Title:INTRODUCTION TO AIRCRAFT RECOGNITION [Main Title]
Film Number:AMY 129
Other titles:
Summary: Air Ministry information film about aircraft recognition techniques.
Description: Reel 1: Opening scene of sea birds in flight followed by gliders doing aerobatics over a mountain range. Early attempts at flight, Wright Bros, Bleriot, scene of WW1 air warfare. Scene of German bombers from WW2 and blitz of a city. Sunderland and ships to illustrate Combined Operations. Glider and airborne troops. Beauforts dropping torpedoes (№ 1 Torpedo Unit? TU-Z). P-38 Lightning and V1, Vampire and atomic bomb, Meteor, Tempest, Whirlwind, Varsity(?) VT-AZA, Sunderland, Lancaster (IL-D), Mosquitos to illustrate aircraft recognition. Comparison to knowing your own house, by shape, garden etc. Scene outside Eastcote Railway station and “Meteor Breaks Record” headline on newspaper billboard. Scene of Meteor over seafront and in flight (EE521). Points to observe in recognising a Meteor. Shot of a flight shed and Meteor being assembled (RA439 and RA436), tailplane location on fuselage. Shots of various aircraft in flight to illustrate. Whirlwind, C-46, Beaufighter (RO 458 QM-C), Mosquito, RAF Mitchell (C-DY), Bristol Freighter (G-AGVC) Vickers Viking (G-AGOM), Spitfire (HA-F), Lancaster (PO-N), Avro York (G-AGJA).
Reel 2: Physical description of Meteor jet, pointing out identifying elements e.g. wing position/shape, engine location etc. Shots of various aircraft to illustrate wing type and shape. Compare aircraft recognition to spotting your girlfriend in a cinema queue from across the street and importance of being able to spot enemy aircraft. Meteor (EE589) rolled out of hangar for test flight. EE590 taxis out for take off. Lancastrian VH 742 engine testbed in flight. US Flying Wing Northrop YB35 shot, “Flying Flapjack” Vought XF5U, to illustrate changing shape of future aircraft. Saunders Roe SR.A/1 Amphibious Fighter.
Production Details: Admiralty (Production sponsor)
Army Kinema Corporation (Production sponsor)
Air Ministry (Production sponsor)
Crown Film Unit (Production company)
Jackman, A F (Production individual)
Clarke, J H (Production individual)
