Page 1 of 2

Vickers Viking

Posted: 30 Jun 2009, 18:31
by Garry Russell
Link to a Pathe preview clip

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=55498

Garry

Re: Vickers Viking

Posted: 30 Jun 2009, 21:55
by DaveB
Loved that Garry.. cheers :thumbsup:

I reckon that grassy airfield is Wisley and those officials are from the Air Ministry as the aircraft are AGOK and AGOL.. the first 2 prototypes. Pity there's no sound but that's often the way with these old clips ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Re: Vickers Viking

Posted: 30 Jun 2009, 22:02
by Garry Russell
Seems brand new

I wouldn't shut an engine down at that low level :o :lol:

Certaily looks like Wisley from the pics of the Viscounts first flight when it was still grass.

Nice long preview..........I wonder if the logged on version has sound :think:

Garry

Re: Vickers Viking

Posted: 30 Jun 2009, 22:11
by TSR2
Some of those flypasts make her look quite spritely! :lol:

Great find Garry :thumbsup:

Re: Vickers Viking

Posted: 30 Jun 2009, 22:45
by DaveB
:lol: :lol: :lol:

In actual fact.. she WAS quite spritely mate. Her only downfall was that she never looked that way :lol:

Mutt Summers is the man in the P1 seat so the footage will be around the 1945 mark. Sadly.. AGOK didn't last much longer being written off in a forced landing the following year. I love what the chap in P2 is wearing. Tweed jacket and leather flying helmet :lol: I'm surprised neither of em had a fag on :lol:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Re: Vickers Viking

Posted: 30 Jun 2009, 22:53
by Garry Russell
Cruising speed 210.not bad eh!

The Freighter was more sprightly than given credit for.

Those Brsitol Hercules engines were the biz :thumbsup:

Garry

Re: Vickers Viking

Posted: 01 Jul 2009, 09:51
by delticbob
Dave, yes I'd noticed Mutt Summers in the line up just before the rear door is closed. Sadly I keep thinking of Patrick Barr, the actor - who played Summers in The Dam Busters film, every time his name (Summers) is mentioned :brick:

Good film anyhow.

Bob

Re: Vickers Viking

Posted: 01 Jul 2009, 19:58
by 511Flyer
I may have been an unwitting spectator to that display. Towards the end of the war, and for a few years after, we lived in Hatchford Farm cottage, which was actually below the level of the runway at Wisley. As a 6 year old, I used to walk up the slope and look through the fence which can be seen in the film. I seem to remember that there were always a lot of aircraft movements going on.

Thanks for pointing us towards it.

Dennis.

Re: Vickers Viking

Posted: 01 Jul 2009, 20:02
by Garry Russell
Hello Dennis

I take it you saw the early Viscount flights....must have looked very futuristic then :)

Garry

Re: Vickers Viking

Posted: 02 Jul 2009, 18:50
by 511Flyer
Hi Garry.

I've always lived close to Wisley and the Vickers factory, so I've seen most of the aircraft, and a lot of the development flying that took place there. I remember the Viscount in particular because of the engine sounds. We little lads boasted at school of seeing a four engined Spitfire.

After leaving the RAF, I actually worked at Vickers in the VC10 wingshop before moving on to Heathrow, which is where my enthusiasm for working on aircraft declined to the point where I threw my ball of string away and said "&%$*# @?&"

Dennis.