Aesthetically an exemplar of 1930's design,. I was fortunate to see one up close at the former RFC grass airfield, which still hosts military aircraft, at Upavon, Wiltshire in 2011.
I remember them from when I was a kid and my Dad was an AA1 based at Lee on Solent and on the Ark Royal and Eagle in the 60's and 70's. I was always fascinated by the Gannet. It just seemed so unlikely that something like this could actually fly.
And then we bought American to replace it !! and all their kit !! All the research and development and skills lost to competitors to sell back to us...... how short sighted and irresponsible. A second rate nation now sadly.
Don't get me wrong but I always thought of it as a "sexy aircraft"... the way is was built , the way it flew.... it had a certain poses to it. It shined,it showed off.
Whole squadrons were wiped out owing to its poor performance and poor defensive capabilities. Read"Six weeks of Blenheim summer" to understand just how brave those crews were.
Thanks for the recommendation, I shall get a copy. They were proper heroes. It was such a privilege to meet some of the crews. So modest about what they undertook, knowing the risks.
When I worked for SWT as an engineer we had a wheel lathe at Wimbledon. We could turn the wheels whilst still on the loco! We used to see the Deltics A LOT and get a cab ride up the sidings! Not only that my late father worked for EE and was a wireman on the prototype D1! He later went on to wire up the production ones! So a bit of dad is in ALL the Deltics. I have traveled behind them many times when in service. You forgot to mention - the Finsbury Park Racehorses all had cabs painted with WHITE around the windows - thats how you can tell them from a distance.👍 The GREATEST locomotive ever built in England - nothing will ever touch her. So sad to see the end.😪😪😭
Hi there my real Name is Mr Cannadine T. Boxill-Harris, I have another interesting idea for most of us Class 507, Class 508, Class 313, and Class 314 and that also includes those interesting Class 315 Fans out there, rather than scrapping most of those Class 507, Class 508, Class 313's Class 314 including the Class 315's maybe you guys can convert them. Including the refurbishment into the Volvo TD102KF Engine, Volvo B10M Engine, Scania N112 Engine, Leyland 510 Engine, Cummins M11 Engine, Gardner LG1200 Engine, Gardner 6LXB Engine, Gardner 8LXB Engine, Class 507, Class 508, Class 313's, Class 314's and the Class 315's and convert all of them into a 2 Carriages and Three Carriages of the Class 313's, Class 314's and that is including those Class 315's for most of us Class 314 and Class 315 Diesel Train Fans PLEASE? Are you still going to do this interesting type of Project for all of us out there Pretty Please.
Why are we having a programme about the Buccaneer which was a Navy aircraft from the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, why are we being lectured by the RAF, it didn't get the aircraft until the Navy stopped using it and suddenly the RAF are all experts, it is very clumsy and to be honest its infuriating to have to listened from the RAF creaming off the illustrious history of the Royal Navy's Buccaneers life, really infuriating, 😡😡😡‼️
My earliest memory is watching Flying Scotsman steam over Digswell viaduct on Pegler’s great run. I volunteered at Salisbury Hall, whose mallards gave the name to the most famous A4. I knew Tony Marchington, bankrupted by the Scotsman. I still think the Deltic is the greatest loco in history.
Awesome to look at and listen to those diesel engines puffing at full speed! Thanks for sharing. In the US we take our diesels for granted now because that's all we use and they're not very pretty or good sounding at all.
The VC-10 was the first “jet” aircraft I ever flew in as a 60 minute training flight when I was part of the ATC in 1980. Flew from RAF Waddington out over the North Sea. I remember the rear facing seats. Very odd sensation on take off.
OH, for the drone of those engines once they were in the air. I will always remember that sound as they flew over Nowra in New South Wales Australia, the home of Australia's Fleet Air Arm.
I've lived in Dover all my life. God i miss these hovercrafts so much! I can still remember the smell of the jet fuel and sea spray it takes me back to my childhood. Used to do a non lander with my mum for £1!
Is Peter Twist a relative of Oliver?!? The Dickens, you say! I already knew that the Gannet was a great plane; now I know that this series, which I just discovered, on great British planes is a great series!! Thank you!!
A wonderful aircraft. As mad about aeroplanes at 80 as I was at 10 yo, the Gannet was always a favourite. Not too many people realised it was a twin-engined machine. At an air show years ago, I was surprised to have a retired FAA pilot tell us they used to land at almost full throttle - just in case they were waved off.
Thanks John, I am sadly not the angler, but the producer. Glad you enjoyed it. It was a real treat working on this with Matt and there are definitely a lot more strings to his bow than being something of a legend in the angling world.
