I was at Mum and Dad’s today and I raided his video collection. I watched an episode from an excellent series called ‘Reaching For The Skies’, which is narrated by Anthony Quayle. In it is a flying example of a Vickers Vimy. This serioes aired here in NZ in about 1990 so it must have been filmed in the late 1980’s. Looks to be in the UK.
I know this isn’t the replica that flew round the world in the mid-1990’s, G-AEOU. It was coded, I think from memory, G-AWAU. Was this a real Vimy, or another replica? Where is it now?
Also in the episode was some brilliant footage of Sally B, PA474, B29 Fifi and the CAF Heinkel 111. All looked stunning. This made me wonder, is Fifi still flying? And are any other B29’s airworthy nowadays? I know she used to be the only one.
The episode also included much coloured footage from the 1944 version of The Memphis Belle and what I expect must be the film Night Bomber mentioned here (coloured Lancaster footage). I’d love to know more about Night Bomber, it looks superb. What Squadron was it, where was it filmed, who narrated it etc.
By: Woody - 24th March 2004 at 19:31
Thanks JDK and Robbo both for the correction and the info.
(At least this explains why my Google search for B29 Snow Goose some time ago drew a blank.)
Woody
By: JDK - 23rd March 2004 at 23:15
The B-29 burtn out in a rescue attempt was called ‘Kee Bird’ by it’s original crew. The ‘Snow Goose’ name may have been a nickname during the rescue attempt?
Have a search under ‘Kee Bird’ for more and the WIX Forum ran a very interesting and well informed discussion some months ago.
Cheers
By: Woody - 23rd March 2004 at 23:02
Then of course there’s that dreadful (Content – not production) programme of the B29 they rebuilt on the ice then burned due to an electrical fault before it could take off.
IIRC the B29 was called “Snow Goose” and one of the team involved in the restoration died during the recovery attempt (not as a result of the fire). Terribly sad. 🙁
By: Ant.H - 23rd March 2004 at 20:33
…one of the rather beautiful (and ratehr large!)propellors.Note the wind-driven fuel pump at the bottom of the pic.Amy Johnson’s Moth G-AAAH is in the background of both shots.
By: Ant.H - 23rd March 2004 at 20:31
A couple of pics of the Science Museum’s Vimy,taken late last year…
By: Flood - 23rd March 2004 at 18:04
Originally posted by Dave Homewood
I guess no genuine ones survived then.
Other than the Alcock and Brown example there is Ross and Keith Smiths G-EAOU (“God ‘Elp All Of Us!”, apparently!) preserved at Adlaide Airport – it’s museum building was recently reprieved from demolition in an airport expansion programme (I think). The Smiths were the first to fly from Britain to Australia (Hounslow-Darwin in 135 hours spread over 28 days, 12/11-10/12/1919), together with Sergeants Bennett and Shiers.
The Vimy was formerly F8630 in the RAF and became A5-1 in the RAAF.
Flood.
By: JDK - 23rd March 2004 at 16:58
I seem to recall there was another B-29 flying with a group of volunteers in the late 60s early 70s in the US.
Anyone else able to confirm?
Regarding the colour film, I suspect, that like the colour photos of Charles E Brown, it wasn’t a question of choice, but avaliability. Most (all?) allied colour still stock came from the US, (guess it was color stock then..) and it was only thanks to (IIRC) ‘Life’ magazine wanting colour footage of British a/c resulting them in sending some Kodachrome film to Charles E that we have all those lovely W.W.II colour warplane portraits… (There was a war on you know, and colour stock wasn’t the most important item to ship accross the Atlantic)
Cheers
By: Bigglesworth - 23rd March 2004 at 12:59
Originally posted by DazDaMan
IIRC another B-29 is being restored to fly (I think) in Wichita.
That would be B29 ‘Doc’, being restored by Boeing employee’s and volunteers in thier own time. A little way off by the looks of iCheck the live webcam.
Here is the link:
‘Doc’
By: Moggy C - 23rd March 2004 at 12:50
I was too horrified to really take notice of those details 🙁
Moggy
Cyber-Terrapin
By: Arabella-Cox - 23rd March 2004 at 12:45
Sorry Moggy, but there was no electrical influence in that particular incident. Unless you’re counting the electrical impulses which went through someone’s brain and made them leave an open can of fuel next to the hot running APU…
By: Moggy C - 23rd March 2004 at 09:20
Then of course there’s that dreadful (Content – not production) programme of the B29 they rebuilt on the ice then burned due to an electrical fault before it could take off.
Moggy
Cyber-Terrapin
By: DazDaMan - 23rd March 2004 at 08:57
IIRC another B-29 is being restored to fly (I think) in Wichita.
By: Dave Homewood - 23rd March 2004 at 08:48
Thanks Mike. If I bothered to check my home video of the Scence Museum from my 1997 visit I’d probably see it o there too. I had forgotten it even existed. I have seen the one in the RAF Museum too, looks very nice indeed as Moggy said.
By: Dave Homewood - 23rd March 2004 at 08:20
Thanks Eric. Here was I thinking up till now that the RAF Museum’s Vimy was genuine. I guess no genuine ones survived then.
Wow, that was a very smart move by Wing Commander Cozens to use coloured film, such a treasure to see an RAF station and its activities in colour. I will have to save up and buy the DVD release and see the full film.
That BBC bombers night sounds good. Those were the days of TV. I have the 1944 Memphis Belle on video, it’s an interesting documentary but havily constructed. Neither MB films tell the full, true story.
I really appreciate the Colour At War series (as narrated by the late great John Thaw). They showed the Second World War so much more vividly than any black and white fotage or photos can.
By: Moggy C - 23rd March 2004 at 08:13
The Vimy looks splendid dominating the Grahame White building at the Hendon RAF Museum.
Worth a visit if you are ever across here.
Moggy
By: Eric Mc - 23rd March 2004 at 08:04
G-AWAU was built for the 1969 50th anniversary of Alcock and Brown’s trans Atlantic flight. Unfortunately, it later caught fire and was burned out. However, I think it was restored to non-flying condition and it is the Vimy which is now in the RAF Museum collection. The filming of the Vimy would have been from its airwothy days (1969/70). “Reach for the Skies” was aired in the UK on BBC2 in 1988.
As far as I know, “Fifi” is still flying.
I can’t remember the actual squadron featured in “Night Bombers” but the film is based on colour home movie footage shot by Wing Commander Iliffe Cozens at RAF Hemswell.
BBC2 originally showed “Night Bombers” and “The Memphis Belle” as part of a special “Bombers” night in 1979 – I still have the issue of “Radio Times” from that week which featured paintings of a B-17 and a Lancaster on the front cover. No over-obsession with soap operas and celebraties in those days.
Sign In
March 23, 2004 at 5:33 am