AIRPLANE? Ugh. Aeroplane or aircraft please! The dumbed down BBC standards are abysmal and continue to decline. They usually say TRAIN instead of the correct RAILWAY station. Why?
Colour me confused but I’m sure the V tailed straight wing ancestor of the Scimitar was the type 508. I saw it in an unburnt state at Predannack in the late 1960s or early 70s. I wrote to Flight and Aeroplane at the time lamenting that such a rare type was going to consumed by flame to provide training for firemen. This was before the FAA museum was up and running, unfortunately.
I think Wolfgang Spate’s TEST PILOTS deserves to be on the list as well as Lerche’s autobiography (forgotten the title!). He probably was the last German to fly the Dornier Do 335.
Arguably the nicest looking Barracuda was the Griffon engined Mark V. Unfortunately the flying characteristics were so woefully poor that none were ever issued to a unit.
If I correctly remember, a number of weapons of varying calibres were trialled including rotating barrel efforts but it all came to naught under Treasury pressure (or so it was claimed). We ended up with the 7.62 mm GPMG – to the surprise of nobody! The Rhodesians had fitted 20 mm cannons to their helicopters and found them to be a game changer.
I’m afraid I have to agree with sconnor. Quality and historical accuracy is not what a TV company relishes. A ‘celebrity’ big name and as much stock footage (however inappropriate) as possible is the aim. Now add a deafening music background – all for our benefit of course as we have been dumbed down!
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