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“Another is the C5 Galaxy,” adds Ashcroft, “which was designed at the same time as the 747, for the same reason. Both Boeing and Lockheed were asked to build a transport plane for the US Air Force. Lockheed won the contract, but Boeing had spent so much money on developing theirs that they decided to make it a passenger aircraft instead. Everyone thought they were crazy, but of course it ended up as the most successful plane ever.”
A fascinating story for the enthusiast and casual viewer alike, The Ultimate Guide: Planes should prove to be another hit programme for Green Umbrella following award winning documen- taries, in concise 50 minuters, on subjects as diverse as ants, crocodiles and the octopus. Responsible for two more Ultimate Guides - on housecats and the weather - in this current five programme run, Green Umbrella have already been commissioned for the next series.
This latest subject matter is not without irony, either. For on their way home from shooting footage in the US, Ashcroft and his team nearly found out a little more about planes than they had bargained for.
“Ten minutes into the flight we had to do an emergency return to JFK airport,” he chuckles, “because there was smoke throughout the cabin. That was interesting. But the curious thing was, I sat there thinking through what they must be doing on the flight deck.
“I knew that all the pilots were tested regularly, when they throw all sorts of emergencies at them in the simulator. Our pilot was very good, he came back two or three times telling us he had full control of the plane, and that there was nothing to worry about. But landing at JFK, and being chased by 10 fire engines and 20 ambulances... that was an inter- esting experience.” ■ ANWAR BRETT
Originated on Fujicolor Motion Picture negative, The Ultimate Guide: Planes airs first in the USA May 22 on the Discovery Channel and will then be broadcast later via Discovery Europe
Photos from top: Jeremy Humphries filming US Aerobatics Champion Patty Wagstaff; The World War I Team with Fokker Tri-Plane and SE5A; preparing for more aerial filming Cameraman Jeremy Humphries, Assistant Jenny Budd and Producer/Director Nigel Ashcroft with Lockhead Super Constellation in Camarillo, California; B17 “Flying Fortress”