITV. 13 episiodes were made and broadcast in 1976-77.

The Pembroke had fake markings as “G-IIIM” and was featured in the title sequence being hauled out of a lake

The Pembroke was, in reality, WV703 (C/no. PAC/66/06 delivered 06/10/1953, to 8108M, to Coningsby dump, scrapped Tattershall Thorpe circa 1990)

Have a look here http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0075601/ here http://www.tv.com/shows/the-xyy-man/episodes/ and some of here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_XYY_Man, qoute:

“In 1976 the first of Royce’s novels was transferred to British television by Granada TV, in a three-part adaptation with Stephen Yardley playing Scott.

The adventures of Scott caught the public imagination and ten more episodes followed in 1977. He is often co-opted (usually through some kind of blackmail) into working for shadowy civil-servant and MI5 officer Fairfax (Mark Dignam – in the novels the name Fairfax is a codename, and the character’s real name is Sir Stuart Halliman. In one episode of the XYY Man, he identifies himself as “Stuart” in a telephone conversation). Doggedly on his trail is his nemesis Bulman (Don Henderson) and his assistant, Detective Constable Derek Willis (Dennis Blanche).

When the series came to an end, the character of Bulman and Willis were considered popular enough to merit their own spin-off series, Strangers and later (without Willis, except for a cameo in an early episode) Bulman. Kenneth Royce also returned to his Bulman character, writing No Way Back (Hashimi’s Revenge) in 1986, and later The Judas Trail (1996) and Shadows (1996).”

All 13 TV Episodes are available in a Region 2 UK DVD set (released by Network DVD on 26/2/2007) see http://www.networkdvd.net/product_info.php?products_id=373

Wandering the topic slightly….:o

…but do I recall a then Strubby based Bond helicopter…I mean the Bond helicopter company;).. A MBB 105 being used in an espionage style tv series.??

Would it have been the one that used an ex Coningsby? Pembroke down at Roger Windleys perhaps.???

Thank you,
Clive.

I think the newer Bonds are going back to doing things for real wherever possible. Whether or not this includes the helos, I have no idea, but it would seem possible in this case.

A Visual Effects breakdown of the movie here. No mention of the Lynx being a visual effect. A lot of talk about shooting for real and models with CGI helping.

http://www.fxguide.com/featured/skyfall/

Were the Lynxes in Skyfall really? Looked like (actually pretty dissapointing quality) CGI to me

I agree.
For as briefly as they were seen…and from that distrance, no need to use real helicopters.

I was surprised to learn that the later shots of the Aston Martin was a model.
Apearently, CGI hasn’t completely taken over.

Sorry about the wrong topic category and thank you for the data.

Were the Lynxes in Skyfall really? Looked like (actually pretty dissapointing quality) CGI to me

Yeah, all AW factory choppers.

Not really a historic topic, but never mind.

Google gives a thread on Fighter Control, http://www.fightercontrol.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=90&t=58786, which gives a B Class serial as G-17-510 and has it as AW’s demonstrator airframe.

From what google shows the Lynxes were also AW airframes so it’s safe to assume they were also on B class.