'Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines' – on TV 2nd January

Slightly late answer but I seem to remember that Joan Hughes flew the Demoiselle as she was the lightest pilot they could find with enough experience to get it airborne. She had been a member of the Air Transport Auxiliary and was an instructor at Booker for many years. A very nice lady and very modest too.

Here is the Demoiselle approaching the coast of France, followed by the Boxkite and TriPlane, with the Antoinette just visible in the distance.

i like the smell of steam but traction engines are more my thing, you can steer them.

You’ve certainly got plenty of time to think about where you might want to go today. The only road vehicle where you’ve got time to use a sextant for navigation… 😀

According to Wheeler’s book on the making of the film, Joan Hughes was conscripted (willingly!) when the builder of the Demoiselle wasn’t able to get it off the ground.

He also says that he was worried about getting the Boxkite back over the cliffs of Dover as it looked very touch and go…

I interviewed her a couple of years before she died and she was wonderful. She said the Demioselle was not that bad to fly and I think I posted more about this on the other thread.

Joan Hughes was very petite. There is a well-known photo of her standing beside a Stirling, and even the wheel was taller than her.

Slightly late answer but I seem to remember that Joan Hughes flew the Demoiselle as she was the lightest pilot they could find with enough experience to get it airborne. She had been a member of the Air Transport Auxiliary and was an instructor at Booker for many years. A very nice lady and very modest too.

Watched the movie on video, only taped from when some guy with the Avro triplane was taking it across the channel in a boat up till the end – is that all of the flying scenes? Thought it was longer myself

Sorry i’ve been chastised by my brother and father, it was Goldington Power station, (which incidently was the site proposed by Richard Shuttleworth for a Bedford airport back in the 30’s) in the background of the shot.

Also yes i’m reliably informed the engine was at Clapham for a short time sorry, i like the smell of steam but traction engines are more my thing, you can steer them :).

Incidentally, what does your brother part own.

Drives for Freightliner and part owns a 33 that is on the Swanage line I think.

They go up tiddly up up….

To my surprise, the film I got back today had some snaps from OW on it. I’d forgotten I’d taken them! Thought I’d share this one seeing as it’s come up in the discussion already. Oh, and that I’m really chuffed with a piccy where the small-plane-in-big-sky effect actually works in the photos favour…

Adrian

(and I STILL haven’t got the prints from the Box Brownie done properly, dammit!)

It had been presented to the British Transport Museum a couple of years before which was based, then, at Clapham. It is now in a Glasgow Museum. I will ask my brother (who is a train nut, engine driver and part owner) as he will most likely know where it was shedded during this period.
The stretch of track used is mentioned in the book on the making of the film. It was near Bedford.

Have just done this and the computer crashed.
Sir, you are a thorn in my side.
Have tried to research the Jones Goods on Google but not very succesfully.
Have just dug out my Combined Volume and Observers Book of Trains from 1961.
It would appear that 103 was stashed in the back of Crewe sheds for about 25 years, away from public gaze, then restored to running order in 1959, based at Dawsholm?
The poor thing is now rotting away in the Glasgow Museum of Transport.
I remember being tipped off by a local signalman about loco movements from London to York museum in the 70’s and 103 was not involved in this, I don’t think it was ever at Clapham, I don’t intend to get frozen in my loft to find my slides of this incident.
I think I will set my keyboard to bagpipes in honour of this event.
Incidentally, what does your brother part own.

Probably a pointless observation but, recalling the crash into the sewage farm, as a tiddler I remember an interview in the Saffron Walden or Braintree paper (about 1982, I reckon) of an old gent who claimed that as a young man he had been at Brooklands and had actually rescued a pilot who had crashed into a slurry lagoon…

Adrian

Hi the power station was Little Barford just up the road from OW and Tempsford, this was knocked down early nineties? :confused: can renember seeing it being demolished just can’t think when (not good for 25 is it sorry) 😮 Old Warden tunnel is partially blocked up, went down it a few years ago very dark and nice big holes to trip over and hurt your ankle in 😀

Just an aside I believe the Tunnel (where Terry Thomas comes to grief) is Old Warden tunnel and is now bricked up and a nature reserve for bats

I just looked at the previous thread where it stated that the railway scenes were shot near OW.
Could someone explain the location of the power station with cooling towers quite clearly shown in the background, also the loco used was the Highland Railway Jones Goods, the first 4-6-0 built in the UK and following withdrawal and restoration, mainly based in Scotland, rarely venturing south.

It had been presented to the British Transport Museum a couple of years before which was based, then, at Clapham. It is now in a Glasgow Museum. I will ask my brother (who is a train nut, engine driver and part owner) as he will most likely know where it was shedded during this period.

The coaches incidentally were from the Caledonian Railway, 2 of which survive in preservation in Scotland, the others were scrapped, there was a bit of an outcry about this I recall.
I always thought that these scenes were shot somewhere on the Notts/Lincs/Yorks borders due to the straightness of the track, flat landscape and prominent power station, the filming of the a/c at Skegness could confirm this.

The stretch of track used is mentioned in the book on the making of the film. It was near Bedford.

Could someone explain the location of the power station with cooling towers quite clearly shown in the background

Bedford, apparently… This and other questions try the IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059797/goofs

Flood

This was all discussed on a separate three four months ago and think most of the questions were answered here

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=46657

Sorry Ollie, don’t know what happened to the Antoinette, but I’m pretty sure it survives, possibly in a museum in France.

I just looked at the previous thread where it stated that the railway scenes were shot near OW.
Could someone explain the location of the power station with cooling towers quite clearly shown in the background, also the loco used was the Highland Railway Jones Goods, the first 4-6-0 built in the UK and following withdrawal and restoration, mainly based in Scotland, rarely venturing south.
The coaches incidentally were from the Caledonian Railway, 2 of which survive in preservation in Scotland, the others were scrapped, there was a bit of an outcry about this I recall.
I always thought that these scenes were shot somewhere on the Notts/Lincs/Yorks borders due to the straightness of the track, flat landscape and prominent power station, the filming of the a/c at Skegness could confirm this.

Deja Vu?

This was all discussed on a separate three four months ago and think most of the questions were answered here

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=46657

Sorry Ollie, don’t know what happened to the Antoinette, but I’m pretty sure it survives, possibly in a museum in France.

What happened to the Antoinette?

The Manning Flanders replica is with PPS, also appeared in the 1996 film ‘Wind in the Willows’, flown by Terry Jones as Mr Toad

Aha, Blue Max, I didn’t realise the ‘Vickers22’ and Manning Flanders were one and the same! I would like to think the Demoiselle flown by the French man and the Antoinette flown in the film were originals, they were so good, but they were all replicas . Both the Demoiselle flown by the frenchman and the Eardly Billing flown by the German went to the Berlin Transport Museum
Probably those that got scrapped included that ridiculous boat-shaped contraption that Tony Hancock ‘flew’ (with the help of a crane!).