Televising an Airshow in 1967-some photos…

It’s 1967. I’m in my second year working as a ‘sound assistant’ for the ITV station Anglia TV in Norwich. As part of their remit to produce interesting local programming they decided to broadcast the Coltishall Battle-of-Britain airshow.

We rig the Anglia Outside Broadcast truck in the centre of the airfield as hefty cabbling is required to the 4 large Pye cameras. The video, audio and telephone control circuits are also run by cable, in a temporary underground duct, to the ‘GPO’ who have set up a microwave dish on a suitable ‘high spot’ , to link the TV feed back to Anglia House in Norwich.

Cameras are rigged on scaffold towers and beside the runway

and a commentary booth is placed in front of the Control Tower, with a suitably knowledgeble RAF Officer to give us ‘the gen’.

Here a collegue of mine is picking up sound with a ‘parab’. This is an omni directional microphone placed facing into a parabolic dish which focuses the sound into it…within reason, as the bass frequencies pass straight around the dish. We replaced these with ‘gun mics’ a few years later.

So what did the Anglia TV viewer see that September day in 1967.

Well the French brought ‘sex appeal’ , with a stunning Mirage II. She seems to have started undressing already!

We had beauty in a different form. A Bassett CC1.

Also the very lovely and dainty Gnat.

The camera crew had to be nimble with their large OB cameras. The Taylor-Hobson zoom lenses gave great close-ups. Only ‘black-and-white’ of course (and the sound’s mono)….but it’s a better view than ‘being there’!

When flying got underway, the RAF show a new Victor tanker with it ‘all hanging out’.

Not to be outdone, the Navy went slow and low with an AEW3 Gannet.

A Sea Vixen and Buccaneer, along with the Gannet, were from Victorious. She was in dry-dock having a complete re-fit after here 3rd Commission to the Far East. Little did anyone know that was to be her last. A fire in November very sadly, put paid to her Navy career.

Boscombe sent a Hastings with a ‘funny nose job’. Doesn’t ‘quite work’. Perhaps ‘Raspberry Ripple’ is needed.

Being a front-line fighter base, there were Lightnings galore. Here XM188 a 74 Sqn F1A. A 4-ship of Lightnings did aerobatics and a T4 was displayed.

A display by 4 Starfighters from the Danish Air Force. Fast and noisy.

Camera 3 refuses to let them getaway!. He has a special ‘wedge’ on his tripod top, to allow for such a vertical position.

One of the Starfighters was a two seater, still carrying extra drop tanks.

Another ‘let it all hang down’ display from Shackleton MR2 WG555. His bomb-bay doors are very ‘rippled’, I notice.

I’m so pleased to see that the RAF have finally joined the ‘Hercules Club’. This one does interesting things with his prop tips when throwing them into reverse.

Although the red Arrows were now the lead RAF team, we had the Red Pelicans, now flying a 4-ship display.

That’s the Anglia OB truck in the centre of the airfield. Always called a ‘scanner’ within the TV industry…there must be a military derivation there somewhere.

Finally here’s Spitfire AB910, which I will always associate with the great Geoffrey Quill.
This shot is taken beside ‘the runway camera’ and is looking back at the Control Tower commentary position with OB truck and the radar in front..see the first ‘wideshot’ for the reverse view.
That opening picture is a ‘composite’ and shows a Whirlwind taking off beside ‘the scanner’ and two of the Red Pelicans landing from opposite ends and passing on the runway.
In 1967 you could see RAF Air Shows like this at dozens of places…times have changed.

David Taylor.