FLYING WITH PRUDENCE [Main Title]

Log in to create clips, download free screeners and save clips/films in Collections. Click here to find out more.

Media files

  • Title: FLYING WITH PRUDENCE [Main Title]
  • Film Number: AMY 167
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: A dramatised instruction film made to instil in RAF flying personnel the importance of flight safety in peacetime.
  • Description: Reel 1. The film, an entertaining blend of romantic fantasy and seriousness, starts with a shot of an air safety poster 'A lot depends on a strap' featuring a glamorous young woman in an evening dress held up by a single strap and a pilot held in place by his safety harness. It quickly introduces the film's main characters - Dickie, a Flight Lieutenant, and Prudence, the living embodiment of the women in the safety poster, who meet at a dance in the officers' mess at an RAF Transport Command station in England. Dickie's Wing Commander introduces Prudence as one of the passengers he will be flying to India the following day. In the course of their first conversation, Dickie, an ex-bomber pilot, admits to missing the thrills and dangers of wartime flying and describes a recent episode (depicted with actuality footage) in which he flew his aircraft, an Avro York C 1 transport, dangerously low over a village and almost collided with a factory chimney. Prudence is not impressed by his immature attitude towards air safety. The following morning, Dickie pays only the scantest attention at the flight briefing. Later, he supervises the embarkation of his passengers who consist of army, navy and air force officers and two civilians, Mrs Crabshaw, a fussy and opinionated Indian Army brigadier's wife, and Mr Weaver, an absent-minded and somewhat seedy businessman from Rochdale. Prudence mysteriously reappears to board the Avro York and just as mysteriously disappears, causing ' Stickers', as Dickie's earnest but reliable co-pilot is nicknamed, to mistake Mrs Crabshaw for the "smashing popsie" Dickie fondly imagines is safely on board. Reel 2. Dickie's Avro York (squadron serial MW 226)starts up its engines and taxies to take off. Distracted by 'Sticker's' news that Prudence is not among the passengers, Dickie almost steers his aircraft into a petrol bowser left at the edge of his taxiing lane. Prudence suddenly reappears and witnesses Dickie's next misdemeanour - a near fatal collision with an Airspeed Oxford trainer coming into land on the runway he is about to use, averted only by the runway control officer who fires a Very flare to warn the pilot of the incoming aircraft. Dickie compounds this recklessly dangerous behaviour with a badly-executed take off. During the flight, Prudence reappears in the cockpit to check the altimeter reading. She tells Dickie that he is heading straight into a mountain range. Unfortunately, the navigator does not have a map for this part of their route but, despite Prudence's strong disapproval of his carelessness, Dickie does not reprimand him. In a hotel bar somewhere in the Middle East, the passengers and crew enjoy a drink at the end of the first day of their flight to India and Mr Weaver shows off cards advertising drinking dens and a dirty postcard he has acquired locally. Reel 3. Wandering around the hotel, Dickie finds Prudence and invites her out for an evening on the town. She declines his offer, pointing out that he too must be fit and ready for the next stage of their journey. Greatly flattered by her interest in flying, he shows her the take-off and landing procedure for his aircraft during which they imagine that they are inside the cockpit at the controls. This sequence is illustrated with actuality shots of an Avro York taking off and landing. Prudence compliments Dickie on his demonstration but scolds him for believing that an "old sweat" like him can "ease off on the drill" when such behaviour frequently leads to disaster. On this point, he reluctantly agrees with her. She kisses him goodnight and vanishes. Prudence compliments Dickie on his demonstration but scolds him for believing that an "old sweat" like him can "ease off on the drill" when such behaviour frequently leads to disaster. On this point, he reluctantly agrees with her. She kisses him goodnight and vanishes. Before dawn the next day, the passengers and crew reboard their Avro York for the final leg of their flight. Prudence turns up at the last minute. Mrs Crabshaw is unhappy that she is seated next to Mr Weaver, whose every word she takes strong exception to. Prudence reappears in the cockpit in time to take Dickie through the correct take-off procedure as the aircraft heads down an illuminated runway. During the flight, she checks up on the navigator and is alarmed to find out from him that their aircraft is passing close to a country whose troops routinely fire on any British aircraft flying into their airspace. He tries to reassure her - "Those wogs can't shoot anyway" - and points out that as there is a VIP on board, they won't be cutting corners on this trip. She reminds him now that the war is over "everybody considers they're a VIP where safety's concerned". To the consternation of some of the passengers, Dickie insists on flying through a fierce electrical storm, ignoring appeals by his co-pilot 'Stickers' and Prudence to turn back. His radio operator comes to the rescue by getting a 'fix' on an airstrip they can put down on until the weather improves. Safely back on ground, Mr Weaver discovers their temporary stop has no lavatory. Reel 4. The crew and passengers grumble and fret as they sit huddled together inside a tent trying to relax. Tired and fed up, Dickie heads off to his tent for some sleep and finds Prudence lying on his camp bed. However, she is in no mood for romance; instead, she is angry with him for risking lives by flying through the storm - "You're not flying home from Berlin now. That sort of thing is over, over and done with... Peace needs men, not maniacs". She leaves without allowing him to kiss her. Next day sees the Avro York transport flying in good weather and nearing the end of its long flight. Dickie's navigator tells him there's a ghost on board, a "popsie" who tore him off a strip. Dickie confesses he too has seen her but their co-pilot, old stick-in-the-mud 'Stickers' has not. Both men conclude from this observation that "maybe it's types like us she visits. Yes, types like us..." Dickie admits to Prudence that she has made him see the error of his ways and promises the final landing will be his best one yet. She warns him that the oil pressure in one of the engines is low. He briskly orders his flight engineer to fix the problem. Prudence finally explains her interest in flying and tells Dickie the reason for being on this flight. Dickie brings the Avro York into land at Karachi airport (?) and taxies the aircraft to the airport terminal where the passengers and aircrew disembark. Inside the terminal building, Dickie walks along a corridor lined with air safety posters. He apologises to Prudence for the difficult landing. She advises him next time to watch out for the false impression of height created by tropical shimmer off the runway and says goodbye - "I shall never be very far away from you... If you keep faith with me, I'll be around". The moment she kisses him she reappears on one of the wall posters. The film ends with a montage of posters issued by the Air Ministry encouraging RAF aircrews to 'Fly with Prudence'. 10:40:39 End
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: Yes
  • Object_Number: AMY 167
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1946
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Directorate of Accident Prevention, Air Ministry (Production sponsor) Merton Park Studios (Production company) Hoare, Frank A (Production individual) Musk, Cecil (Production individual) Watson, Harold (Production individual) Ryder, S (Production individual) Krish, John (Production individual) Bath, John (Production individual) Skilbeck, Oswald (Production individual) Dinsdale, Alan T (Production individual) Cutts, Patricia (Production cast) Elphinstone, Derek (Production cast)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:
  • Keywords: Royal Air Force 1945-2000 (theme) Defence of Great Britain since 1945 (theme) Great Britain post-1945 (theme) Military Aviation (theme) Empire & Commonwealth (theme)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English Title language: English Subtitle language: None
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 4 Footage: 2860 ft; Running time: 40 mins 33 secs
  • HD Media:Yes
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    AMY 167

  • Related IWM Collections Objects:

    26599 ()
Register