"The Plane Makers"

Peter Norris also supplied the following info:There was another film & TV program made at Northolt in 1964. The film involved using a Derby Airways Argonaut repainted in old BOAC colours and a palm tree on the apron. The TV series was called 'The Plane Makers' , a drama series about, would you believe, an aircraft manufacturer and involved a mock up of a "prototype" fighter. It arrived on the back of a lorry with an authentic RAF serial and caused a good deal of excitement for a couple of hours until we saw them bolting it together!

John Davison has kindly supplied more information on this subject:
In the TV and film section of your Northolt website you make reference to an "aircraft" that appeared at Northolt for filming parts of the TV series called "The Plane Makers". This full-sized taxyable model of a vertical take-off aircraft looked rather like a fat Fairey Delta and had a natural metal finish. In the series it was known as the Scott Furlong Predator. The 1980 BARG book "British Military Aircraft Serials and Markings ISBN 0 906339 03 0 includes, at page 411, a monochrome photograph of this model taken by B.Stainer at Biggin Hill in "the early 1960s". It carried the drone serial XS341. There are marquees in the background and portable railings in the foreground, so I would presume that this photograph was taken either at an Air Fair or a "Battle of Britain" display of that era. If I find a date for this model aircraft being at Northolt in my early logs, I will write again. The local press probably featured a picture of it hoisted by a crane to simulate flight, but until we can narrow down the date it would be impractical to search their archives. (photo thanks to BARG)

Click to expand...

I was intrigued to hear that the subject of 'The Plane Makers' had been raised. The programme was first screened when I was about 8 years old, and I understand went to something like 58 episodes. It was really an aviation company soap opera, with troubles with unions, etc, all featuring. I think Patrick Wymark was one of the main actors.

Items were published about the programme in Flight and a search of the Flight Global archive for 1963 to 1966 using 'Scott Furlong' and 'Sovereign Jet' as search words will reveal some background. There were at least 3 series and the first covered the Scott-Furlong company's efforts to produce a short-haul airliner called the S.F.200 Sovereign. Handley Page had a hand in the design and one photo shows a mock-up of the swept wing aircraft at Hendon.

It was in a later series that the firm got into the fighter market and here the aircraft's design was made more authentic. The two-seat V/STOL Predator fighter was built of wood and tubing and was fitted with a 500cc motorbike engine to enable it to taxi around the airfield at 40mph, which presumably was why it could be displayed at Biggin Hill. I assume jet noise was added in the programme. The fighter was 48ft long and had a span of 34ft and, apparently, the shape would have flown had it been built properly in metal. I have no idea what happened to the Predator after the series ended in 1965 or 66. I never did see any of the episodes.

I found the attached photo at an Air Fair. The van to the right has 'Associated Television' written on the side - ATV - which was the company that made 'Plane Makers'. I have no idea if the programmes still exist. Would love to see some of them.

Hope this is of interest.
Very best wishes to all.
Tony.

Click to expand...