Posted on 05/05/2019 4:11:52 PM PDT by DFG
It was a madcap barn-storming adventure – designed to commemorate one of the greatest aviation feats of derring-do - that not only captured the heart and imagination of a nation but created headlines around the world at the end of the Swinging Sixties.
It even played a pivotal role in Britain's vital export drive –by helping sell the then revolutionary Harrier jump jet to the Americans.
Exactly fifty years ago in May 1969 the Daily Mail launched 'The Great Transatlantic Air Race' to commemorate the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic – that took place fifty years before that - by pilots Cpt John Alcock and Lt Arthur Whitten Brown in a modified First World War open-cockpit Vickers Vimy bi-plane bomber.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Is the bottom photo the modern reproduction that flies out of California?
CC
I like the movie ,LOL
Me too. Gert Frobe as the Prussian pilot. “Ve vill learn to fly ze vay ve do everything in ze German Army! By ze book!’’.
Interesting. Top picture shows a nose wheel. The middle picture a front skid.
A double feature:
“Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines”
and
“The Great Race”
‘Push the button, Max!’
“Curse you, you Great Leslie you!’’
The plane was refuelled ten times in flight using 13 tanker planes and flew at around 683 miles per hour, just under the speed of sound.
The Hawker Jump Jet was certainly game changing aircraft. It proved itself in the Falklands War. The Marines loved it.
But its drawback was that it was a gas guzzler.
Refueled ten times. He was pushing the plane to its limit but that is still a lot of fuel.
I would love to know how many gallons of fuel the trip took.
According to Quora the Harrier GR7 Jump Jet consumes 97.74 litres per minute.
If it had been the same jet the trip would have taken 34,878.9 litres of fuel. I would assume that the above figure is for cruising speed and not maximum speed that the race required.
When I was a kid I actually did go to the drive-in with my folks and saw that exact Double feature. Loved Jack Lemon as “Professor Fate”
Peter Falk as Max was the right minion. Funny darn movie.
...... OMG that's right .... Definitely brings back a lot of memories. The Theme songs of both Movies are forever etched in my memory.
Harrier Jump Jets area really loud.
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