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By: - 28th January 2018 at 16:24 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The Oxford was far from extinct in 1961 though I suspect only a very few flew any later than that.
G-AHGU (V3815) was with Film Aviation Services, Gatwick from 1958, used in films "Operation Bullshine" and "Babette goes to War" 58/59. Undercarriage collapsed in a heavy landing at Fairoaks in October 1960 and canx. Destroyed when acting as stand-in for G-AJLR in film.
G-AHTW (V3388) was based at Wolverhampton, circa 1960; to Skyfame, Staverton in 1964. Skyfame flew this last airworthy example for several years. Now a static exhibit at Duxford.
G-AITB (MP425 Airwork Services, Perth, wfu May 61, to RAF Museum 1969.
G-AITF (ED920) painted in Japanese markings for film. Airwork Services, Hamble and Perth. canx 10.61, to RAF Museum 1971, to SAAF Museum 1984.
G-AIKR (PK286) convtd. to Consul. Coll. of Air Training, Perth 1960; T.H. Marshall 2.62, Rapid Flying Club, Baginton, 9.62, wfu when CoA lapsed 5.65, > Woburn as side show > Airwork, Gatwick > Skyfame on behalf of National Aviation Museum Rockcliffe, Canada for restoration to Oxford standard. To Canada 10.65 - extant.
G-AJLR, (R6029) convtd. to Consul. Appears to have been active in 1960/61. Wfu from use at Fairoaks April 1964. Stored Cardington. Extant, but static, with Singapore Airlines, representing VR-SCD of Malayan Airlines.
G-ALTP (PH321) Coll. of Air Training, Hamble 1960; T.H. Marshall 4.61, w/o at Christchurch Jan 62 when engine caught fire.
G-ALTR (PH368) Coll. of Air Training, Hamble 1960; T.H. Marshall 4.61, w/o in t/o. accident in France, 8.61., canx 2.62.
G-AOUT (MP301) Eagle Aircraft Services, Ringway 1956; used for filming, still at Ringway 7.59; used as spares for G-AJLR and G-AJXH.
My brief extracts from "The Oxford, Consul and Envoy File", John F. Hamlin, Air-Britain.
There may be more than these I found in a quick search.
Tony Broadhurst
By: - 28th January 2018 at 17:57 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Unfortunately the film isn't scheduled for re-showing on Talking Pictures TV during the next five weeks but it's been on before and it's bound to come round again and then if someone records it and plays back with 'freeze frame', the registration mark on the fin may be identifiable. In the meantime, the channel has a number of forthcoming showings of films with a good aviation content. But I'm afaid most of you probably missed a classic there this morning - a short from the forties featuring Charles Hawtrey entitled 'How to refuel your two stroke motorcycle engine'. How that missed the Oscar nominations is beyond me! Fortunately for those contemplating jumping off a cliff at having missed it, it's available on youtube.
By: - 29th January 2018 at 00:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I know it's not re the Oxford but I think the Rover P6 came out in 1963 not 1961.
By: - 14th May 2018 at 21:32 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
It's Airspeed Consul G-AJNE in 'Breaking Point'.
By: - 14th May 2018 at 22:35 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
M-62A.
Further to your extract from the A-B book, the status of G-AJLR has changed since it was displayed by Singapore Airlines. The airframe had once been held by the RAF Museum as a source of parts for their Oxford. It was disposed of by the RAFM - they referred to it back then as just vestigial remains - but that really didn’t do it justice!
Singapore Airlines obtained it to display for a while during a significant anniversary of the airline. They did an amazing restoration to static display condition, painted as VR-SDC to represent their first aircaft which was a Consul. Sadly after their celebrations it was moved to a local heritage centre but unbelievably (for a wooden airframe) was put on display outdoors! The inevitable happened and it rapidly deteriorated and was seriously damaged by the weather.
Many years later the airline (I think) decided to have it restored again. Reportedly the remains were sent to New Zealand for attention. The location and status of G-AJLR are now uncertain. I tried to track it down during a visit to NZ but to no avail. It would be interesting to know if it does survive, where it really is and whether it might surface again one day.
Since Consul G-AIKR has now been restored to Oxford configuration in NZ, G-AJLR would be the World’s sole surviving Consul.
