On the Telly

[Angels49]

Just curious, is this channel available in Europe (UK and the Continent). I have the pleasure on Friday nights to watch a program called "Dogfights". It re-tells the stories of some of the most bodacious fights in aerial combat history from WW1 upto Vietnam and some from the mideast wars. If you have the channel available I highly suggest you not miss the one with Col. Giora Epstein, IAF (Ret.). It will not disappoint. That man has enough guts to fill a slaughter house and enough skill to retrain half the worlds combat pilots. His last flight was in an F-16 at age 59!!! When asked why he didn't leave a battle in which he was outnumbered 10-1, he replied "it never occured to me" . According to some sources "Guiness Records" being one he is the worlds leading jet ace with 17 confirmed kills (some of his victims survived and returned to terra firma via the silk elevator). BTW in that battle where he was outnumbered 10-1 he ended up being outnumbered 6-1. I'll let you draw you own conclusion as to the reason why .

Are there any kits available of the Mirage V or it's IAI clone, if you will; what the IAF renamed the "Nesher". I would love to do a model of his bird. I may have to just build a Mirage V and fake it.

Edited August 21, 2007 by Darkflyer

[model_madness]

Yeah Dark we get it here, but only problem is the shcedule seems diff to that in States.

So whenever guys on ARC mention an upcoming episode, its never applicable.

I did see a nice one on F-4s and Mig-21s in Vietnam

Ill watch out for the IAF one for sure!

[dswoofie]

Does anyone know if History Channel is part of a subscription package. I've got the full basic package (everything but sports and movies), but when I go onto the History Channel I get a 'There is a technical fault with this channel' message. Also on the +1 too.

There are a number of things I'd like to watch on there as well.

It could be that the signal quality is crap on our system at the mo. I think the dish has decided to point somwhere other than it should. Every time it rains or goes overcast half of the channels break up completely. A couple do it all the time...

Tried a couple of quotes and got silly prices for sorting it out, £45-£75 range!!! It's a fairly simple job as well. I could do it myself if I wasn't afraid of ladders and heights!! A signal meter is only £15!

Sorry to hijack the thread a bit!!!

Karl.

[Angels49]

Tried a couple of quotes and got silly prices for sorting it out, £45-£75 range!!! It's a fairly simple job as well. I could do it myself if I wasn't afraid of ladders and heights!! A signal meter is only £15!

Sorry to hijack the thread a bit!!!

Karl.

I can't speak for the satellite pushers over there, but over here our local signal sellers offer it as part of the basic package

[hatchet]

Short clip from youtube

[hatchet]

Found this 45-minute video too

[model_madness]

Cheers Martin, enjoyed watching that!

[Leigh]

Dogfights is really becoming tedious, covering the same thing over and over, I've not even watched the last three episodes all the way through because they where pretty much repeats of stuff done before.

A show about aerial combat that hasn't included The Battle of Britain! Though there is an episode coming this season about the Falklands which will finally redress the U.S. and Israeli limits of their interest. How about the Russian Front? The Finns? Malta?

[Laurent]

Are there any kits available of the Mirage V or it's IAI clone, if you will; what the IAF renamed the "Nesher". I would love to do a model of his bird. I may have to just build a Mirage V and fake it.

1/72: The only all-in-one kit available is the High Planes model. The PM model is a joke.

1/48: Fonderie Miniature does a Mirage 5F which is the plane that IAI copied. I cannot recommend the kit because FM doesn't know the notion of quality control. High Planes does a Nesher nose cone, Red Roo does the Mirage IIIC->IIIO conversion that would be also very useful. I don't know about the decals available.

[Angels49]

Dogfights is really becoming tedious, covering the same thing over and over,

A show about aerial combat that hasn't included The Battle of Britain!

I agree, A most grevious omission, IMHO I think that after the cursory shows about the American action, The Battle of Britian would have been next. I have seen and repeatedly watch movie. I'm sure there are still a few pilots left who could and would gladly relate some great dogfight action events. I won't call them tales, because tales IMO have a question of accuracy attached.

[Laurent]

You may consider reading the 'Mirage and Nesher Aces' Osprey book. It rather nice.

[Matt Roberts]

You always have to remember that this is an American produced show, and will always cater to American tastes. That probably means lots of Vietnam, US Pacific and Korea. I have been surprised to see the Israeli episodes but regarding a BoB episode I would almost bet on an Eagle Squadron episode first. I'm still waiting for a Tuskeegee Airman episode that will hopefully include some P-40 action.

Here is a listing of Season Two episodes starting from the Israeli one that aired a couple of weeks ago.

05. Desert Aces (8/10/07): The innovative, delta-winged MiG-21 arrives in the Middle East. Israel must acquire a fighter to counter the threat and soon settles on the French-built Mirage III. The Mirage and MiG-21 seemed destined for combat with each other, but only one will emerge as the preeminent delta-wing fighter of its day. The episode covers combat missions flown by Ran Ronen and by "ace of aces" Giora Epstein. Ronen used the Mirage to engage Hawker Hunters. Epstein flew a Mirage against Egyptian Sukhoi Su-7s in the Six-Day War, and piloted a Nesher against MiG-21s in the Yom Kippur War.

06. The First Dogfighters (8/23/07): Some of the greatest fighter pilots of all time engaged in epic duels over the battered landscape of France and Belgium. Fokker triplanes, Spads, and S.E.5s go head to head in World War I's most famous dogfights.

07. No Room for Error (8/24/07): It's where a pilot can ill afford to make a mistake, but where dogfights are inexorably drawn. Down on the deck-at treetop level-the margin for error is zero.

08. Night Fighters (XX/XX/07): From Radar equipped Hellcats in the Pacific to modern stealth technology.

09. The Bloodiest Day (XX/XX/07): May 10, 1972. The bloodiest day of air combat during the Vietnam war featured numerous twisting and turning dogfigts. Bob Lodge and Roger Locher pioneer electronic warfare and engage in one of the most exciting air battles of the war.

10. P-51 Mustang (XX/XX/07): In the European theater of world war II the P-51 Mustang proved itself to be the quintessential dogfighter and went on to become the most famous warbird in history.

11. Dogfights of Desert Storm (XX/XX/07): The planes have changed but the jeopardy remains the same. American fighter pilots pit F-15s against Iraqi Mig-25s and advanced Mig-29s as part of Operation Desert Storm.

12. Battle for the Falklands (XX/XX/07): The 1982 Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands triggered war with the United Kingdom. Remarkable vertical take-off and landing Sea Harriers take on Mirages and A-4 Skyhawk in some of the best dogfights of the modern age. The British establish air superiority but the Argentines sink several ships with wave-top level attacks in A-4s.

13. Supersonic (XX/XX/07): Stories of the development of jet aircraft and their subsequent introduction into combat. Includes stories of test pilots who were the first Germans and Americans to fly these aircraft and the great air battles that were fought through the years at supersonic speed.

14. Death of the Luftwaffe (XX/XX/07): The Luftwaffe's last great offensive, called Operation Bodenplatte, was launched on January 1, 1945. Oscar Boesch was a German pilot who took part. Sandy Moats and Alden Rigby were American pilots whose airbase was swarmed by fighters. After this day, the Luftwaffe was shattered as an effective fighting force.

15. Tuskegee Airmen (XX/XX/07): African-American pilots of the 332nd distinguished themselves as one of the most successful fighter groups of the war, despite the bigotry and prejudice they faced from their own countrymen.

Matt

Edited August 21, 2007 by Matt Roberts