Other titles:MARSHALL PLAN FILMS [Allocated Series Title]
Summary:A "behind the scenes" look at the new equipment, skilled staff and teamwork that assure the smooth, safe and efficient running of Rome's Ciampino Airport.
Description:The film opens with a shot showing a de Havilland DH 106 Comet being pulled along by a tug. The take-off of a Pan American World Airways flight then awakens the driver of a donkey and cart travelling near Ciampino airport. Work within the airport's air traffic control centre is shown, as is the arrival of a British Overseas Airways Corporation flight, and disembarkation of its passengers. International titles are shown for sale in a Tabacchi in the airport. A waiter mixes drinks at a bar. Passport police review travel documents, before passengers hand baggage over for carriage. A tracking shot follows workers through airline company offices, before engineers are shown inspecting and maintaining engines. They describe the capabilities of the Comet, with further details provided by the narrator. Accurate weather operation is vital to the operations of the airport, and the collection and analysis of weather data is shown. Activity within the aerodrome control operations is briefly shown. The preparation of meals for passengers on outgoing flights is then shown. Airmail is checked and readied for despatch on flights. A signpost indicates distances to international destinations, such as London and Manila. The arrivals of Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Dwight Eisenhower, and Alcide De Gasperi, Prime Minister of Italy, are briefly shown. Increased activity on the runways is mirrored in the air traffic control room. From here, telegraph communications are made to an operator on board a flight. Passengers relax as they fly out of Rome. A photographic still showing a view over Rome from the Colosseum [Coliseum] to the Altar of the Fatherland is used to illustrate the view from the plane window. The film ends as passengers embark upon a Linee Aeree Italiane flight of Rome-Paris-New York.
Alternative Title:MARSHALL PLAN FILMS [Allocated Series Title]