By: - 15th May 2018 at 15:46 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I've recently discovered Talking Pictures too and there is some great stuff in it -
I watched The Man in the Sky for the first time the other week - look out for it if you havent caught it - Jack Hawkins and lots of Bristol Freighter action!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_Sky
TT
By: - 16th May 2018 at 18:46 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Can anyone identify the film which featured G-AJLR and in which the crash damaged G-AHGU acted as the 'stand in' for the former when the plot required the destruction of the featured aircraft? So far I've failed to do so and thus to be able to determine how terminal was the screen destruction of the latter.
By: - 27th May 2018 at 10:28 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The mighty intellect of the forum has failed me? Surely not. Perhaps just a delayed reaction! :)
By: - 27th May 2018 at 12:34 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Well the only films that 'Film Aviation Services' were working on at that time according to the BFI were: 'I Was Monty's Double' (1959), and 'Follow That Horse!' (1960).
Steve
By: - 27th May 2018 at 12:52 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thank you, Steve. The making of the film - whatever that film may have been - would have had to be subsequent to 11 October 1960, which is when G-AHGU suffered a collapsed starboard undercarriage, as a result of landing on waterlogged grass at Fairoaks, resulting in a dbr write off. So if, Steve, the dates you give, for those two films, are release dates, then both would appear to be too early to be candidates - which, at least, saves me having to watch films that appear to have little artistic merit!
By: - 27th May 2018 at 13:15 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Well, Avion here is the list of films associated with John Crewdson (Film Aviation Services) and their release dates according to the BFI:
1964 Goldfinger Aviation Services (uncredited)
1964 633 Squadron [Aviation Services]
1964 Saturday Night Out [Aviation Services]
1963 The War Lover Aerial Sequences Arranged by
1963 The V.I.P.S [Aviation Services]
1963 Tom Jones [Aviation Services]
1963 From Russia with Love Aviation Services (uncredited)
1962 Stoneface Technical Adviser
1962 The Longest Day [Technical Adviser]
1962 Lawrence of Arabia [Aviation Stunts]
1960 Follow That Horse! pilot
1959 I Was Monty's Double Aircraft Film Services
I have only listed as far as 1964, there may well be others that are not listed I suppose.
Happy viewing.
Steve
By: - 27th May 2018 at 16:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Oo heck. That's a lot of viewing. However I think that I can safely exclude 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Tom Jones' - unless their producers allowed reality to fly out the window by including a distinctly out of period Airspeed Oxford being destroyed in those films!
By: - 28th May 2018 at 01:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Okay, got a bit more to add this morning. They also worked on two major TV series at this time. 'Zero One' about a security unit based out of Heathrow. It's all about aviation and ran for three seasons. Three specific episodes are listed by IMDB, Million Dollar Lift, The Bovard Affair, and Stoneface, but I am sure there were many others.
The other is 'Danger Man' which I presume we all know about. One episode is mentioned 'The Conspirators', again though there were probably others as well.
Steve
By: - 28th May 2018 at 10:29 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thank you, Steve. Goodness knows how I'm going to find a way of viewing those sixties' television programmes. Maybe wait for the Talking Pictures television channel to show them now that it's exhausted the 'Gideon of the Yard' series?
By: - 27th May 2019 at 04:04 Permalink - Edited 27th May 2019 at 04:07
It's Airspeed Consul G-AJNE in 'Breaking Point'.
M-62A.'Further to your extract from the A-B book, the status of G-AJLR has changed since it was displayed by Singapore Airlines. The airframe had once been held by the RAF Museum as a source of parts for their Oxford. It was disposed of by the RAFM - they referred to it back then as just vestigial remains - but that really didn’t do it justice!
Singapore Airlines obtained it to display for a while during a significant anniversary of the airline. They did an amazing restoration to static display condition, painted as VR-SDC to represent their first aircaft which was a Consul. Sadly after their celebrations it was moved to a local heritage centre but unbelievably (for a wooden airframe) was put on display outdoors! The inevitable happened and it rapidly deteriorated and was seriously damaged by the weather.
Many years later the airline (I think) decided to have it restored again. Reportedly the remains were sent to New Zealand for attention. The location and status of G-AJLR are now uncertain. I tried to track it down during a visit to NZ but to no avail. It would be interesting to know if it does survive, where it really is and whether it might surface again one day.
G-AJLR would be the World’s sole surviving Consul.
