RAF Phantoms in Germany - Man Alive Documentary

[Tramatoa]

Hope you don't mind but this was originally in a Jaguar related post, I'll separate it out on its own in the hope it reaches a more appropriate audience.

 

By a strange coincidence I came across a related tale last night. I have been reading The Phantom in Focus A Navigator's Eye on Britain's Cold War Warrior by David Gledhill (Fonthill Media 2012 ISBN 978-1-78155-421-0) after a previous post about the STCAAME Phantom at Valley. On Pages 143-146 the author relates the sad tale of XV418 which was lost on 11 July 1980 while carrying out a low level 'Canadian Break' behind another Phantom (reg not given) equipped with just such a camera. This was being filmed for the BBC Documentary series Man Alive. Looking at IMDB there is a 50 minute episode titled 'Phantom' which was broadcast on 14th October 1980. Does anyone have any further information on this? The documentary was supposedly about low level flying in RAFG and would be an interesting find.

 

Further information from the BFI Archive;

 

Title

Phantom (Original)

Category

BFI identifier

225850

Date

1980-10-14 (Television)

Production country

United Kingdom

Production company

BBC

Synopsis

Documentary on the front-line NATO forces stationed in West Germany, the Phantom squardrons that are primed and ready to fight in the event of a Third World War. Pizzey flies with a squadron from RAF Wildenrath during a [war games] exercise. (NFA Catalogue) 

Non Fiction

Genre

Current affairs

Credits

Production Company: BBC
Producer: Paul Hamann
Photography: Fred Hamilton
view all

Cast

Jack Pizzey

 

Collections

Film / Video

VHS cassette - Video - Viewing

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Articles

Radio Times v229 n2970 11 Oct 1980

view all

 

I was a spotty 15 year old Air Cadet when this was shown but I don't recall seeing it. Does this jog anyone's memory? 

 

Pip pip,

Tramatoa