The Shape of Things to Come
- Episode aired Aug 29, 2012
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
7
YOUR RATING
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Barbara Flynn
- Self - Narrator
- (voice)
George Edwards
- Self - Chief Designer of Vickers Viscount
- (archive footage)
John Cunningham
- Self - De Havilland Test Pilot
- (archive footage)
Norman Tebbit
- Self - BOAC Pilot and Navigator 1953-1970
- (as Lord Tebbitt)
Giles Guthrie
- Self - Chairman, BOAC
- (archive footage)
- (as Sir Giles Guthrie)
Storyline
Did you know
- Quotes
[Lord Tebbit points to a large handle on the ceiling of the cockpit in a Bristol Britannia]
Lord Tebbit: It was the first really very, very electrical aeroplane. But that had a downside, of course, in that if you lost the electrics you were in real big trouble. That's when this switch came in. And basically it would disconnect all the generators and then reconnect them again. And you should get at least *some* of your electrical services back again. It was known, inevitably, as the Jesus Christ switch, because that was the only occasion when you'd use it, at that moment when everybody on the flight desk was saying "Jesus Christ!". And you'd grab it and hopefully all power would be restored. Very useful!
Featured review
The Shape of Things to Come
Norman Tebbit who used to be a pilot before going into politics, steps inside a vintage Bristol Britannia airplane. Once the nostalgia settles he points to a switch that you would pull in case the electrics went down. It was called the Jesus Christ switch which you would grab when all hope was lost and hopefully the power would come on.
That sums up British jet power in the skies post world war 2. All these innovative small companies were ahead of the curve when it came to design and building new jet engines, but they did not sell well, had safety flaws and eventually Boeing of the USA took over. Not helped that BOAC, the leading British flag carrier preferred Boeing planes before anything else.
De Havilland made the Comet, there was the powerful VC10 but it was not enough. Britain did not rule the airwaves.
That sums up British jet power in the skies post world war 2. All these innovative small companies were ahead of the curve when it came to design and building new jet engines, but they did not sell well, had safety flaws and eventually Boeing of the USA took over. Not helped that BOAC, the leading British flag carrier preferred Boeing planes before anything else.
De Havilland made the Comet, there was the powerful VC10 but it was not enough. Britain did not rule the airwaves.
- Prismark10
- Jan 17, 2018
- Permalink
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