FighterControl

Hi Guys,
Forgive me if this has already been posted before..

Can anyone remember the series that was on the BBC years ago about Airshows?. Think one year the showed Finingley Airshow and had Noel Tidy Beard on with James Hutchinson(?) the former Concorde pilot.

I’m racking my brain try to think what it was called Holiday an air or something?

Regards

Gary

I think they were used to be called Holiday Air then the Year they were shown in if memory serves correctly and were broadcast from say Farnborough, IAT Fairford or Finningley etc - disappointed personally they never covered Leuchars and can’t remember if they ever went to Mildenhall although for a short time & it didn’t last long it was succeeded by a programme called The Airshow which was broadcast on a Thursday or Friday from memory on BBC.2. The presenters as you say were Beardy Noel, John Hutchison, Julian Tutt even Raymond Baxter. They were the predecessors of that “fantastic” (not) BBC Planespotting Live - now whatever happened to that one wonders? Oh if only we could get more like Holiday Air etc…..

Yes amazing to think now that there was a time when the BBC would cover something like that.

I think a few more of the Holiday Air episodes are on YouTube. I've seen Farnborough, a few Tattoos (inc one from 83 at Greenham) and Mildenhall. Great times and memories.....and like someone has already mentioned hard to believe the BBC would cover this today Not Holiday Air but this is also an interesting watch

https://youtu.be/1dy31I_saWM

I can remember Raymond Baxter presenting from Farnborough for many years

They used to televise the Biggin Hill Air Fairs too, late 60s or early 70s? There was also a BBC series late 80s about aviation, each episode covered an aspect of flying and aircraft. the last episode was called something like 'Spirit of Flight'. They interviewed a lot of pilots, including some of the Frecce Tricolori pilots who later died at Ramstein, the programme went out just after as a tribute.

The programme you are thinking of is "Reaching for the Skies"

Did they not also cover The Farnborough Airshow almost daily sometimes, the way they do say Chelsea Garden Show, Crufts etc nowadays?

Different days indeed, remember when Leuchars, Finningley etc managed to make the Saturday Evening BBC News bulletin on Battle of Britain At Home Day!

Holiday Air covered Mildenhall Air Fete in 1984, the year Concord landed there. I remember another show hosted by Mike Smith called Transit went to Abingdon in late 80's. The Holiday Air was good though only one show a year and seemed to do IAT and Biggin Hill mainly. I do think that along with Farnborough Biggin Hill did also have its own programme at one point.