I've recently discovered Talking Pictures too and there is some great stuff in it -
TT
'Can anyone identify the film which featured G-AJLR and in which the crash damaged G-AHGU acted as the 'stand in' for the former when the plot required the destruction of the featured aircraft?
So far I've failed to do so and thus to be able to determine how terminal was the screen destruction of the latter.
Bingo-Wingo, it's just this second (well, nearly) finished, at 03.30am, once again, care of the FABULOUS channel that is, "Talking Pictures T.V" !!!!!!!!!
Bank Holiday Sun'-night/Monday-morning here & once again, yours truly, the original-thread-starter, has seen yet another "Anson/Oxford/Consul thingy" in film.
So many more (interesting) posts here, since I started the topic - Reading 'em, it's pretty clear that I got it's reg' ever so slightly jumbled, or did I ?
By chance, I caught a split-second glance at the civil-registration on it's fin, so, naturally went looking.... it looked like G-ALGR - (I need a re-run !)
Assuming that I didn't get it right (G-ALGR) & that I've mistaken it for 'G-AJLR', I think I've found your film, Avion Ancien'.
It's called "CROSSTRAP" (released 1962) & it stars the lovely Jill Adams.
I only just caught the last few minutes - Film looked pretty cheesy to me & initially, I thought I was watching a re-run of the thread title film "BREAKING POINT".
Naturally, never having seen "CROSSTRAP" before, my initial reaction was, "Oh no, not another bleedin' Airspeed Oxford film" (laughs !)
In "BREAKING POINT" one of the villans actually falls out of the a/c taking off, BUT, in "CROSSTRAP" the damn thing explodes...as Zena Marshall as Rina, fires.
Some pretty naff editing, switches between (what I now presume, is a Consul?), an intact plane, to a smoking-wreck, in just milliseconds (unrealistic)
Anyways Av-An', I think that "CROSSTRAP" is perhaps the film that you refer to ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosstrap
All this savage destruction of Airspeed-twins, pretty depressing, given it's the 1960's - At least, as far as these directors/films go.....
Lastly, as an aside, can I please recommend to anyone who likes SHARP old-film & locomotives, to watch "ELIZABETHAN EXPRESS" later today (17.05-17.30)
Once again, it's screened & scheduled on Talking Pictures T.V. for late Bank Holiday Monday afternoon (27th May) @ 17.05-17.30pm.
Stars the rather superb Gresley A.4 locomotive No.60017 "SILVER FOX" & has some absolutely stunning motion-shots (BFI, made 1954),
Cheers all, H.C.
.
By: - 27th May 2019 at 09:45 Permalink
Well done, Hornchurch, for staying up all night in the interests of old films featuring equally old aeroplanes!
Judging by what I've read on the internet, it appears that 'Crosstrap' was a forerunner of 'Reservoir Dogs' when it came to gratuitous violence. I must watch it!
There used to be a website that strove to identify any aeroplane that featured in a film or television series. I've used it in the past. However when, today, I came to search for it, I failed to find it and, instead, found only a hyperlink that might have been to the website but which does not work. However what I did find - on the Radio Times (!) website - was a still from the film featuring a burning Consul (see below). Does this show the demise of G-AHGU?
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Posts: 342
By: Hornchurch - 28th January 2018 at 12:24
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Breaking_Point_%281961_film%29
As per title, I watched the latter-end of the 1961 film 'Breaking Point' yesterday lunchtime.
It was screened on the (rather brilliant) "Talking Pictures TV" channel.
Latter part of the film surprised me, as it heavily featured an Airspeed Oxford
This dominated the last 15-17 minutes of the film & it showed Gatwick Airport.
Stunned to see GRASS & loads of it underneath the Oxford's wheels & undercart.
The film also showed Dakota G-AMPZ (presume later to serve with 'Air Atlantique' ?)
I know I went up (flight) inside G-AMPO at North Weald, circa 1984-1985
The film also showed a smart Vickers Viscount, as well as an early production Rover P.6
Now, back to the superb Airspeed Oxford...
Try as hard as I might, I couldn't make out it's civil-registration, so, was wondering...
Does anyone here know what it was ??
Also, did this actual aircraft survive to this modern-day ?
Could it even be, perchance, the actual Oxford that I've seen in the RAF museum at Hendon ??
Grateful to any (sensible), answers to the questions, above.
,